I'm convinced that if craft beer is going to get a foothold in the Shanghai market it's going to be up to someone like Jackie Zhou. There are other tastemakers here, and they're all doing their part, but none of them is proselytizing the locals as passionately as Zhou. He's made it his mission to wean the city off of cheap, industrial lager.
It's a tough task, but he's off to a strong start. Since 2008 he's been operating out of his eponymous , a retail shop/makeshift bar on the last street you'd expect to find a decent beer. Over the years it's become something of a secret handshake among Shanghai beer aficionados.
And now Zhou has . So many of his regulars were making the trek across the river just for a frosty pint that a new branch of the Beer Nest just made sense. He's found a storefront on Pucheng Lu, just around the corner for that block-long strip of bars on Weifang Lu. If you've ever been to the original branch, you'll feel right at home here. The place looks almost identical.
It's still a tiny pine-paneled box lined with beer coolers and taps with a communal table at the center. A stuffed buck head (see above) and a bunch of beer propaganda still hang on the walls. Beer-related clutter occupies all available horizontal space. In spite of being open for only a few weeks, the place has that distinctly lived-in feel about it. There are some improvements, though, as well. Most notably, the storefront enjoys a bit more sidewalk space in front, which allows for al fresco drinking.
And of course, there is his rolling selection of brews. At the time of writing, he's stocking some excellent stuff on tap, like Jack Hammer, a monstrously hopped IPA by Scottish microbrewery Brew Dog. He's also got some old English faves like Old Speckled Hen and Greene King. This is stuff you don't see much of anywhere else in town.
So yeah. Good beer, warm and laid-back atmosphere, a gracious host鈥攑retty much a winning formula. But if you're a beer lover this here is why you should be excited about the new Beer Nest: Jackie's starting his own little brewing operation.
One corner of the joint serves as a workshop.
He's built himself a three-tier gravity-fed system from various industrial kitchen supplies.
He's able to boil the brew with heating elements that he stripped from electric tea kettles. Total DIY. Clever and inventive.
Once the wort is ready for fermentation he hooks it up to a hose and transfers it by pump to another tank across the room.
Zhou hasn't christened the new Nest with a home brew just yet, but he's been doing a lot of brainstorming over the years. He tells me he's filled up a notebook with about 100 different recipes, some ready to brew others still under development. That latter category is what I'm looking forward to. He's keen to incorporate Chinese flavors into his brews and has some crazy ideas on the drawing board鈥擲ichuan peppercorn-infused ale, hongshao stout, he's even toying with the idea of a mooncake-themed beer brewed with red beans.
In the meantime, he's got some choice beers on hand available at very affordable prices. 330ml bottles range from 45鈥�60rmb. Pints are around 60. The higher the alcohol content, the more you pay.
For listings of both branches of Jackie's Beer Nest click .
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