WANDERLUST
KARL JIANG AND TAYLOR ARMSTRONG Wuhan-based Brewers Interview by Sophie Steiner
Wuhan has been through a rollercoaster in the last 18-plus months but is finally on a clear upward trajectory. This bodes well for tourism – specifically related to food and beverage. We caught up with Karl Jiang of No. 18 Brewing and Taylor Armstrong of Devils Brewery to understand how the reopening of the now stronger and bolder craft beer scene in Wuhan has served as a symbol of the reemergence of the pride of a city now unified more than ever. How did COVID-19 affect No. 18 Brewing? Jiang: Like all businesses and public places in Wuhan, we were forced to temporarily close down the brewery in January 2020. At the time, we had prepared a variety of beers, both core beers and experimental small-batch beers, to release during the Spring Festival. After recognizing the gravity of the situation, we distributed some of the beers to employees and donated the rest. I started to volunteer in my community – driving around medical staff and delivering masks – and I arranged for a brewer to move into the brewery to manage production during the time that the brewing wasn’t functioning, with food being delivered directly to the brewery every few days. At that time, it was hard to purchase anything on the street – everything was closed – so all raw materials had to be delivered through slow channels.
“While many small businesses didn’t survive the pandemic, we were fortunate enough to make it through and come out stronger on the other side” How long did you have to shut down the brewery, and how did you spend your time during lockdown? Armstrong: The US started chartering evacuation flights for citizens to return home, but I’m so happy I stayed. Soon after lockdown, I packed my things and moved into the actual brewery for the long haul. When I tell my quarantine story to anybody, their first comment is “You must have drunk so much beer during quarantine,” but in reality, I only drank a pint maybe every few days. I love beer, but drinking alone gets depressing real fast. The brewery is over 1,000 square meters, so I built a small kitchen, cooking everything in my electric pressure cooker. I could start an electric pot cookbook at this point. I spent time reading, video chatting with family, running some test batches with ingredients we had in the brewery and exercising in my makeshift brewery gym. How has the craft beer scene in Wuhan recovered since COVID-19? Jiang: The recovery was slow. When the city began to reopen in March, diners wanted to eat typical Chinese food – hot pot and barbecue – not Western food and high-end craft beers. But slowly, business began to pick up throughout May, and by June there was explosive growth. No one wanted to stay at home anymore – they wanted to go out, eat,
drink and party. While many small businesses didn’t survive the pandemic, we were fortunate enough to make it through and come out stronger on the other side. Were your brew releases changed as a result of COVID-19? Armstrong: We have since returned to a ‘new normal.’ We have more local customers, which is more sustainable in the long run, and we have been offering a wider variety of beers to appeal to this emerging crowd. After quarantine, I brewed a lychee dragon fruit Gose called Quarantine Devil by myself. The experience of brewing fully by myself was interesting, and I’m considering brewing it again, but this next time with a helper. Where do you see the craft beer scene going in Wuhan in the next five years? Armstrong: I see a trend starting even now of more local craft breweries opening up across China that will push the craft beer scene forward even more quickly. This will in turn help cultivate more general beer interest and more local enthusiasm for our product. I think that COVID caused a short-term hit, but a longterm win for the craft beer scene in China. The ball is rolling and even COVID can’t stop it. > This interview has been edited for brevity.
WWW.THATSMAGS.COM |AUGUST 2021 | 23
