Oh Yeah Brewing

Beijing welcomes Oh Yeah! Brewing to the fold with its new local brew on a grand scale. Beijing has always been the centre of China’s growing craft scene in the largest beer consuming market in the world. Oh Yeah! Brewing is nestled in the centre of Beijing’s business district of Guo Mao, amongst architectural landmarks such as the CCTV tower and the China World Trade Centre. With Beijing’s financial hub as its neighbouring clientele Oh Yeah Brewing looks to attract the up and coming affluent Chinese who seek a relaxed yet more modern social environment.  The well-travelled Chinese founder of Oh Yeah! Brewing wanted to develop a new atmosphere that challenged the hard-surfaced, grungy, industrial garages of your typical craft beer bar. They wanted to create a comfortable space where people could sit back with friends for hours-on-end enjoying good bites and uncomplicated easy-to-drink, fresh beer. hcreates was selected for the project due to their reputation for bar and restaurant design in China including designing some of China’s most iconic brewing experiences, such as Liquid Laundry, Boxing Cat Brewery and Little Creatures.  

Formerly the site of an aviation parts factory, Oh Yeah! Brewing makes full use of the building’s impressive height, spanning over two levels with the centrepiece double-height brewery pressing up into the 10-meter high ceiling. The challenge for the design was always going to be how to bring intimacy to the space and cater to different dining preferences. To manage this, the space seamlessly integrates three distinct areas – a sun-drenched indoor pizza garden, a main beer hall nestled between a band-ready stage and double-height brewing tanks and the more intimate and cosy drinking lounge upstairs.  On the exterior, the large font lettering of Oh Yeah! Brewing stamps the façade, a crisp stainless-steel box contrasts against the earthy beige textured finish. Hannah Churchill the design director of hcreates really likes this aspect of the space. “You enter the brewery through this silvery box and are instantly transported away from the concrete grey of the urban surrounds into this flourishing garden oasis” The designers carefully selected different elements such as the Terracotta tiling, concrete plastered walls, earthy coloured large format terrazzo flooring and hanging plants to create this calming yet grand space in natural tones. The far end of the garden features a beautiful terracotta pizza oven, where wooden oak frames conceal stainless steel planter boxes surround the seating and bring more greenery to the space. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with natural light. Custom-printed blue fabrics were created to add extra subtle detailing to the bench seats to complement the more traditional outdoor garden styled furniture.  

The main beer hall is separated from the pizza garden by a raw steel staircase backed by a huge LED screen and stage. The opposite side of the under stairs houses a takeaway fridge where patrons can easily take their favourite brew to go. With its grand 10m high ceiling, the double-height brewery is the emphasis of the space. Spanning along one wall it’s stainless steel tanks gleam under a ceiling of custom-made lanterns. The bar is broken up and designed to give unobstructed views into the brewery,  so patrons are fully witnessing the production process. Above the open kitchen, a mural of stylised gold-leafed fish and “Fresh As” slogan dominates the length of the hall, bringing a splash of colour and artistic touch. Stone flooring and chunky solid oak furniture draw from the traditional tap house aesthetic. Large steel-framed windows look out on the outdoor patio area, providing plentiful daylight and green views.   

For the second level mezzanine lounge, the designers wanted to create a more intimate space that overlooks the beer hall, to form a separate VIP area. To distinguish from the more traditional tiles in the rest of the space the designers chose to use a mix of Oak and Walnut in chevron on for the floor. A more refined touch is introduced into the space using a curved dark blue and deep red velvet bench seating. The custom printed silk wallpaper and global wall mounted lights create an intimate lounge space.   In the process of redefining the modern brewery, hcreates has created a contemporary eating and drinking space which playfully mixes traditional textures and surfaces to create craft brewing on a grand scale. Whilst the industrial brewing tanks are the centrepiece of the brewery, it’s the subtle and creative use of different surfaces throughout which create a clever and harmonious design.