Unquenchable thirst for craft beer

Imbibing a new culture

China is widely known as the largest beer-drinking nation in the world, but Chinese didn't start drinking beer until the late 19th century when Polish entrepreneurs set up the first modern brewery in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

Unlike the mass-produced lager that has long dominated Chinese beer market, craft beer made by microbreweries places a much greater emphasis on quality, flavor and brewing techniques. It emerged in China around 2008 when Gao Yan, aka Master Gao, released Chinese mainland's first craft brew Baby IPA in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province.

Before long, Chinese craft beer houses began bubbling up in the metropolises of Beijing and Shanghai as foreign-run microbreweries sprouted up.

However, in the throes of the country's craft beer boom, a raft of newly opened brewpubs in big cities crashed in 2014 and 2015.

"In any business, you're going to see a bit of churn. The momentum behind craft beer doesn't mean every craft brewery or craft beer bar will be a success," said Alex Acker, co-founder of Beijing-based microbrewery Jing A and initiator of the 8x8 Brewing Project. "Only those that really care about quality and creativity will survive, and that's the way it should be."

Despite the hiccups, craft beer is seeing robust growth in China.

In 2017, the Craft Brewer's Association in China (CBAC) was founded, with 62 members and counting.

Although Chinese are entrenched in baijiu culture, they are open-minded and inclusive at the same time, showing keenness and interest in the craft beer culture. A rising number of craft beer festivals have been held across the country in recent years.

Some of the best known festivals include the Beijing Invitational Craft Beer Festival, the Shenzhen Craft Beer Festival, and the 8x8 Brewing Project's Craft Beer Festival.