A t’Ale of Two Cities? How does the old Southern Capital compare with its northern partner when it comes to finding decent beer? In order to answer this question, I set out to visit more than 20 of the finest craft beer bars in Beijing. It was tough work, but somebody had to do it. Perhaps I will do similar for Shanghai in the near future.
I was last in Beijing in 2014. I was hopeful that the beer scene would have improved since then, and I was not disappointed. I rather like Nanjing and I like to be loyal to the place in which I live. However, in most of my various categories of comparison, I am afraid Beijing absolutely thrashes Nanjing! I’ll also point out that nearly all menus in Beijing (beer and food) were bilingual, and it was very unusual to find staff who did not have at least enough English to cover the basics.
In this issue I summarise the differences. In November and December will be a short guide to the places I visited recently.
~ Beer Quality ~
Both cities have some good beers, but craft beer in China is still in its infancy. It gets better all the time, but nothing locally-brewed I have had in either city ranks with the best in the world. Winner: Draw!
~ Beer Dispense ~
Craft beer drinkers in Nanjing will be familiar with waiting a long time for beer to be poured, accompanied with frantic spooning of excess froth and faffing around endlessly with enough taps and valves to bamboozle a submariner. It’s not same in the capital; perhaps our fair city could learn how to pour a craft beer in 30 seconds as opposed to 5-10 minutes? In Beijing I did also not suffer one beer that was too warm, and that includes beer from the fridge. We have a number of bars in Nanjing with fine ranges of cans and bottles, ruined because the fridges are not kept cold enough. Winner: Beijing!
~ Opening Hours ~
With many bars open from 11:00, the capital understands that drinking need not only be a post-18:00 affair. Of course there may be more people in the capital who want to drink during the day, but I am mindful of the Devil’s Brewery & Smokehouse in Wuhan, which opens all day. When I went there recently, I was the only westerner, but at midday the bar was packed with locals enjoying lunch alongside a craft beer. Surely there is a gap in the market for a bar or two like that here in Nanjing? Winner: Beijing!
~ Prices ~
I was surprised by this, but time after time in Beijing I found myself paying quite a lot less than for an equivalent beer in Nanjing. I also noticed a number of loyalty programs, long and generous happy hours, and sometimes a flat rate off all (or some) beers during the day. The bargain of the trip was Great Leap. Many of their beers in all branches are available to take away in cans for ¥15, which is in itself cracking value, but every Wednesday these are “buy three, get three”. Suffice to say my suitcase on the way back was somewhat heavier than on the journey up. Winner: Beijing!
~ Bar Style ~
Those guys in the capital know how to design an impressive bar. Many would not be out of place anywhere in the world. Beijing benefits from hutongs, some of which have lent themselves nicely to really characterful conversions. Winner: Beijing!
~ Ambience ~
Most bars were busy, but calm, with people enjoying conversations which often appeared to centre on the beer and food. The music was appropriate (if occasionally too loud), and the capital is far more strict on enforcing the no smoking law; most bars display consumer complaint telephone numbers to report any offenders. Only in two bars did I notice a little lighting up. Winner: Beijing!
~ Food ~
Beijing has their craft beer as accompaniment to food down to a fine art. The (mostly western) bar food was a real highlight of my visit. It would not have been out of place in casual dining establishments anywhere in the world. Winner: Beijing!
~ Water ~
I think it matters. I really dislike small glasses of warm water at any time and I certainly don’t want to drink it alongside my beer. Most bars I visited brought warm water, but all were very quick to provide pint glasses of water full of ice on request. Winner: Draw!
~ Transportation ~
I’m going to say this mindful of the fact I was in Beijing during the holiday, and it was mostly quiet, so traffic was calm for taxi rides. However, under normal circumstances, one often has to use a crowded metro to beat the traffic and walk around large blocks with pedestrian lights that seem to stay red forever. Winner: Nanjing!
Incidentally, some Beijing bars were a nightmare to find on international maps. Google was better than Apple. Why an operation like Slow Boat does not ensure that a simple search on Apple Maps brings up all three of their locations is completely beyond me.
Join Matt over the next 2 months as he reviews no less than 21 of the Northern Capital’s craft beer bars.
