Urbrew: At the Cutting-Edge of Craft Beer in China

With its airy buildings, high-tech equipment, and green open spaces, walking around the Urbrew factory feels more like visiting the campus of an internet startup than a brewery. Located in Hebei Province in the city of Handan, around 450km southwest of Beijing, the Urbrew site is one of the largest craft beer brewing facility in China, covering an area of more than 400 acres.

A bird's-eye view of the Urbrew facility

Founder and president of Urbrew, Mr. Li Qing, is a craft beer enthusiast and, over the years, had sampled some of the world’s best and most innovative craft beers during his travels. Turning his gaze back to his home country, he saw a huge potential for craft beer in China that was yet untapped. With this in mind, he decided to open a craft beer brewery.

In order to brew the best quality beer and push forward the development of the market, Mr. Li knew that he would need the best equipment, so he looked to German brand Krones, the world’s leading supplier of brewing equipment. All of the equipment at the Urbrew facility, from the processing technology to the bottling production line to the Steinecker brewhouse, is supplied by Krones. Construction on the facility began in 2013 and Urbrew’s first pint of beer was produced in 2015.

All of the equipment at Urbrew is provided by Krones

Since then, Urbrew has produced an ever-expanding range of craft beer styles, from lager to wheat beer to IPA. Mr. Li passionately believes that consumers in China are open and curious about craft beer and that the best way to tap into this curiosity is by introducing them to new types of great tasting beer.

Urbrew beers on display

The entire Urbrew facility is a testament to the brand's core identity: a modern, high-tech, cutting-edge Chinese craft brewery. A tour of the factory, an interesting experience even for non-beer fans, begins in an airy exhibition space, where you learn all about the ingredients and processes used to brew craft beer. Just like its Krones equipment, Urbrew selects the ingredients that go into its beer with the utmost care, from barley to hops and even the water — the site in Handan was chosen because the water is especially pure, coming from a deep Cretaceous aquifer. 

The restaurant at Urbrew's facility is a great place to sample some of their beers

The tour then continues through the spotless brewing facility, where you’ll get a closer look at that Krones equipment. Keen eyes will notice the lack of staff; the majority of the brewing process is computer controlled to ensure accuracy and the best possible product. Anyone, from individuals to corporate groups, can arrange to visit the factory, starting with a tour of the brewing facilities and ending with a meal at their restaurant, which serves both Western and Chinese cuisine. 

Urbrew’s current portfolio of more than 10 different beers includes:

Captain IPA: An American-style IPA named in memory of Chinese sailor Guo Chuan, who went missing in 2016 while trying to break the world record for crossing the Pacific Ocean alone. The Captain IPA represents Urbrew's desire to keep challenging themselves and push their industry forward, just like Guo Chuan.

Holiday Wheat Beer: A Belgian-style wheat beer flavored with oats, orange peel, and coriander seeds. The label design was inspired by the film Roman Holiday (notice the iconic vespa), as the beer's sweet-sour notes bring to mind the ups and downs of a holiday romance.

Urbrew German Wheat Beer and Lager: Urbrew's German beers draw on hundreds of years of brewing heritage and experience. Made to exacting standards, the wheat beer is highly fragrant with notes of tropical fruit, while the lager has a refreshing bitterness on the palate. 

Urbrew Cider: A light, fruity cider made with pure apple and pear juices. The perfect pre-dinner drink on a warm evening, the fruit aromas hit the nose as soon as you crack open the bottle. 

Royal Bavarian beer brand König Ludwig 

In addition to its own extensive range of beers, Urbrew is also the sole licensed partner of royal Bavarian beer brand König Ludwig. The royal Bavarian beer brand traces its history back hundreds of years to the Kingdom of Bavaria and the current owner of the brand Mr. Prince Luitpold of the Wittelsback family, the great-grandson of the last King of Bavaria, has visited the Urbrew brewery on a number of occasions. Urbrew makes König Ludwig Weissbier, König Ludwig Dunkel, and Kaltenberg Lager.

If you would like to purchase any of the above beers, please contact Mr. Steven Yan at 133 1100 6359. Urbrew beers are also available for purchase via Tmall, Jingdong, and Taobao via the links below:

Scan the QR code to buy on Tmall

Scan the QR code to buy on Taobao

Follow the link to buy on Jingdong: https://item.jd.com/5939316.html

If you are interested in tours of the Urbrew brewery or any co-marketing, please contact Joanna at 136 6110 6815 or marketing.bj@urbrau.com. 

Scan the QR code to follow Urbrew on WeChat.

This post is paid for by Urbrew

Photos courtesy of Urbrew