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Crafting beer in S’pore

SINGAPORE – Craft beer in Singapore has become so trendy, you can walk into almost any bar here and find craft beer in draft or bottle form. The drink is also available at hawker centres like Newton Circus and one of the most popular craft beer vendors is Smith Street Taps, located in Chinatown Complex.

The craft beer market in Singapore still has room to grow, industry players say. Photo: RedDot Brewhouse

The craft beer market in Singapore still has room to grow, industry players say. Photo: RedDot Brewhouse

SINGAPORE – Craft beer in Singapore has become so trendy, you can walk into almost any bar here and find craft beer in draft or bottle form. The drink is also available at hawker centres like Newton Circus and one of the most popular craft beer vendors is Smith Street Taps, located in Chinatown Complex.

IS IT REALLY ‘CRAFT’?

The craft beer scene might seem crowded to the regular drinker but those in the industry disagree.

RedDot BrewHouse’s master brewer Crystalla Huang said craft beers account for less than three per cent of the beer market in Singapore and therefore has a lot of growth potential. However, she noted it can be hard for smaller brewers to enter the market because of the actions of the big boys.

“Commercial beer companies are feeling the heat from craft brewers and, in recent years, many commercial beer companies have taken on to buying out smaller breweries as well as releasing new brews,”she said.

She cited a few examples: Budweiser bought Boxing Cat and Asahi bought Mountain Goat.

“These brands are then widely sold at lower prices compared to craft beers, yet people still perceive them as craft,” she added.

Director and head chef of The 1925 Brewing Co. Ivan Yeo also believes there is still room for growth in the local craft beer scene. But, he reckons, the use of the word ‘craft’ is overused.

“Now, even obscure commercial beers are called ‘craft’, and sometimes, it belittles the effort that goes into a true craft brewing process,” he said.

John Wei, who has been homebrewing since 2008 and who is behind the latest craft beer brand ‘Brewlander’- which Allan Wu and radio-DJ-turned-F&B-owner Daniel Ong, who are also shareholders – said the rise in craft beer appreciation in Singapore is still mainly fueled by imported brands, but he would “like to believe that a thriving craft beer scene should be built on the strength and charm of the local offerings”.

“We hope to be a catalyst to build a stronger Singapore craft beer identity and be a beer destination in our region,” Wei said of the Brewlander venture.

LOCAL CRAFT BEER PLAYERS

The newest kid on the local craft beer block, Brewlander’s bottled beers have names such as Love, Courage, Hope and Pride and are available at a range of bars and restaurants in Singapore.

“We’re brewing styles that are very different to your usual safer offerings, and we do our best to challenge the status quo with every new beer release,” Wei said.

“The main purpose is to introduce, expose and excite people’s palate to a wider range of beer styles and flavours, instead of being too commercially-driven and make a ‘watered-down’ beer,”added Wei.

Now seasoned player in the market, RedDot BrewHouse opened in 2007, and was Singapore’s first locally-owned, independent commercial microbrewery. Master brewer Huang, who is the daughter of Ernest Ng, the microbrewery’s founder, explained what makes RedDot’s beer special: “Our beers are unfiltered and unpasteurised to retain the vitamins, minerals and the full flavour a good craft beer should have.

“Brewing is a fine balance of science and the arts. While we emphasise on the fundamentals of brewing science in our production, we are also inspired by the art of brewing by responding to new trends,”she added.

Another local brand owned and operated by Yeo and two other members of his family is The 1925 Brewing Co., Restaurant. Hhoused in a two-storey shophouse in Jalan Besar, with four 600-litre beer tanks residing on the ground level, it officially began operations in May 2014.

Yeo explained:“We always design beers to be paired with foods with our local taste profiles. The beverage can accentuate the flavours of the foods when paired or even open up a new dimension of taste.”

While they craft their own beers, Yeo believes in striking a balance.

“Despite being a microbrewery, we’re not crazy about trying to create only concept beers, which are big and loud, and usually not meant for sessionable drinking,” he said.

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