19 Heartbreaking Moments for Beijing Beer-Lovers
Life
has its ups and downs. For example, we were ecstatic when writing up
roundups of the newly opened brewpubs for the past three years, but 2018
seems to have been especially harsh on the beer scene in Beijing. We
were even forced to bid adios to two of my personal favorite bars: Great Leap Brewing #12 was turned into an office for the company back in May, and then Jing-A announced that their popular 1949 taproom was closing. Yes, it's been rough.
Aside
from those big hitters, there have unfortunately been many smaller
heartbreaks for beer-lovers in Beijing. Below we list those
establishments that bit the dust in 2018, either because of business
bottlenecks or a run-in with the Great Brickening that has ravaged the
city's venues and shops over the past 18 months. With any luck, they'll
rise again to pour us another pint come the new year.
Great Leap Brewing #12
Great
Leap Brewing #12 has been the home-away-from-home for craft beer lovers
in Beijing for the past five years. When we asked co-founder Carl Setzer what GLB#12 means to him and his wife (and co-conspirator) Liu Fang, he had this to say:
#12 means more to us than I can describe in words. Liu Fang and I just want everyone to know that it ripped our heart out to not have any other choice than to announce the closure. Seeing everyone come out over the last couple days to show support in anticipation of the 10th has left us speechless and tearful. I've watched families grow up in that space over the last five years, including my own. We accomplished what we set out to accomplish and have no regrets. We only hope that Beijing continues to support our two other locations and come out and support our newest retail project as well as our march towards nationwide distribution.
The
silver lining is that the Original GLB #6 and #45 have taken up the
relay to carry on, and their 30-draft-strong Lido location is on its
way, any minute now ...
Jing-A Taproom
The
always-packed Sanlitun 1949 “The Hidden City” Jing-A Taproom met its
permanent end on Jun 21. That being said, the official 1949 death knell
didn’t come as a major shock given that this three-year-old taproom had
suspended operation since Apr 1. What's more, the once lively courtyard
had been in quiet decline for at least a year, what with renowned
restaurants Okra, Duck de Chine, Traitor Zhou’s, and Taverna closing one
by one in quick succession.
Jing-A at last confirmed that the
complex's management had pulled out, forcing all of the venues within to
shutter. Even though the vultures were circling, we still held out hope
that Jing-A might somehow survive. Their WeChat announcement featured
similar sentiments of dashed dreams:
When we first suspended operations, we held back on any definitive announcements in the hopes that we could find a way to get the beer flowing there again soon. But with no luck on that front, it's now clear that Jing-A Taproom in 1949 will remain closed for the foreseeable future. We're sorry to see it gone – we loved hanging out and knocking back pints in the 1949 courtyard more than anyone, and in its three-plus years it was home to some unforgettable parties. Thank you to the craft beer lovers of Beijing for giving it a great run!
Thankfully, their Xingfucun Brewpub is running solidly.
Slow Boat Taproom Dongsi
After
five years of pouring delicious cold pints and serving one of the best
burgers in Beijing, Slow Boat Taproom closed in May of 2017, with this
statement released by co-owner Chandler Jurinka:
Well folks, five years after we opened the Slow Boat Taproom on Dongsi Batiao, we have received notice that the architecture above us is in violation and will be removed. This has nothing to do with us. Our business and operating licenses were renewed less than one month ago. For those that don't know, this is part of the 开墙打洞 (kāi qiáng dǎ dòng) campaign and there are three stages: 1) correct architectural violations, 2) brick up entrances/doors in violation, and lastly 3) buy back the land so it can be renovated and resold. When renovation starts, our beloved Taproom will be closed. We are not certain how long. In fact, we're not sure if we will be able to reopen. Only time will tell. Still, we are forced to plan for the worst.
Luckily,
their three-floor Sanlitun brewery, which was opened in 2016, is going
from strength to strength, providing brews, as well as an expanded menu
of American pub grub and decent veggie options, and of course, their award-winning burgers.
NBeer Pub Sanlitun
Having
opened in 2015, NBeer Pub Sanlitun was the brewer's second location,
and provided a lineup of beers (over a dozen on tap) from across China,
including Wuhan No.18, Chengdu Harvest, Nanjing Master Gao, and Wuhan Bubble Lab,
as well as bottled imports. Frankly, compared to their original Huguosi
location, and the splendid brand-new Wukesong taproom, the venue at
Sanlitun Soho was always like a step-child and did sport some awkward
service (but still better than nothing at all).
Cellar Door is an example of a Beijing hutong bar that held on for so long but still met its destiny with the bricks
I
could go on and on about all the below closed brewpubs and beer bars,
endlessly expressing my condolences and fond memories that were kindled
in their midst, but maybe a matter-of-fact list (alphabetically) will be
less painful for all of us at this point. A fond farewell to:
Beer Lab
Beer Library
Cellar Door
Craft Art & Craft Beer
Drunk
FlowBrew
Forty+ Taphouse
High Town
Joyous Shop & Bar
Koli’s Camp
No. 6 Jianguo Bar
Out of Step
W CoBar
Wilderness Brew
But take heart, beer fans! Just as Tiny and El Nido also
closed, they both bounced back and relocated with strong and solid
brews to offer, so there’s always hope. Cheers to that, and long live
craft beer!
What else is up in beer? Get all the latest news, by scanning/extracting the QR code below:
Photos courtesy of venues, Tracy Wang, Ollo Swan
Want to know what awesome events are happening in town? Scan/Extract the QR code above to get the list of our Editors' Picks.
Got something to sell? Looking for a job? Or probably your soulmate? Then scan/extract the QR code above to visit our Classified Ads.
Do you have what it takes to be a True Runner?
Scan/Extract the QR code above to check out our current job openings.
Always something fresh
Scan/Extract the QR code above to follow us!
Tap on the cover to access the latest print issue