We don’t do too badly for craft beer in Nanjing. I’m not saying there couldn’t be improvements of course, but there is plenty out there if you know where to look. There is a decent annual summer beer festival, and this year’s (9–11 July) was my first visit. It is held at Wangjing Square on Shitoucheng Lu in Gulou District.
Some 50 breweries from mainland China and Hong Kong featured. A typical brewery stall offered four or five draft beers (properly chilled, mercifully) alongside cans, bottles and branded merchandise. At ¥200 to drink all day at no additional cost, there was no good reason not to get stuck into a good range of brews. Although a few stalls offered half-glasses, most did not. Hence the ludicrous sight of people (myself included) getting their glasses, having a few mouthfuls before pouring the rest away in order to try the next one.
I’ll be honest and say the quality of the beer was variable. Nothing was really bad but, equally, I only found a couple that I would be happy to drink frequently and in quantity. The growth of craft beer in China has been rapid and is exciting to see, but it will likely take many more years for the average beer you stumble across to be a great one.
Despite the variable weather, there was a decent attendance on Saturday afternoon, and I am sure it got much busier in the evening. It was a pleasure to be able to speak with the brewers, and particularly useful to find out where their tap bars are. Readers will likely know that English language searches on typical maps and search engines can fail to pick up bars and restaurants. I found out about bars in cities that I thought I knew well in terms of the craft beer outlets.
Incidentally, for those who know their Beijing bars, after rumours about the closure of Great Leap (Sanlitun branch), I got confirmation it is once again fully open and also selling their excellent burgers.
But what of Nanjing? You don’t need to go to the beer festival to drink decent brews in our city. There are many craft beer bars out there, and sometimes when I walk around the city streets, I stumble across one that I did not even know existed. These bars vary from small takeaway beer outlets that sell inexpensive (and sometimes rather crude) brews to bars with excellent beers from high quality breweries, both foreign and domestic. Some are essentially restaurants, whilst others serve either just simple snacks or no food at all.
Therefore, I thought I would this month a few details of some of my favourite craft beer bars to celebrate the annual beer festival. They are located fairly centrally. I focus here on the outlets that are not food-led. These are mostly too small (or interest is too niche) to merit a full review. The names I use should give you the location on Apple Maps, so I just give the name of the road or street they are on. I have not given the precise opening hours, because they seem variable. Most only open from 18:00 or later. In each group, the bars are not more than more than 10 minutes’ walk from one another and a metro station, so you can cover them on foot as a mini crawl using public transport, if you feel so inclined.
Nanjing University (SE of Yunnanlu Metro)
Craft Beer (Nanxiucun) Three or four beers on draft. Plenty of cans and bottles.
Guniang Beer (Taoguxincun) No draft beer, but worth a visit due to its fine range of cans and bottles.
Luoke Mr. Craft (Hankou Lu) It seems a flagship branch for this takeaway beer vendor. I found the staff and customers particularly welcoming and helpful. They do their own brews on tap, and there is plenty of seating.
Guns n’ Hops (Shanghai Lu) This one is not on Apple Maps, but it is down the same little alley as Meiqian Pub, which is. It is almost opposite Skyways Bakery. There are a few taps of domestic craft and some interesting cans and bottles. It opens earlier in the afternoon than many.
East of Zhujianglu Metro
Jihe Brewing (Weixiang Alley) An excellent place, busy with local beer afficionados. Many domestic and international beers on tap. Occasional beer festivals and “tap takeovers”. Quite a few staff and customers speak English.
Guoweiyi (Guyilang Lu) A typical example of a takeaway bar selling inexpensive beer. The beer is not the finest, but if you’re in the area anyway, it is open all day and they have a couple of seats where you can watch passers by through the glass shopfront. Certainly a good option if you want to drink on a budget.
HopstarXspace (just off Guyilang Lu) This is different, and really rather good. It is in an “artsy place” and I can’t quite work out what it is! On 2F there is a coffee place and the bar. The bar section only opens in the evening. They have around 10 interesting craft beers on tap and it is a pleasant and unusual environment in which to drink.
Luosaita Taproom (Hanjia Alley) On a par with Jihe. There are a dozen ever-changing beers, domestic and foreign, from high quality breweries. It used to open all day, but sadly it now opens around 18:30 or later.
Pile Imported Beer Shop (Hongwu Bei Lu) A good range of cans and bottles. It is mainly a shop, but there is a small room at the back where you can drink your purchases from a glass.
Tap Planet (Xihe Commercial Plaza, a.k.a. Chic Hills) This was once a bar that had the most craft taps in China, I am told. Then they moved around the corner to a smaller venue, offering 10 craft beers (domestic) alongside burgers. Last time I went it was boarded up, but it may be a renovation rather than a closure, so it is worth checking if you are near. The Apple Map location is for the old bar. The newer one is/was on the exterior side of the far NE corner of Xihe Commercial Plaza (just along from Bottle Bar, which is a fine whisky bar, also worth a visit).
South of Xinjiekou Metro
2467 Bar (Yujia Alley) A tiny bar with about 4 seats inside, but little box seats directly outside, so ideal for a dry and balmy evening. It attracts a young crowd but has a pleasant feel to it. They have a few domestic beers on tap and some spirits.
Der Rote Baron (Fengfu Lu) Also popular with the young crowd but has far more seating inside. Some spill out onto the pavement at busy times. There are around a dozen domestic beers at very reasonable prices. It opens earlier than many (16:30).
Xiang Station Bajingniang Beer (Youfu West Jie) The best takeaway beer bar I have found in Nanjing, and a good example of one I discovered purely by chance, after a visit to the nearby Black Vine (which was rather disappointing). There is plenty of seating and a wide range of domestic beer. It is mostly very good stuff. It seems to open for most of the day. Beer menu in English.
A little further from the centre…
The following do not have other good beer bars that I know of near them, but they are worth a mention. Indeed, the first two are probably the best craft beer bars in the city. The third could also be excellent, but it is the one bar on this list in which I have never felt particularly welcome.
Malt and Hop (Houzai Alley) An excellent range of domestic and international craft beers. It is worth noting that immediately to its left is a large domestic craft beer bar. The beer there is not as good in my opinion, but it is well worth calling in anyway. The domestic beer bar does not feature on Apple Maps.
Tap House Beer Bar (Huikang Lu) Similar to Malt and Hop, but be warned, it is possibly the most expensive beer bar in Nanjing. Some of the prices are eye-watering, and for quite small glasses.
Shanqiu Jingniang Taproom (Suojie Jie) Relatively new bar boasting 16 taps of domestic and international craft beer and a fair range of cans and bottles. It is a good size and feels light and modern. The digital beer menu is only in Chinese.
Nail Bar (The Village, next to One Mall, Jiangdong Zhong Lu) This is predominantly a bottle bar, but they have a few taps as well. It is not on Apple Maps and is not immediately obvious, but is near Starbucks. The range of cans and bottles is very impressive, and it is a comfortable (if rather garishly lit) place to try a few brews. I like the large collection of chilled glasses that you can choose from.
