BEIJING

Woman power

Pop-up Beijing will salute International Women's Day with a special lineup of films for its Classic Movie Tuesdays, as homage to "an era when women ruled the screen". Admission is free with happy-hour prices in the wine bar. The schedule: The Women (1939) on Tuesday, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) on March 15, Mildred Pierce (1945) on March 22, and She Done Him Wrong (1933) on March 29.

7:30 screenings every Tuesday in March; G/F, Building 22, 4 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang district; 010-6502-5725.

Black beauty

Readers of this space already know about the British beer Old Engine Oil, a smooth, creamy porter-style dark brew with flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, earthy hops - and a hint of fruit within the residual sweetness. Showcased during British Menu Week in Beijing, the beer from the UK's Harviestoun Brewery is back in the capital as the "guest tap" this week at Arrow Factory, which tapped a keg at its original location on Tuesday and will tap another at its new Sanlitun brewery on Friday. The only other bar in China with the multiple award-winning beer on tap is You Ha Shou Taproom in Changsha, though bars in Shanghai and elsewhere have it in bottles.

Arrow Taproom, 9 Jianchang Hutong, 010-6408-7804.

Arrow Factory Brewing, 1 Xindong Lu, 010-8532-1977.

Suds for brunch

There's an old joke - and a funny T-shirt - that reads: "Beer: It's not just for breakfast anymore." Moon Dog brewery in Melbourne, which recently presented its beers at the Beijing International Beer Festival, gets the last laugh with Bloody Mary Red Ale, brewed with tomato puree, vegan Worcestershire sauce, celery salt and chilies. "This beer could be absolutely brilliant, or terrible," opine Aussie bloggers at 2hopheads.com, who join the "brilliant" camp after sampling its lively carbonation, spicy aroma, fugue of cider (from the cider yeast) and serious tomato flavor. "The tomato's acidity makes it interesting but hard to achieve," brewers Josh Uljans and Karl van Buuren tell us, admitting there was a lot of trial and error in the process. Because of that, they suspect there is no other beer like it on the market. Right now their experimental array of beers is not available in China, so we have to hope they'll be back for other festivals.

(China Daily 03/04/2016 page19)