Rural revitalization is a priority of the Chinese government, aimed to combat the country’s rural decline. Local leaderships and entrepreneurs are encouraged to pursue non-traditional and innovative economic activities. With the craft beer scene on the rise in China, this study investigates the potential of craft brewing to support the country’s rural revitalization effort. To this end, we inquired eight brewers about consumer motivation and demographics, business models, marketing, policy, challenges and opportunities. Results show that craft beer is predominantly an urban middle-class phenomenon, and that structural barriers and cultural differences may hamper a swift expansion into rural areas. However, there are reports of neo-rural craft beer entrepreneurism which, combined with a broader push for the premiumization of the beer market, may accelerate rural adoption.