3 independent craft beer joints in Singapore's East Coast
Craft beers are independently brewed and packed with flavor.If you enjoy the full flavor of craft beers and like to support small, independent breweries and local restaurants/bars, the East Coast now has a few new options to offer.
Three restaurants/bars have opened here in the past year between the Telok Kurau to Siglap stretch. And beer lovers have responded, heading to these watering holes to sample various small-label beers and, in the case of one bar, its own home brew.
Food is also a big draw in these establishments, and the daily crowd of people gathered over a good meal with fine beers gives this local-yet-cosmopolitan neighborhood an even richer flavor -- like a good craft beer.
Next Door Café
It's a good thing the bartenders are on top of their games, as Next Door Café stocks 101 beers.
The sign above the entrance -- which reads "60 beers" -- indicates how much they have grown in the six months since moving from their previous location on Arab Street.
With newer, bigger premises, owners Stephanie Choo and Gradimir Aleksic, both in their early 50s, have expanded their food and drink menus to include Adriatic dishes, and a carefully selected range of craft beers.
“The crowd here is different from Arab Street’s,” says Choo. “We get more professionals, who appreciate good food and good beer.”
The beers: Highly recommended are the Hacker-Pschorr Munchener Gold larger, and Sternweisse, a clean and crisp wheat beer with a slightly fruity finish. The 7-percent English Brakspear Triple is rich, malty and sweet; and the Hitachino Nest from Japan, flavored with coriander, orange peel and nutmeg, while a little sharp in taste, has a complex yet light nature.
The food: Zero in on the Adriatic specialties, a favorite of Singapore’s Balkan community who are regular patrons. Fish is flown in every Thursday and is often gone by Friday night. Try the fresh sardines or sea bass, served grilled with capers, onions and asparagus, nicely coated in olive oil.
699 East Coast Road (cross street Siglap Road), +65 6291 1351.
- More on CNNGo: Around the world in 80 (or so) beers
Two Fat Men
Recently turned a year old, this restaurant/bar first caught people’s attention with its jolly moniker. Word about its beers and tasty Thai food soon spread, and the restaurant is busy almost every night now.
While the range of beer here is quite small, that's just how its owner likes to keep things.
“Some bars carry every label of beer, but unless you have a good bartender, your beers won’t get recommended,” says owner Lim Kok Hong.
The beers: A color-coded beer chart helps customers decide between a light Real Belgian Pils at one end of the spectrum or a thick and sweet Trappistes Rochefort 10 with 11.3 percent alcohol at the other.
For something in the middle, try the refreshing Swiss lager Holzfass, made with pure spring water. Further up the chart, and the most popular beer in the house, is Belgian ale La Chouffe, meaning gnome. It has a full aroma, complex flavours and a nice aftertaste, and it pairs well with spicy Thai food.
In the same range as La Chouffe, the American Snake Dog IPA and the British Hobgoblin ale are both robust and a little bitter, with Snake Dog also leaving a caramel-like finish.
Swedish ciders Kopparberg Pear and Strawberry and Lime are well worth trying. Remember that these are alcoholic as they taste like innocent fizzy drinks but actually contain 4.5-5.3 percent alcohol. On a hot day, with some papaya salad and tom yam soup, these go down very well indeed.
The food: Comprising about 10 Thai dishes and half a dozen more items of conventional bar grub, the menu is limited. Go for the Thai -- especially the grilled pork neck with tamarind sauce, basil chicken fried rice and papaya salad.
Lim holds occasional beer tastings, where he fishes out beers not featured on the menu. To find out about tastings and other happening at Two Fat Men, visit www.twofatmen.wordpress.com
376 East Coast Road (Cross street Telok Kurau Road), +65 9857 0741.
More on CNNGo: Singapore beer pubs: Where to get specialty brews in the Little Red Dot
Adstra Gold
When the economy went south a few years ago, Mr Chia, 53, discovered a new personal interest: home brewing.
This led not to a kitchen awash with murky beer, but to a new business venture. With a background in engineering, Chia quickly found that he was able to integrate a home brewing kit with a full-scale microbrewery to invent a hybrid; a mini microbrewery.
Following an initial venture in CHIJMES, Adstra Gold is his second outlet, which is currently being prepared for its grand opening on May 10.
The beers and the food: A handful of beers is already available -- a clean, light pilsner; a full-bodied, dark pilsner; a thick, slightly sour nutty ale; and a light stout. Ultimately there will be around 15 beers, and a menu of Western-style dishes like fish and chips, baby back ribs, pork knuckle, pizzas and sausages.
417/419 East Coast Road (cross street Telok Kurau Road), +65 6345 3378.
