New Craft Beer Haven, Tiny, Opens on Xinyuan Jie with Bubble Lab Brews Galore

Since opening on September 19, Tiny has been putting its own mark on the craft beer scene on the quiet Xinyuan Jie, offering a more relaxed drinking environment when compared to the hustle and bustle of Sanlitun and its dense thrum bars.

The 36-square-meter bar is small but cozy; the team intends to provide superior service in a limited space, which explains the cutesy name. The two partners, Ma Jiliang and Huang Rong, come from two very different backgrounds, the former being the bass player of punk band SMZB, as well as one of Beijing's best-regarded punk bands Brain Failure; the latter is a seasoned architect.

The pair got their start after Ma got to know Bubble Lab brewery through Wu Wei, the singer of SMZB, located in Wuhan. They decided to help bring Bubble Lab's microbrews up north and opened a small bar in Beijing.

Six people can be seated at the bar, where as the adjacent room is decked out in delicate black and white floor tiles and a long mirror, somewhat reminiscent of Modernista's old space. The whole design is modern and comfortable, and thanks to Huang Rong's little touches and tricks, Tiny may be diminutive but is never suffocating. “A smaller place is easier to manage, and some customers prefer to drink in a small and quiet place, so we made this an izakaya-style beer bar, but gave it the slogan 'Huge Power,'” said Ma.

There are nine beers on tap: one pilsner, one saison, four IPAs, one porter, an ale and a stout, with prices ranging from RMB 40 to RMB 50, all from Bubble Lab in Wuhan. We tried the Mosaic Single Hop IPA (6.8 percent ABV), a hoppy brew with aromas of tropical fruits; the Vanilla Imperial Stout (9.6 percent ABV), a great balance of smooth and strong; the Golden Porter (5.1 percent ABV), a golden beer full of coffee flavor; and the Scotch Ale (8.4 percent ABV), a dark brown ale with strong caramel notes. A flight of 5 180ml beers costs RMB 90. To satisfy various needs, they also provide soft drinks, two ciders, seven cocktails, several single malt whiskeys, and three types of red wine.

As for food, the kitchen offers two salads (RMB 40-45), fried dumplings (RMB 30), a fried fish fillet, as well as a sausage, cheese, and nuts platter. Even though the menu is limited, all of the food we tried was tasty and fresh, making a change from the norm of greasy bar food.

During happy hour (6pm-8pm), beers are buy-two-pints-get-one-free. Considering the high-quality craft beer and food, we can definitely see ourselves back here at this tiny beer haven so as to recharge after tackling the Sanlitun crowds.

Tiny
Tue-Sun, 6pm-1am. 7 Xinyuan Jie, Chaoyang District (134 6665 8361)
朝阳区新源街7号楼

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos courtesy of Tiny, Tracy Wang