Hong Kong Trend: Craft Beer

Hongkongers are no strangers to the Carlsbergs, Stellas, Asahis and San Migs that line the chilled walls of our 7-Elevens. We live in a city that loves its beer: we chug it down with our deep-fried dishes, we’re stay sozzled at the local pub, and our annual beer fests keep us happily quenched for weeks on end. But while the big industry players are as popular as ever, more and more beer drinkers here are starting to appreciate the lesser-known, more artisanal brands—enter the craft beer movement.

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Published: 4:00pm, 21 Mar 2013Updated: 3:39pm, 19 Oct 2016

The Hong Kong Beer Company, the city’s first-ever microbrewery, paved the way in 2003, offering premium lagers and winter ales made right on their premises in Aberdeen. But it wasn’t until 2010, when Typhoon Brewery started a humble operation in Mui Wo and distributed its cask ales to pubs around the city, that the term “craft beer” became a buzz word once again.

Since then, the scene has exploded. Craft beer distributors followed. Hop Leaf (www.hopleaf.hk) was founded in 2012 by a beer-loving group who wanted to share their passion for craft beer with the public. It supplies businesses, bars and private functions with specialty brands such as Baird from Japan, and Anderson Valley from Northern California.

A selection of craft beers available at The Globe

Also established in 2012, The Bottle Shop (www.thebottleshop.hk) is an online retail store that specializes in importing craft beers from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, just to name a few—while niche specialists such as the Belgian Beer Company (www.belgianbeer.com.hk) and Americraft (www.americraftimports.com) fly proudly fly the hoppy flags of their nations.

Then there’s Beertopia, the first and only craft beer festival in Hong Kong, founded by Jonathan So (read our interview here). Beertopia’s inaugural event last year welcomed more than 1,700 participants to the Western Market in Sheung Wan for a full day of craft beer appreciation. So’s going one step bolder this April 13 by holding the event at the West Kowloon Cultural District, and he hopes to attract an even larger audience.

Meanwhile, plenty of pubs around the city are supporting the movement by offering some not-so-average brews, from sophisticated Felix (The Peninsula, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2315-3188) at The Peninsula serving up Japanese microbrew Kagua alongside their fancy cocktails, to local favorite The Globe (45-53A Graham St., Central, 2543-1941) serving ales from Typhoon Brewery. Meanwhile, Causeway Bay hangouts Hop House (1/F, Causeway Centre, 28 Harbour Rd., Causeway Bay, 3100-0545) and East End Brewery (G/F, Sunning Plaza, 10 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, 2577-9119) are distributors for the Hong Kong Beer Company.