There’s no shortage of drinking options on Yongkang Lu, but this laid back bar has already cultivated quiet a following within weeks of opening. The latest project by The Camel Group (El Luchador, The Bull & Claw, The Camel) is all about craft beers.
Needless to say, The Hop Project is a Budweiser and Snow-free zone. Eight taps are dedicated to a rotating selection of Mainland brewmasters. For the next few months, Beijing’s renowned Jing-A Brewery (京A) will be manning the taps, having brought down a selection of beers for us Shanghairen to guzzle endlessly savor.
We tried all of them, and have to say they're pretty god damn tasty. Our favorite was Jing-A's famous 'Flying Fist IPA' (RMB40), which has an astonishingly smooth and crisp profile that belies its 6.5 percent ABV. The in-the-know description for a beer like this apparently 'sessionable,' which as we found out basically means you can easily drink a lot of it.
We also fell for the 'Raspberry Passion Xanadu' (RMB45), which unlike fruit beers, has a lactose-induced tartness with subtle notes of raspberry and passionfruit. On the same line as this one is the fragrant 'Mandarin Wheat' (RMB35), which is infused with TCM aged mandarin rinds.
We reckon the 'Airpocalypse Double IPA' (RMB55) might end up being Jing-A's most popular offering at The Hop Project. Not only is it a punchy 8.8 percent ABV, but you can also get a 20 percent discount when the AQI (Air Quality Index) is over 100, rising by 10 percent for every additional 100 points on the scale. Aside from this, the Airpocalypse also tastes malty and delicious.
The Jing-A crew tell us they also have plans to bring their popular watermelon beer, the 'Beijing Bikini,' to Shanghai when the season begins, so stay tuned for that.
Aside from beer, wine, cocktails and juices are also available at The Hop Project, but the large bottles of pickles sitting at the top of the shelf behind the bar will surely catch the eye of enterprising drinkers. Popularized a decade ago in Brooklyn, ‘picklebacks’ have become all the rage in Scotland, London and New York. The Hop Project offers five options (Grants Scotch Whisky, baijiu, Jamesons Irish Whisky, Jack Daniels, Teeling Irish Whisky) ranging from RMB25-55.
Although we aren’t typically pickle fans, we were thrilled to be reunited with Grants, our whisky of choice during poor university days. The pickle shot added a very distinct aftertaste to the Grants, making us less skeptical of the pickleback’s apparent reputation for curing colds and avoiding hangovers.
Of course, no mention of The Hop Project will be complete without mentioning its collaboration with Co. Cheese, with five gourmet grilled cheese options (RMB50-65) available late into the night.
Price: drinks from RMB25.
Who's going: local beer nerds, Yongkang Lu patrons
Good for: craft beer, casual drinking, lunch, quick eats, snacks
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