Photos by Claire Zheng
Like most craft beer bars in Guangzhou, Standing Goose Brewing’s raison d’etre is to acquaint locals and foreigners with good brew. Unlike most craft beer bars in Guangzhou, its interiors are a post-apocalyptic, futuristic, art deco smash. Eighties Wall Street meets Flash Gordon in a head-on collision; the brewing room left of the bar looks like Magneto’s shower.
Once you’re done reminiscing over the Savior of the Universe, owner Tim Chappell, a New Hampshire native who’s a keen beer-drinker and beer-maker, will be ready to introduce you to his thirst-quenching wares.
From the list of bottles, one can see that the bar has good relations with the Scottish BrewDog. That brewery’s Punk IPA 5.6 percent is on draft (RMB60) and is an excellent, classic-tasting Indian pale ale. It’s fragrant on the nose with a hearty, bitter aftertaste. A bottle of 5am Saint 5 percent (RMB45) is a chocolaty summer favorite.
There are also freshly pressed cocktails such as the basil lemon drop (RMB60), consisting of vodka, fresh lemon juice, house-infused basil and lemon syrup. Yet the fact that, after two months, a cocktail is a best-selling beverage in a gastro-pub-cum-craft-beer-bar reveals a problem: in what direction is this bird flying?
For instance, you’d be on a wild goose chase looking for a microbrewery; the place isn’t making its own tipple until August. One can sip on a Trappistes Rochefort 10 (RMB55) – the 400-year-old recipe ranked 34 in the world on a leading beer website – while listening to Daft Punk and watching ice hockey. The vibe is as befuddling as the 18.2 percent bottle of Tokyo imperial stout on offer.
Regardless of the sobering mark up on beer – the rustic Beer House on Jianshe Liu Malu sells the Rochefort 10 for RMB35, Ole for RMB38 and Lazy Guys for RMB48 – the silvery-sleek bar takes flight with their own fodder. The Old Crow (RMB55) sandwich with roasted turkey and thick-cut bacon is a glutton’s treasure. The sarnie comes with grilled Swiss cheese on whole wheat panini.
Located in a recently gentrified part of Kecun, it will be interesting to see whether the fledgling Goose can become a draw for a developing area.
// No. 128, Seasons Orchard, Chigang Bei Lu, Haizhu District 海珠区赤岗北路四季天地128号 (186 1735 3494)
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