Bonding over beer

SINGAPORE — Some might say it is no coincidence that this year’s Beerfest Asia falls on Father’s Day weekend. Others simply see it as a perfect opportunity to elevate the invitation to catch up with dad over a cold one. With 500 beers to choose from, you might even consider taking the in-laws along.

That said, the occasion is no more limited to a father-and-son activity. Daughters are jumping on the bandwagon, too. (And we’re not just talking about folks such as Crystalla Huang Rui Qi, Singapore’s youngest and first female brewmaster who began learning her craft from dad Ernest Ng, owner of local brewery Red Dot Brewhouse.)

In fact, the growing variety of beers — via festivals, speciality bars and stores, and local breweries — only adds to the joys of the Sunday pre-dinner “beer sessions” Kamei Cheong, 33, shares with her 67-year-old father. “I would go downstairs and hang with him, and we have beer (and sometimes wine) and catch up,” said the owner of Paper Crane bistro, which also stocks some unique craft beer. “He likes Japanese beer so he usually stocks up on Suntory Premium Malt, Asahi and Sapporo beers. I reckon he likes them because they’re just easy to drink and thirst-quenching,” she explained, adding how he would look forward to a refreshing beer after spending his Sundays gardening and fixing stuff around the house.

While she is not too picky with her choice of beer, she did admit to being momentarily obsessed with Brewdog 5am Saint (by one of the UK’s fastest-growing alternative beer brands). “It’s a red ale that’s got a nice, balanced bitter taste, but is not crazy hoppy.”

But beer with dad does not have to be limited to weekend dinners, at least not in Desiree Koh’s household. The 39-year-old writer said one of the beautiful things about living with family is that they never have to fix a date to enjoy a beer together. At the end of an overly hot and draining day in Singapore, or when a need for a nightcap after a family feast arises, she and her 67-year-old father would head into their well-stocked pantry (a dedicated floor-to-ceiling beer and spirits rack, to be precise) and pick what fits their fancy. “Dad always lets me choose — and at least once a week, we’ll enjoy an old favourite together, or taste a few new beers,” she added.

“Craft beer is our main nutrition, so we always have a range, from refreshing pale ales to stomach-lining barley wine (a strong ale), to pair with dinner or sports on TV. For special occasions, we have limited editions such as Mikkeller’s Hei Black imperial stout and gems we’ve brought home from travels.”

Speaking of which, some of her favourite memories of them drinking together are on family vacations. “Seeking out bars with great beer programmes and distilleries and breweries with storied or interesting philosophies is a big part of what we do as a family when travelling together. My most treasured one is at Den Dyver in Bruges, where five-course beer pairing dinners are legendary,” she shared.

For others such as Marcus Jilla, who owns restaurants Mex Out and Barrio by Mex Out, grabbing a beer with his dad is less of a spur-of-the-moment decision. While the 29-year-old has been based in Singapore the past seven years, his father, 60, lives in Melbourne, Australia. They meet up “between three and five times a year”, but he added that there is definitely a drinking culture with an emphasis on “sharing a cold one” in Australia. “So when I see him, we would always pop off to a pub or restaurant for a beer, or a cider, and catch up,” he said. “I’d generally prefer to drink a draught beer as I find it more thirst quenching, or one of a few select beers in bottles — my favourites being Asahi or Peroni.” His father would often go for low-alcohol Australian beers such as Boags Light or Cascade Light, but also likes Japanese beer.

That said, the rise of craft beer is clearly changing the way we define the average beer drinker. “I can imagine how flavoured beer is marketed to women and how it appeals to women who usually don’t like beer,” said Cheong. “But I think with the craft-beer scene booming in general, women are increasingly more knowledgeable and discerning in their tastes.

“In fact, it’s the female customers at Paper Crane who have been pestering me to bring a porter or dark ale to the restaurant. Or have commented that the India pale ale I carry now isn’t hoppy enough. I haven’t had anyone ask me for fruit flavoured beer, though,” she said with a laugh. But would her dad dig, say, a refreshing tangerine wheat beer? “Hell, no!” she affirmed.