Update: February 24, 2013: Contrary to rumor and reporting, Jackie’s Beer Nest is NOT closed. Landlord dispute resolved and a contract signed for 3 more years! Come on down and toast the good news.
Where Belgians Go to Be Drunk… in Shanghai.
I mean the beers, not the people.
So I go looking for my favorite noodle shop in Shanghai one night, and it’s closed. Having come across the city by subway late in the dinner hour, I am starving and don’t exactly want to get back on the train hungry. So I commence to exploring some dim side streets in hopes of finding a replacement noodle guy. I’m on the rebound. Anything can happen. I pass a narrow shop and notice a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in the window. I’ve taken three steps before my brain sends the message to my feet. Hold on a moment. We’re in China. What on earth is Sierra Nevada doing here?
Total dumb luck: that’s how I found Jackie’s Beer Nest in Shanghai, the greatest place for beer in Asia that I have yet encountered. This little hole in the wall has dozens of imported beers in bottles. You can find a few American microbrews here from time to time and some Australian Coopers, and some German and UK brews. 
But the real attraction for me is the collection of Belgians.
I come here every time I’m in Shanghai, a real pilsgrimage for me. Jackie, the owner, works in imports and this is sort of his side project. Jackie’s Beer Nest opens around 6 pm and stays open more or less until about 11 or midnight, depending on the whims. There are just a couple of tall cocktail tables and one long central table with benches. Unlike the original Beer Nest which I stumbled upon (and stumbled out of) back in 2009 just a couple doors down from here, this one actually has a restroom. This is a good thing because you are likely to be having a few. Pretzels are on hand for munchies but if you are really hankering for grub, just walk a few steps down the street to a cluster of local restaurants. Noodles, grilled things, etc.
Strangers become friends at the Beer Nest. When I stopped in for a few in March 2011, I saw a guy do the same three-steps-stop-and-double-take in the front window. He joined the mix-and-match foreigners and locals at the center table. He’ll be back, he promised as he wobbled back out into the street.
For a travel video of Shanghai, see The Mad Traveler
Jackie is a great guy and loves to talk beer. I try to bring him coasters or stickers from breweries back home. Bringing along some bottles has become a little problematic with my long trips and the prejudice against liquids on airplanes these days. You’d think they could find the technology to sniff out beer for approval. Clearly security personnel are not sympathetic to beer, and thus not to be trusted completely.
Next time you’re in Shanghai, look up Jackie.
Take the Line 8 subway to Laoximen station. Take exit 3 and the escalator up to the street level and walk toward a KFC on a side street. Turn right and go not even 100 meters to find Jackie’s Beer Nest on your right. There is a round lighted sign when he’s open.
A few blogs about Shanghai at The Mad Traveler
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