The craft beer trend in Hong Kong has come up fast – that much is evident if you were part of the crowds embarking on a boozy world tour at Beertopia last weekend. As exciting as it might be to sample microbrews from far-flung locales such as New Zealand and Lebanon, some of the most interesting brews can be discovered right here at home. Over the last few years, local brewers have stepped up to the plate, navigating staggering rents and confusing zoning laws to brew beers that are infused with distinctly Hong Kong flavours. We’ve shortlisted four local breweries that aren’t to be missed.
Young Master Ales
Celebrating its third anniversary recently, Young Master Ales is one of the city’s most popular local breweries. Founded by Rohit Dugar, the brand serves up concoctions out of its brewery in Wong Chuk Hang such as the 1842 Island Imperial IPA and the Cha Chaan Teng Gose – the latter a local take on the salty-sour German beer style, it’s inspired by salted lime soda, a drink commonly served at cha chaan tengs across the city. Young Master uses local ingredients and eschews artificial preservation techniques and other processes, staying true to the spirit of craft brewing.
Hitachino Nest Beer
The Ibaraki, Japan-based brewery with the iconic owl on its labels opened its first branch outside of its native land this past August in Hong Kong. Founder Toshiyuki Kiuchi – who established the brand in 1996, following on his family’s long history of producing sake and shochu since 1823 – chose Hong Kong in part for the city’s rising interest in craft brews and speciality beers from across the globe. Working together with Toshiyuki is the brand’s local brewmaster, Christopher Wong, who also owns popular local beer bar TAP: The Ale Project and brewing supply store HK Brewcraft. He will be creating three beers unique to Hong Kong – including a milk stout and an ale made with Amarillo hops – on top of the brand’s classic offerings such as the White Ale, Dai Dai Ale and Espresso Stout. You can even explore the Fo Tan brewery by booking a tour, which is available on Saturdays at $200 per person.
Mak’s Beer
Mak Ho-lun, Mak Po and Lo Tak-chi founded Mak’s Beer last year after sampling various craft beers from abroad and being inspired to brew their own local Hong Kong craft beer. Today, they aim to create surprising and diverse flavour profiles (think fragrant, malty and bittersweet) by utilising intriguing ingredients such as longan, dates, goji berries, mint and honey. Try the Sugarcane Stout or the Longan Pale Ale – and definitely don’t miss Mak’s signature Salt Farm beer, which tastes of malt and tangerine.
Moonzen Brewery
Husband-and-wife team Michele and Laszlo Raphael brewed their own beer at home before founding Moonzen in 2014; Laszlo even drew on his engineering background to build their first set of brewing equipment. Moonzen heavily incorporates Chinese culture in its packaging as well as its ingredients – the Four Beauties series of spring beers is based on jasmine, chrysanthemum, roselle and osmanthus, for instance. They’ve also created the in-house brews for various F&B establishments, such as The Pawn and Beef & Liberty, as well as commissioning local artists and designers to create limited edition labels for Chinese New Year and other special occasions. Watch out for the brewery’s creative offerings, including the spicy Yama Sichuan Porter and the fruit-filled Fujian Radler. Moonzen also runs the occasional tour or event at its brewery in Kwun Tong.
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