Reeb earns a place in history of brewing
Print Edition
Reeb Beer, the brew once popular for its simple ingredients, plain packaging and catchy commercial tune, has left the Shanghai scene, but its legacy lives on.
The beer first appeared in 1987, made at the Shanghai Yiming Beer Factory that was founded in the early 1980s in Meiling Town.
The lyrics of the brand’s popular commercial ad still resonate with many people in Shanghai: “I grew up in Shanghai, and the beer reminds me of my first toast and the first time I fell in love…. The good days and the good times, I’m in Shanghai and so is Reeb.”
The words were not prophetic. The beer is no longer in Shanghai. In 2014, the factory site was purchased by Shenzhen City Construction, Investment and Development Co as part of an urban renewal project.
The site is being turned into office buildings, rental housing, shopping areas and a cultural park. The iconic tall, cylindrical barn where raw materials of beermaking were stored will remain.
The redevelopment is designed so that beer spelled backward will not be forgotten.
In its earlier years, Reeb was designated as the only Shanghai-brand product in the liquor industry.
Reeb’s commercials showcased daily life: a boy growing up in a typical old Shanghai lane, a man coming home to dine with his family after work and an engineer standing on top of a building with the city’s skyline as the backdrop.
Fei Xiang, sales manager for the Reeb Project, is openly nostalgic about the beer’s history.
He was a handball player in the 1990s. When he was 15, he trained with the Meilong Athlete Team, which was not far from Reeb’s factory.
“Between training sessions, we would sneak out to buy Reeb,” Fei said.
Because of their proximity to the factory, they could buy the beer at the wholesale price of 1 yuan (14 US cents), 2 yuan cheaper than the prevailing retail price.
Using a rickshaw, Fei and his teammates would load the cart full of about 200 bottles and divvy the cache up among all team members.
“In fact, we were not allowed to drink back then, so we did all this in secrecy,” Fei said. “But that seemed to make it all the more fun.”
At Reeb’s peak, China’s national men’s football team coach Xu Genbao became the company’s commercial spokesperson. That was in 2002, when the team first made it into World Cup competition.
Reeb’s fortunes began to abate soon after, however. Other beer brands, including America’s Budweiser and Japan’s Suntory, flooded into the Chinese market. Suntory, for example, appealed to customers with its fresh, light flavor. That contrasted with Reeb’s more bitter flavor.
As sales declined, the factory was hit by new concerns. Meilong Town, once an outlying area, was swallowed up into a more urbanized setting, and the waste and smell of beer production became a blight.
The redevelopment tore down many of the factory buildings, but the company’s malt warehouse and mill area were restored to their original looks. The warehouse will serve as an exhibition site for multiple public events, while the mill will become office space for smaller enterprises.
“The chimney is the factory’s landmark and the cylindrical barn is designed to present various views as one moves inside,” Fei said.
The site will be surrounded by three parks. An innovation park is set to open next April.
Locals have mixed feelings about the project.
“Reeb is still here, but Reeb Beer is gone,” said an online comment by a user under the name Yingfeng.
“Only the song and the memory stay with us,” posted another netizen.
One area resident said, “We miss the old Reeb, but we also wish its new beginning all the best.”
Fei has mixed feelings, too.
His old teammates have moved to the Shanghai island of Chongming, along with the team training base. Fei retired from sport after a hand injury.
He said it’s inevitable that tastes change and tastes vary.
“Many people may favor latte, but I just prefer a cup of Americano,” he said. “I have always preferred Reeb’s pure flavor to other beer brands.”
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