Le marché de la bière artisanale a augmenté de 5 fois en 5 ans, cette bière locale de Hangzhou brise les barrières avec des « stations de distribution » : plus de 50 ont déjà été ouvertes dans la province du Zhejiang

Finance News Xie Zhenyu from Hangzhou, Chengdu

Around 4 p.m. on April 5th, the second day of the Qingming holiday, at a direct-sale brewery of Qian Dao Hu Beer located in Longhu Xixi Tianjie, Hangzhou, a customer bought 2.5L of live yeast beer on the spot, and the store immediately received another takeaway order. As the weather warms up, beer consumption gradually peaks, and the business of the live yeast beer pouring station, a key product of Qian Dao Hu Beer, may become lively.

As a local beer brand in Hangzhou, Qian Dao Hu Beer has entered the top ten in the industry. In the face of competition from beer giants, differentiated development is one of the keys for the company’s breakthrough. In recent years, the company has focused on creating a popular product “live yeast beer,” hoping to let consumers enjoy tasty, fresh beer. Meanwhile, the company has matched this with innovative channels and sales models, with more than 50 direct-operated “pouring stations” opened within Zhejiang Province.

This move by Qian Dao Hu Beer also aligns with the craft beer boom in the industry. Amid the limited growth of traditional beer, craft beer has become a high-growth track. Focusing efforts in this field is undoubtedly one of the ways for small and medium-sized breweries to break through.

New products become core labels

The refreshing lake blue and silver-gray tones of the storefront feature a lake blue signboard at the entrance, inscribed with “Qian Dao Hu Live Yeast Beer Pouring Station.” At the pouring station in Longhu Xixi Tianjie, after receiving an order, clerk Xiao Lu skillfully dispenses beer from the tap of the pouring machine into a 2.5L bag, then places it into an insulated bag with enough ice, stores it in the refrigerator, and then hands it over to the delivery person, completing the transaction.

Interior of the pouring station, photo by Xie Zhenyu

The price of Qian Dao Hu live yeast beer is divided into tiers based on time: most expensive within 24 hours, and the price decreases as time goes on. Xiao Lu told reporters that sales are roughly similar across different time periods, with many loyal customers preferring products within 24 hours, with a repurchase rate as high as 80%.

Qian Dao Hu Beer has made “live yeast” its technological moat and core brand label. The product is not pasteurized by the traditional method, shipped on the same day of production, and transported through a cold chain throughout, maximizing the retention of the beer’s original flavor and active nutrients.

“Live yeast is beneficial for promoting human digestion and absorption, and regulating gut flora. Fresh beer is not sterilized at high temperature, nor diluted or filtered; it only lowers yeast activity through low temperature. Live yeast helps break down large molecules, making amino acids and soluble proteins in the beer more abundant. But the downside is that it requires higher standards for transportation and storage,” Zheng Xiaofeng, chairman of Hangzhou Qian Dao Hu Beer Co., Ltd., once explained.

Company product manager Cheng Yuanzhen told Finance News that live yeast beer is a product the company has focused on developing in recent years, officially launched in April 2025, and is a pioneering concept for the company. Although the industry has long used the term “fresh beer,” this product, because it contains live yeast, always maintains a fresh taste. Currently, the company has made it a key development area as an independent business segment.

Qian Dao Hu’s launch of this product also aligns with the trend of increasing popularity of craft beer. According to data from Zhuoshi Consulting, the domestic craft beer market size grew from 12.5 billion RMB in 2019 to 63.2 billion RMB in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 38.4%, and is expected to continue rapid expansion by 2029.

Cheng Yuanzhen further explained that live yeast beer does not follow traditional sales channels, mainly sold through the company’s self-operated pouring stations and instant retail channels.

Over 50 pouring stations opened, with plans for nationwide expansion

Currently, the pouring stations mainly sell the live yeast beer product. Xiao Lu said that customers mainly buy beer for gatherings, with evenings being peak times.

The pouring station of Qian Dao Hu Beer where Xiao Lu works adopts a unified style, with an area of about 40 square meters. He said that the store opened around July 2025, being one of the larger stores of the company, and later the company opened smaller stores, similar to community shops.

Unlike some franchise models, Qian Dao Hu Beer’s pouring stations are all self-operated, initially mainly in Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, etc. The company also has dedicated delivery routes, with refrigerated trucks departing daily from the brewery located by Qian Dao Lake, reaching various stations in Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, etc., each equipped with a cold storage for low-temperature transfer.

Cheng Yuanzhen said that currently, there are over 50 such stations, centered in Hangzhou and covering major cities in Zhejiang.

The pouring station model of Qian Dao Hu Beer perfectly fits the current trend of scattered wine shops and pouring stations in the industry.

Finance News reporter noticed that at the Chengdu Alcohol and Food Fair, many new scattered wine shops and pouring shops appeared, including well-known liquor companies and many emerging scattered wine shops. Some companies had already received financing, making it a very hot track. But on the other hand, the market’s enthusiasm still needs to be tested by the market.

For Qian Dao Hu Beer, opening directly operated stores means a heavy asset model. Moreover, many pouring stations opened in 2025 missed the peak summer season for beer consumption, posing certain challenges for the company.

Company booth at the Chengdu Alcohol and Food Fair, photo by Xie Zhenyu

According to Cheng Yuanzhen, some of the company’s stores are already profitable. In 2025, the company plans to open stores while exploring new models. “In winter, we have time to focus on standardizing store models and processes, and to strengthen our internal capabilities,” she said.

“Future goal is to reach 200 stores.” Qian Dao Hu Beer hopes to complete its nationwide layout of pouring stations within five years. Currently, a new batch of pouring stations is being prepared and is expected to open soon.