Beijing Boyce

ASC Fine Wines has another Wine, Spirits and Education Trust (WSET) course lined up for the grape lovers out there. This four-night intermediate course runs from 7 to 9 PM on June 20, 21, 27 and 28, and the flyer promises more than 50 wines are to be tasted. I assume the final exam, slated for 7 to 8 PM on July 5, will be dry. (Note: While the tutors are bilingual, the 50-question multiple choice exam is in English.)

The course covers grape varieites, labeling terms, wine and food pairing, and plenty of other stuff. At 3,688 kuai, it ain’t cheap, but - if you pass - you do get an internationally recognized certificate.

For more info or to reserve a seat, contact Dennis Zhang at dennis@asc-wines.com.

Midnight last Saturday and the inside area and deck at Q Bar are bursting at the seams. The staff crank out drinks to sometimes impatient patrons, people on the deck stand and hope to grab an emptying table, and there’s a non-stop game of musical chairs — “may I borrow this?” edition - as flesh is pressed on a fairly close night.

For bar owners, it’s a better problem to have too many than too few customers. For bar lovers, and especially those who first patronized Q, the overcrowding is understandable, though it’s a bummer, as the place becomes “hipper” and a bit corporate.

I talked to Ralph, one of the co-owners, and he says the Q has secured more roof space, which, with additional staff, should relieve the patron pressure. So should the new point-of-sales system. It would also help to place a basic bar, or even a few coolers of Qingdao, on the deck so that patrons could happily and easily polish off a beer while waiting for their martinis…

And for those looking for some of the old-time atmosphere, you’re best going on a week night for a post-dinner drink.

A blog regular, a co-founder of the Bourbon, Rye and Whiskey League, a dedicated volunteer teacher and a business executive that helps fill our streets with even more cars, Eddie O will soon leave our fair city.

Actually, he’s around to mid-October, but it’s never too early to pay tribute to a man who has spread his love of Bourbon by providing spots as diverse as Cheers, Browns and Capone’s with bottles that he’s hand-carried to Beijing.

In any case, maybe it was the angst caused by his upcoming departure that caused him, about 11:30 PM on Saturday at Browns, to emote: “I’m not sure why, but I’m embarrassed to be a white man right now.”

Perhaps it was the few too many patrons from Eddie O’s demographic that were giving women the once over faster than an airport X-ray machine (though much more creepily).*

In any case, Saturday night saw Browns hold the umpteenth “dress up like a schoolgirl” party in Beijing, this one paired with 10-kuai cocktails. The crowd was lighter than in days past, and though it was still fun, it was “stay for 20 minutes and a quick drink” fun, and it would be great if this place could recapture some of its old spirit (and old crowd)…

One positive sign: I hear that the infamous Sunday “pet races” are no longer.

* Or maybe he was reflecting on his earlier comment that he planned to buy a Porsche after leaving China.