Pine no more for quality pints at Beerfest Asia 2011
Benjamin Franklin once said that beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
If that is true then Singapore is hardly heaven for beer drinkers.
Singapore is more like purgatory for beer drinkers with a skimpy selection of stouts, ales and lagers available island-wide that are more often than not over-priced.
But salvation is here in the form of Beerfest Asia, the country’s annual four-day festival puts the holy alcoholic beverage on a pedestal, allowing beer connoisseurs to enjoy more than 300 different beers brought in from all over and available at a reasonable cost, and packaged with an assortment of food, music and other beer-related stuff.
To make a go of all 300 would see even the most hardened drinker nursing the mother of all hangovers, so here are 10 must-try beers that are worth a tipple.
BrewDog Punk IPA
Alcoholic Content: 5.9 percent
Country: Britain
Cost: S$6 (bottle), S$25 (bucket)
A beer for rule breakers and risk takers, BrewDog Punk IPA is one tasty drink. Hailing from Scotland’s largest independent brewery, this beer has a light golden color with aromas of light caramel and tropical fruit. With a strong finishing taste and a mixture of fruity hops, BrewDog Punk IPA is billed as a “post-modern classic pale ale” and will leave you reaching for another.
BrewDog Trashy Blonde
Alcoholic Content: 4.1 percent
Country: Britain
Cost: S$6 (bottle), S$25 (bucket)
A pale ale like its cousin Punk IPA, Trashy Blonde lives up to its name. A fruity number that sucks the drinker in and is hard to refuse, blonde in color and with a compulsive malt body, Trashy Blonde is certain to catch your beer-drinking eye.
Arrogant Bastard Ale
Alcoholic Content: 7.2 percent
Country: United States
Cost: S$12
Like its label, this brew is strong, tough and uncompromising. Described as an “aggressive ale”, Arrogant Bastard is intense in flavor with a subtle sweet taste but is very bitter overall. Great name, tough beer.
North Taiwan Brewery Lychee Beer
Alcoholic Content: 8 percent
Country: Taiwan
Cost: S$8
Popular with the ladies, this fruit beer is more cocktail than beer. It has an interesting grapefruit smell and a rounded lychee taste, packed in a friendly cartoon-style bottle. Well suited for drinking on a hot day.
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Alcoholic Content: 6 percent
Country United States
Cost: S$15
Made from real chocolate, this is great with beef or paired with a dessert. Ebony in color with a rich creamy head, and a blended mellow flavour of oats and chocolate malts. Perfect for drinkers with a sweet tooth.
MOA Blanc Wheat Beer
Alcoholic Content: 5.5 percent
Country: New Zealand
Cost S$7-S$10
Easy on the nose and tastebuds, this Kiwi beer is a fruit extravaganza with citrus notesw and bubble gum fruit flavors, along with hints of banana and vanilla. It goes particularly well with seafood and as Moe from "The Simpsons" would agree, drinking this is feeling like there’s a party in your mouth and everyone’s invited.
MOA Five-Hop Winter Ale
Alcoholic Content: 6.2 percent
Country: New Zealand
Cost: S$7-S$10
As the moniker says, this beer is brewed with many different hops –- Pilsener, Vienna, Munich, Crystal and Hallertau -- making it a power-packed ale. Termed a "Brewer’s Beer" it achieves a good balance of flavors leaving behind a lingering bitter taste. Like a fine wine, MOA Five-Hop Winter Ale ages well and is best served at room temperature.
Baltika
Alcoholic Content: 5.4 per cent
Country: Russia
Cost: S$12
Russia is better known for its vodka but that’s a shame, as this beer is one to savor. A European-style lager, Baltika is a foamy, golden brew with a delicate flavor of hops. Pale golden colour, with a slightly bitter taste, Baltika has become the only truly national beer, in the massive country that is Russia, for a reason.
Schneider Weisse -Aventinus Eisbock
Alcoholic Content: 12 percent
Country: Germany
Cost: S$12
With an alcohol content of 12 percent, this beer is for serious drinkers. Its proud German heritage, wheat ingredients and creamy and citric appearance gives it an edge on the other beers. Specially crafted with time-old Deutsch traditions, one sip of this and you’ll think your back in medieval Bavaria.
Hitachino Nest Nipponia
Alcoholic Content: 6.5 percent
Country: Japan
Cost: S$14
A touch of pineapple, a sliver of citrus, a golden color and a bready sweetness. Hitachino Nest Nipponia just about has it all. The Japanese beverage with the special history utlilizes a mixture of different barleys to create its unique flavor. A sweet honey and herb-like finish to this beer will have you coming back for more.
