2017 is a year in which Budweiser fully leverages the map of China's craft beer industry. In this ambitious venture, it is not only Boxing Cat that has been acquired by AB InBev, but also a more chain-scale Kaiba.
Different from the "independence of the team after the acquisition" and "will continue to assist in the operation" advertised by Boxing Cat, after Kaiba was owned by capital from Budweiser Group, founder Huang Wei signed a 5-year non-compete agreement with her husband Rudy Wimmer and Budweiser, which largely means that Kaiba will be "fully taken over" by Budweiser. With the strong resource support of Budweiser Group, Kaiba's future in China's burgeoning craft beer industry seems to be bright.
But for many craft beer lovers, this kind of "selling out" is more of a rebellion against the spirit of craft brewing - if the acquisition of Boxing Cat also shows a trace of the sadness of big capital crushing the knockdown of small distilleries, Kaiba's active "dedication" seems too flattering, and naturally gains more resistance and criticism. However, subjective emotions aside, the development of Kaiba in recent years is indeed very dazzling, the store area is small but the positioning is clear, the store almost covers the main urban area of Shanghai, and has become a place for many people to taste craft beer for the first time.
There are several home-brewed draft beer versions in the shop, and the overall idea of brewing is good, but the biggest flaw is that it is too flavorful. Mixed with jasmine and caramel, the smell is light and long, the foam is not much, but it is delicate and long-lasting, barely able to hang the cup, suitable for summer drinking; However, the taste at the end is not natural enough, and the sourness and bitterness of the mouth are unpleasant. The porter named "Kai Coffee" is naturally full of coffee flavor, with the sweetness of toasted bread, rich foam on the black appearance, smooth in the mouth, and a moderate killing taste; The disadvantage is that the wine is too light, and the thin base cannot support the strong coffee flavor. It can only be said that the cost performance has raised the comprehensive score of the wine. In addition to self-brewing, Kaiba has an obvious Belgian tendency when choosing imported craft beer, and friends who are fond of Belgian craft beer can find a relatively complete range of wines here. In addition to Trappist, Belgium Wit, dark sour beer, and Saison, there are actually many unique types of Belgian beers, including Lambic, which introduces wild yeast and bacterial fermentation to produce a kaleidoscopic flavor, and Belgian golden spirits with a very sufficient killing taste, whose representative brands are Duvel and the well-known deep pink elephant DeLirium Nocturnum。
Popular Science:
The concept of "lost wine" used in the marketing of Deep Pink Elephant has become famous in China, and many people who have not been exposed to craft brewing at all have heard of its name. In fact, the word "Delirium" in its name is defined in the dictionary as "an acute mental disorder in a state of intoxication, often accompanied by madness, disordered speech, and hallucinations". Of course, this 8.5% proof beer may not have this effect on everyone, but its smooth mouthfeel, as well as the bitterness and alcoholic sensation perfectly masked by the sweet fruit and caramel, make you unconsciously drink too much and lose control of your body. It can be seen that the name "lost wine" is also targeted.
