Cartoons and Beer: 77 Beer Girl Opens Near Lama Temple and 77 Theater

Dongcheng has been gifted with two new beer bars almost simultaneously courtesy of 77 Beer Girl opening a bar at the C&C Park (77文创园) on Guozijian and another at the 77 Theater near the National Art Museum of China on Meishuguan Houjie.

We visited the Guozijian venue, taking the opportunity to stroll tipsily down what is one of Beijing's leafiest and vibrant streets after a few pints at nearby the Great Outdoors. The outside yard that we were met with reminds us of Regain Element, Wudaoying's two-story bar and Brickening survivor, while the sleek taps and blackboards point to Yun Brew on Xiaoyun Lu as an influence.

77's menu features three of their own bottled brews (Capital 7 Double, Beer Girl Heaven Wheat, and Pisces IPA) at RMB 35 per bottle. They also have 17 taps stocked with a few of their own concoctions, beers from local brewery NBeer, as well as some imported brands such as Birra del Extra Red Ale, Wakl wheat beer, Belding Beaver Milk Stout, Toøl Go to Hollywood gose, and Fruili.

77's own King of Bull IPA (RMB 55) is brewed using with three kinds of malt and three varieties of hops, making for a bold and hoppy 7.4 percent ABV brew with little hint of tropical fruit notes that you may expect from similar beers around town – a fact that was not detrimental to the flavor. The Cuenca Blackberry Lager, on the other hand, was a bit too sour for our liking.

Somewhat incongrously, the other side of the bar is closer to a library or design store, with a lone TV playing Chinese pop songs, T-shirts, and canvas bags, as well as lower wooden tables and white shelves filled with books drawn by Taiwanese cartoonist Cai Zhizhong. Why? Because Cai is a good friend with 77's founder, we were told.

77 Beer Girl's space is nice enough but they certainly have some wrinkles to iron out, including whether they want to be a bookstore or a pub. Given the city's intense competition within the beer market, it might be that their attempts to branch out past becoming “just another beer bar” is diluting their intentions to the point where nearby bars with stronger characters (think Arrow Factory Taproom, Great Outdoors, Peiping Machine, Regain Element, and El Nido at The Other Place) will drown out this quaint brewery.

77 Beer Girl
Daily 10am-2am. 55 Guozijian Dajie, Dongcheng District (186 1007 9263)
77啤妹精酿生活馆：东城区国子监大街55号

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Photos: Tracy Wang