No.9 Beer is that kid at school who hits puberty early and develops long, uncoordinated limbs: It’s so big that it doesn’t know what to do with itself. And this gargantuan new beer fortress is, simultaneously, another playground pariah: the kid who tries too hard.
This is a Frankenstein of a bar stitched together from incongruous interpretations of cool; a patchwork of what was, is or might be the zeitgeist. Although there’s an overarching theme of (you guessed it) industrial chic, No.9 is like a beer theme park with interconnected zones – each possessing its own distinct personality.
Our favorite is one we’ll call Bar Zone. Built around the impressive brewing equipment, this is a pleasant spot to pull up a barstool (though the red brick wall looks like a TV set that might collapse at the slightest touch).
At the back, we find Weird High-Table Zone. Tall chairs have been placed around a weird, high table. The bottle display and shiny wall decorations give the impression of a fuerdai lounge. Not quite the taproom vibe.
Connecting Bar Zone to Weird High-Table Zone is Purgatory Zone, a somewhat bleak thoroughfare of thoughtlessly dumped tables and a wooden barrel. This veritable limbo is framed by bare concrete walls, their emptiness exacerbated by spotlights shining directly on them. But there’s nothing there, just concrete. It’s as if the artworks that once hung have been stolen and no-one’s even realized.
There’s also Hotel Lobby Zone (high ceilings; kinda clinical). And get this: There’s a whole upstairs area that was still to open as we went to print. What more could we find above?
Quite the damning summation thus far. But there are actually a number of likable things about No.9. Lest we forget, kids with flailing arms are often better long-term companions than, say, the emotionally damaged bullies. Or the manipulative socialites. Here’s why:
First, they’re usually pretty generous. In turn, the service at No.9 is wonderfully attentive. We feel welcome here. Nuts are constantly replenished and a phenomenal amount of free beer is made available during soft launch. (Disclaimer: this review has been fuelled – almost exclusively – by said free drinks.)
Second, they’re always up for a beer – something No.9 is unlikely to run out of. The selection of self-crafted brews includes passable red and dark beers (both RMB45), although the cloudy and oddly sweet IPA (RMB48) is best avoided.
Third, they’re often pretty ambitious. For this, No.9 should be applauded.
And so – just as with the gangly, over-enthusiastic kid at school – we’ll reluctantly be No.9’s friend. It’s just down the road, and no-one else from school lives in Dongzhimen. We just might not, you know, stand up for it when it gets bullied.
See a listing for No.9 Beer.
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