Beer Library, a Two-Floor Nerdy Bar in Yoolee Plaza
Beer Library might just be the least conspicuous beer bar in the Sanlitun area given that, right after celebrating its one year anniversary, a lot of people have still never heard of it.
Located on the fourth floor of Yoolee Plaza, the two-floor studio measures a decent 135 square meters. In fact, it is more like a family-run bar, catering to the residents living in the building, which would explain why they opened it in such a hidden location.
Upon entering the venue, we were greeted by the bright yellow walls with black branded outlines as well as Sun Pengyang, one of the owners, who told us that “Beers are our books. We collect beers from all over the world, and share them with people – the experience is like what you might expect in a library.” Unlike the upscale C2H6O near the Forbidden City, this bar prides itself on being down-to-earth, and at the same time, with 80 beers in the fridge, their selection is certainly nothing the scoff at. There are also a range of whiskeys, as well as two special drinks at the bar: butter beer and smokey whiskey beertail.
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Sun insists on calling himself a curator of the bar. He was also keen to point out that he's a huge Star Wars fan, and evidence of that can be found everywhere, from the huge characters that declare “May the force be with you” on the wall, to the lightsabers on hand to be played with if things get too relaxed. During our time with Sun, he was happiest when discussing the possibilities of time-travel or philosophy, as well as VR, which you can experience in the bar. In my opinion, Beer Library is not just a place to feel at home, but also a bar for nerds (no offense, I’m most certainly one of them), an inkling solidified by their entire manga series of Dragon Ball. Upon your visit, you'll find that there are even more Easter Eggs waiting for you to discover.
Beer Library
Daily 7pm-1am, 425 Unit 2 Yoolee Plaza, 21 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (6466 1721)
啤酒图书馆: 朝阳区工体北路21号永利国际2单元425
More boozy stories by this author here.
Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure
Photos: Beer Library, Tracy Wang
