No. 18 Brew Pub : Background
No. 18 Brew Pub is one of No. 18 Brewery’s first forays into the Shenzhen area of China; however, the company itself as its foundations in the Wuhan area of China. One of the owners, Wang Fen, started out working at a bar in Wuhan, and noticed that craft beer was becoming sought after, so he ordered some in for his bar, and before he knew it, had established the first craft beer bar in Wuhan back in 2011. In 2012, he met Jiang Qi, who was studying home brewing, and the two formed a partnership to create their own beer that has now lasted almost a decade and seen them rake in multiple international awards in the process, and is also the first craft beer brewery in the Wuhan area.
Of course, being in Wuhan meant No. 18 Brewery were hard hit by the Covid-19 crisis, and at one point had to go through a 76 day lockdown. They were forced to close all five of their outlets and our brewery, and the direct economic loss stretched into the millions and when it was possible to reopen, one of No. 18 Brewery’s first actions was to begin work on a special new brew to commemorate what Wuhan had been through.
No. 18 Brew Pub : Atmosphere & Interior
My visit to No. 18 Brew Pub was purely by luck as I was in the area exploring what to do after a visit to Half Ton Brewery and thought about visiting the Ping An International Finance Centre to get a view of the city. However, it turned out that the observation deck no longer exists at the time of writing, so off I went, tail between my legs, and that’s when I came across No. 18 Brew Pub.
You can’t really miss No. 18 Brew Pub, with its huge outside drinking area, which contrasted with its indoor area in such a way that I did not believe it was the same place. Outside, you have some huge umbrellas – used for shade and also when it rains, which it did a lot during my time here – and lots of wooden benches, tables, and stools, alongside lots of bushes and trees that hide the commerical parts of the city that you are in. Yet, you walk inside, and you’re greeted by neon lights and an almost futuristic vibe that seemed a bit disjointed from the outside, but still works well.
In terms of seating, I didn’t really count but I would say that No. 18 Brew Pub is one of the larger drinking places in town, with easily enough space for 100 people, with the indoor and outside drinking areas combined. Outside was a hub-bub of conversation and glasses clinking, while inside there was some random hip-hop, that I think was Chinese but I wasn’t listening too hard to be honest – we’re here for the beer.
No. 18 Brew Pub : Beer & Tap Information
No. 18 Brew Pub, in spite of having 18 in the name, does not have 18 taps, but rather 24 taps or so of craft beer. With it being a brew pub, some of the beers are brewed on site, but most are brewed in Wuhan and then shipped over. With such a high number of taps, I was expecting a large number of IPAs to be present but instead, there was a good selection of different styles and flavours which meant choosing two beers – I had drunk 4 beers at the previous place so I knew that I was going to start feeling a bit worse for wear – was very difficult.
In terms of sizes, the beers came in three general sizes : small (330 ml to 420 ml), the 1L size, and then the insane 3L shared tower of beer size that I ACTUALLY saw people drinking here, but yes, they were in groups of 5 or more so that would make sense. And you also got a discount in buying in bulk at No. 18 Brew Pub, so if you do come here with a group of people, and you want to have the same beers, then do the 3L size.
And the beers were fantastic – and I am not just saying that after the Half Ton Brewery efforts – but I ended up getting a double IPA which was dank and resinous while light and refreshing, and a saison that was spot on Belgian style with a dry, crisp body and plenty of yeast phenols. The beers were so good that I ended up getting some to takeaway, and the incredibly kind waitress gave me 30% off the canned price as well.
No. 18 Brew Pub : Food Information
I have no idea as I didn’t get any, nor did I get a chance to look at the menus. A shame but when I come to Shenzhen again, you bet I am going to be at No. 18 Brew Pub for some beers and food.
No. 18 Brew Pub : Bar Information
- Open :
- Closed :
- Happy Hour :
- Phone :
- Homepage : –
- Social Media : Instagram
