We ducked into Guomao’s new self-service craft beer bar, In House, covering our heads to avoid chinks of flying glass from a window repair job at the entrance.
Pompous businessmen sat smoking and conducting meetings on the leather couches around the bar’s perimeter. Cigarette fumes and an air of old testosterone hung on the crushed velvet curtains pulled across the windows. A tip from someone inside the Shenzhen craft brew industry had led us here, saying this would be the new happening spot in Luohu. We had doubts.
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The barkeep (the only woman there besides ourselves) directed us to the somewhat hidden freezer behind the bar where pink arches framed a glorious array of beverages. Both surprised and delighted, we found rarities like the honey and pear flavored Bink Bloesem (RMB42) and Bink’s bitter but balanced Hop Verdomme IPA (RMB45). The organic (that’s USDA organic) Sam’l Smith raspberry ale’s (RMB68) sweet yet tart juicy aftertaste most impressed us. In House carries other flavors of the brand, like apricot, and a chocolate stout, but only the raspberry is organic.
Of course, the more widespread craft beers can be bought here as well, with many selections from Brooklyn Brewery, Vedette and Brew Dog.
Sometime later the owner hobbled in with an injured foot due to some work-related injury at the previous night’s football game viewing. In House subscribes to a Hong Kong sports channel and patrons can get pretty rowdy when watching. Many of the clientele come from nearby five-star hotels, including Hong Kong and Taiwanese young adults and a foreign football team that cruises in around 12am some nights.
In House is definitely interested in more foreign customers and is just bursting with specials to attract them. On Fridays and Saturdays, for instance, foreigners get free shots and are privy to four selected beers for RMB100 before 10.30pm.
Though more of a guy’s bar, those who come here seem to enjoy it. Also, it’s the only place to get craft beer in Luohu. It could use some pizzazz, but that may be remedied by the DJ nights planned for the future.
Price: Approx. RMB90 for two drinks
Who’s going: Businessmen, hotel guests, overseas footballers
Good for: Football mayhem, smoky meetings, feeling good about being foreign
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