Beijing Boyce

The first drink for every customer 0n opening night last Friday was free. (I had a pint of Kilkenny.) The bartender was friendly and spoke English. (She said she once worked at The Hidden Tree on old Sanlitun South Street.) And the long and narrow layout was put to good use. (It is easy to grab a seat at the bar or the tables opposite and to maneuver between them.) I had low expectations going into The James Joyce, a new Irish bar in the former Swensen’s on Jindong Street, but these three things showed a pub with promise.

Not that the place doesn’t have issues. There was a single drinks menu consisting of several sheets stapled together and no food is yet available. Aside from the bartender, the employees seemed shy and unsure. (Also, I’m not sure where the employees ended and other observers — owners? relatives of owners? relatives of employees? — began. Quite a few people didn’t fit the category of ”employee” or “customer”. And one of them decided to test the sound system a few dozen times during operating hours.) And the place still isn’t fully decorated and thus feels unfinished.

People make a place like this and if The James Joyce can get its staff up to speed, provide good drinks specials (regular prices include draft Guinness at rmb50 and Yanjing at rmb25) and draw even a modestly sized crowd, it will be cozy enough. Its proximity to International Wonderland and other residential areas, and to Sanlitun, give it a fighting chance, not to mention that it is beside…

Hua Zai’s Chuanr Bar, which also opened last week.  Light fixtures in place of long exposed fluorescent tubes, a polished cement floor, and so on help make this more than the typical garish feeding station. There is an extensive menu, with more than 50 items, from BBQ to oysters to Sichuan dishes. Don’t expect the place to win any restaurant of the year awards — the food is OK: the best dish I had was stringy tofu with greens — though it will be a good retreat for those full of beer but famished in the wee hours since since Chuanr Bar is open 24 hours. Prices include rmb25 for fried chicken nuggets, rmb12 for the tofu salad, rmb6 for a pair of chicken wings and rmb3 for lamb chuanr. A bottle of Vedett is rmb30 and Duvel is rmb35, with big bottles of local beer also available. Those who want it cheaper, and more options, can always go to Chuanr Bar’s sibling establishment around the corner — Heaven Supermarket.

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Update: Simon Pendergast at Dxcel says El Nido and Heaven Supermarket are the first spots to stock BrewDog

Attention beer drinkers of Beijing: The bottle labels of Scottish operation BrewDog include messages that might suggest to some that these guys are cheeky wordsmiths of the wurt, to others that they are rebel wannabes backed by a campaign of slogans, copy and design tighter than a stressed-out marketing MBA’s ass, and to still others that they fall somewhere in the middle. You make the call. Some samples…

• “It is doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate the depth, character and quality of this premium craft-brewed beer.”
• “You don’t know what good beer is or how pathetic mass-market beers truly are.”
• “We don’t care if you don’t like it.”
• “We are proud to be an intrepid David in a desperate world of insipid Goliaths.”

Anyway, I sampled five BrewDog beers at El Nido with owner Xiao Shuai and Brandon Hess of local distributor Dxcel. These beers are above-average, IMHO, with good body weight, balance and flavor. And they should be, since they will likely be priced at rmb50 or more. I aim to try them again: next time a bit warmer, to get out more flavors, and against American options such as Brooklyn Lager and Red Seal Ale. I’ll provide updates  to let you know which bars decide to stock them. In the meantime, here is what is in the queue:

• Trashy Blonde Pale Ale (4.1%): A fairly big body given the alcohol level. A good amount of hops and fruit, with a lingering dry light bitter finish. Also available from Dxcel as draft.
• 5 A.M. Saint (5%) “Iconoclastic” Amber Ale: Fruit, including citrus, smells; I found the body fizzy at first but it calmed down after a few minutes. A round and easy-drinking beer, what some friends might call a “session” beer. Also available as draft.
• 77 “Juxtaposition” Pilsener (4.9%): Delivers far more flavor and body than your typical lager.  An initial sweetness shifts to a bitter and hoppy finish.
• Punk IPA (5.6%): Fresh tropical fruit and hops on the nose. This one is edgy up front and delivers a bitter finish.
• Hardcore IPA (9.2%): I found this big and crisp at first but, and this is why I want to try them again warm, it developed a lot of flavor and character as the hot Beijing day got to the glass. In any case, it went down easy given the  alcohol level, which means you probably don’t want to be getting into this on a school night.

All in all, if you like to try beers, these five are worth the effort, not that any of you mass market beer swilling Goliath lovers would truly understand them…