From sour brews to hazy IPAs, these are the leading craft brewers from across Southeast Asia, just in time for International Beer Day
Whether you’re a stout believer in richer brews, or believe an IPA will always soothe what ales you, we know there’s nothing quite like lounging around with a nice craft beer in hand. And to cater to that growing demand, innovative brewers are tapping into cultural and historical cues across the region, making Southeast Asia a craft beer destination like no other. Here’s some of our favourites.
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Yardley Brothers
Yardley Brothers in Hong Kong is a reflection of the city itself. The brewery’s craft beers, which fuse East with West and innovation with tradition, are brewed with a flair that’s fun, intriguing, and complex. The brewery lays claim to Hong Kong’s largest barrel-aging facility, with over 75 oak barrels populating their brewhouse. The intoxicating nectars in these barrels eventually find their way to the company’s two taprooms – Yardley’s Taproom and The Beer Shack.
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Yardley Brothers’ famous Hong Kong Bastard IPA (7.6% ABV) starts with a sweet honey kick and finishes with notes of liquorice and blackcurrant. Also look out for a newcomer to their arsenal, the Sour City Passion Fruit Guava Sour (5% ABV), a sour sip that’ll take you right to the tropics, speedos optional.
Young Master Ales
Young Master Ales is one of Asia’s most decorated breweries in the region, with dozens of international awards. Its brews are guided by a philosophy that seeks to create a world-class yet locally rooted craft beer culture in Southeast Asia.
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One of Young Masters Ales’ classic brews is the Hong Kong Black (4.2% ABV), a stout with the soul of Hong Kong at its core. It blends comforting layers of cocoa, city-roast coffee, and whiffs of caramel. The GG Triple IPA (10% ABV) is a newcomer to their roster that’s also worthy of your hard earned cash; a heavy hitter that tastes surprisingly gentle, its sour and fruity flavours take centre stage.
Black Kite Brewery
Dedicated to the city of Hong Kong and named after the familiar bird that can sometimes be seen soaring above its iconic skyscrapers, Black Kite is a brewery known for using fresh, innovative ingredients from around the globe and brewing them into a range of classic and unique styles.
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We love the Hawker’s Chestnut Red Ale (4.2% ABV), an homage to Hong Kong’s treasured street vendors. The scent of roasting chestnuts, a Hong Kong staple, is expertly woven into this toasty, nutty, malt-forward beer.Black Kite’s smoky and malty Oh! Bacon! (5.4% ABV) brew is – believe it or not – designed as a breakfast beer best paired, according to the brewers, with a “stack of pancakes.”
The 1925 Brewing Co.
The 1925 Brewing Co. is a family brewing business focused on preserving Singapore’s Teochew heritage through craft creations. Named for the birth year of the founders’ grandfather, who was a dry goods grocer, the family run their brewery as granddad did his business – only using quality produce.
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One of their signature beers is Yellow Van (4.8% ABV), a pale ale named after the van the grandfather used to transport his goods. This session-ready beer uses citra hops, expertly balanced with a familiar malt flavour. Another must-try is the award-winning God’s Gift (5.8% ABV), brewed with Dilmah’s Ceylon Spiced Chai and designed to pair specifically with Asian-style grilled meats and spices.
Little Island Brewing Co.
Little Island Brewing Co. puts the craft in craft beers. Old school in all the best ways, this Singaporean brewery brews the slow way without machinery or automation. All their beers are served straight from the tanks, unfiltered and unpasteurised, as God himself intended.
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The brewery’s best seller is Sister Golden Ale (4.5% ABV), a well-balanced, drinkable ale with a distinct hoppy finish that lingers like 4 pm daydreams. Tropic Ale (5% ABV) is an exciting new release, brewed especially for the company’s 9th anniversary. It features the tropical flavours and aromas of pink guava, melon, and oranges.
Island Brewing – Bali, Indonesia
Island Brewing was awarded as Indonesia’s top craft beer brewery in 2023. The outfit brews high-quality beer with an earth-forward ethos—think treated wastewater, solar energy, and E-scooters for deliveries around Bali.
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The company’s Small Hazy (4.8% ABV) is an approachable IPA that invites you to dive into its haze, which bursts of tropical notes of mango and nectarine. The beer is lush, slightly bitter, and silky-smooth, making it the perfect beach essential on the Island of Gods. Alternatively, the brewery’s Summer Pale Ale (4.5% ABV) is the perfect hoppy beer with a tad more body and bitterness. It’ll put a bit of hair on your chest, which may be precisely what you want as you lounge about the divine island of Bali.
Engkanto Brewery – Philippines
Engkanto Brewery is the foremost craft beer brewery in the Philippines. Its brews are approachable and exciting, fusing state-of-the-art brewing technology with local ingredients such as ube, dalandan, ylang-ylang, and others you probably haven’t heard of.
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Its award-winning High Hive Honey Ale (5.1% ABV) is smooth and sweet, devotedly only using wild honey from local apiaries and farms. Also look out for the Dew Drop Dalandan Wheat Ale (4.6% ABV), a seasonal brew using Dalandan, a native orange-like citrus. This beer’s delicately sour notes make it a boozy refreshment perfect for drowning out the sweltering Philippine heat.
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