Drinkers have reason for good cheer

Craft-beer breweries are enjoying growing demand for their products. Pan Dinghao (left) casts a critical eye over his brewery's output at the Panda Brew in Yiyang, Hunan province. He founded the venture in 2013. Li Ga / Xinhua

"The craft beer scene has just started to emerge in China, and the number of craft beer enthusiasts has been increasing. Because of this enthusiasm, and World of Beer's proven and successful model, we knew the concept would be a perfect fit," he said.

Founded in 2007 by two close friends, World of Beer started as a humble neighborhood bar with an unusually extensive offering of craft beers. By adding different types of craft beer found from literally all over the world, it is now seen as the curator in the industry and has about one hundred franchises in the US.

The spacious Shanghai outlet has been decorated in a style resembling the original in the US. Some 400 types of bottled beers are arrayed in the six-door coolers, plus another 41 craft beers are on tap.

While more than half of the offerings are from established brands or breweries around the world, the Shanghai outlet has also some local brews, including Master Gao, one of the earliest craft beer brewers in China, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

Gao Yan, founder of Master Gao, estimated that there are upwards of 60 craft beer breweries in China now.

"The oversupply of industrialized beer in China has led the (central) government to adopting a rather strict policy about allowing craft breweries to operate. But still, we have seen a growing number of brewers especially in big cities," said Yin, adding that the quality, though, is still quite low.

Yin noted that the company is planning to open another three taverns in China by 2018, and a second one in Shanghai.

"Shanghai is like the testing ground for food and beverage. If you don't succeed here, you are hardly going to make it elsewhere in China."