Malt & Hop in the Gulou district was my favourite craft beer bar in Nanjing. I last visited around a year ago to find an even better selection than usual, and each one I tried was a delight. I cheerfully told the owner how excellent my evening had been and that I looked forward to returning. She retorted that I wouldn’t, because they were about to close down permanently. My obvious look of horror hastened her to add that they would be opening a brew bar in the city centre in about a year’s time. This did little to lift my mood, but it was at least something…
After a long wait, Bitter Brew is open. In fact, I visited several months ago whilst they were still setting up. The manager cheerfully told me how he enjoyed drinking beer in the afternoon, especially at weekends. “You’ll be open all day, then?”, I ventured. “Oh no”, he replied. “Probably from 6”, without a hint of recognition of the irony.
This aside, the initial signs were good. The brewing plant was sizeable, and everything about it smacked of a modern, Shanghai-style brew bar, albeit with Nanjing’s all too familiar and disappointing opening hours.
Bitter Brew opened in mid February about 6 weeks after they intended; I made my first visit on a Saturday night. Much of it is still roped off, but they had 12 beers. Half of these were their own brews, indicated on the chalkboard with an “O”. A limited food menu is currently available; onion rings, fried chicken, sausage, steak and fries. It all tasted decent enough, but nothing beyond the norm for such places.
The brews were so-so on this occasion. In my opinion, their own beers still need a lot of work. It was quite easy to tell which had been brewed on site. The guest beers we tried were quite good, even if some were too gassy. The Kiwi Sour deserves a special mention for flavour and quality, despite its alarming radioactive green colouring.
Half of the beers were less than 5 percent, which is unusual and welcome. There were many IPAs, but no dark beers. However, I was assured these would be featured in future. For beer quality (and range), it certainly is not Malt & Hop, but I guess we need to give it time.
What can be said of the beers can be said of the whole place, really. It looks like it wants to be a Shanghai brew bar but it isn’t yet, at least. If they want to attract foreigners (and I guess that is not necessarily a given, but let’s assume so), having the food and drink menu in English would be a good start. Two of my discerning companions were Chinese and very helpful in translating menus, quizzing the bar staff, and giving their own thoughts on the beer and food.
From about 21:00 the place became rammed to the extent that the apparently, needlessly roped-off area was opened up. This incoming crowd was young and it was good to see them enjoying craft beer, but not so much to be submerged in the thick clouds of their tobacco smoke.
Bitter Brew is far from a success just yet. However, that is through my lens, and based on what I look for in a bar. Others may think it is already magnificent.
Incidentally, Wine Thieves is immediately next door. It is a new and spacious restaurant aping with some success a western bistro. It has much potential, and I have high hopes for the deli shop inside which is currently only stocked partially. Is it too much to hope it might soon be selling decent bread, cheese and cured ham, alongside their wine? Let’s hope so. If it does, I may be spending rather a lot of time off Xinjiekou’s Wangfu Da Jie.
Bitter Brew is located at #94-2 Wangfu Da Jie in Xinjiekou 新街口王府大街 94-2号 Tel: 17315447616.
