Exclusive: Paddy O'Shea's Karl Long to Join Great Leap Brewing Team June 1

Beijing bar scene stalwart Karl Long is set to join Great Leap Brewing as its new bar and floor manager on June 1, Great Leap's Carl Setzer and Long confirmed to the Beijinger on Thursday.

Long, who has 11 years' experience in China including four at Paddy O'Shea's, will team up with Great Leap, which won seven awards at the Beijinger 10th Annual Reader Bar & Club Awards (RBCA), "to do all that stuff I don't know how to do," said Setzer, the surprise winner of the Bar Awards "Personality of the Year," implying Long will handle front-of-the-house.

"Now hopefully Great Leap will be known for having 'the nice Karl,' which will balance my lovely personality out to neutral. Honored to have him on board," Setzer said.

"Carl has a good operation going over there, but he's also a knob. I'll be coming in to make sure he doesn't screw it up," said Long, a previous RBCA "Personality of the Year" award winner. "My primary goal is to help the brand grow with my hears of experience in the Beijing bar industry," Long added.

New management will be installed at Paddy's, although Long will still preside over the successful Wednesday quiz night and "help out where [he] can."

Great Leap Brewing, which just received a nice mention in Men's Journal magazine, will officially open its new premises off Chunxiu Lu on June 1, after soft opening earlier this month. Normal hours and operations continue at its hutong location off of Nanluogu Xiang.