Images by Noemi Cassanelli
Somewhere in Shanghai, somebody is telling a joke about how even the cocktail bars in Beijing sell beer – and not cocktails. Get it? People in Beijing are unsophisticated and parochial, because they like to drink beer. It’s funny, of course, because it’s true. At least in part (the part about the cocktail bar, but we’ll come to that later).
Beer and Beijing: the two go together like strawberries and cream, or overinflated rates of economic growth and hazardous air quality (or Shanghai and dreary expat bankers, for that matter). Not a week seems to pass without a new locally brewed/crafted/imported beer bar opening in this city. Why is that, exactly? What’s driving the growth? (Alcoholism?) And how long before the bubble bursts and the market shifts towards the next new trend?
Such questions appear of little concern to the owners of De Refter – Beijing’s newest concept beer bar – and based on what we encountered during its soft opening period, why should they? Pitching itself as a sort of Jane’s & Hooch for the craft beer crowd, this new Belgian-centric establishment is conveniently located – surprise, surprise – next door to Jane’s & Hooch. But whereas Beijing’s Premier Cocktail Destination™ is, to quote its website, “a modern take on a vintage dive bar,” or put another way, an expensive cocktail lounge styling itself as ‘gritty,’ De Refter is a gritty beer bar styling itself as an expensive lounge.
It’s a neat trick: here we have a place that is resolutely a pub – sells over 100 obscure quality Belgian brews, including eight on tap – yet looks and feels like the type of up-market destination you might take your significant other to for a romantic date, or, better still, meet someone while there who you might like to date.
Sure, the excessive variety of beer on offer feels gimmicky, probably because it is, but there’s no denying the guys behind the concept have done their homework – and know their market. The rich wooden interior – arguably the bar’s most impressive element – is a significant departure from the type of industrial look first popularized by Great Leap and Jing-A and now seen throughout the city with varying degrees of success. It’s both cozy and sleek. Prices, meanwhile, range from the somewhat excessive, St Feuillien Blonde (RMB70), to the reasonable, St Louis Premium Kriek (RMB45).
All considered, it’s a welcome new addition to Beijing’s nightlife scene – and one we imagine that will squeeze comfortably into the post 12am drinking slot (when nearby Jing-A kicks out) currently occupied by the city’s aforementioned Premier Cocktail Destination™ or other less salubrious locations (take a bow, First Floor).
Price
RMB45-200/person
Who’s Going
Beer aficionados, Belgians, cocktail refugees
Good For
Tinder dates
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