Our pick of the continent’s coolest, tastiest and most representative craft brewers
Craft beer may have begun its meteoric rise decades ago, but time has served to sort the wheat from, well, the less good wheat. A number of brands across Asia have established themselves as pioneers and leaders in the craft beer movement, representing the regions where they brew through their products. Here, we pick some of the most innovative, expressive and characterful craft beer brands brewing across Asia right now, from the Philippines to Singapore, as well as those contributing to a better beer world.
Hong Kong
Young Master Brewery
A decade into the new millennium, imported craft beers started to trickle into Hong Kong from around the world. The craft beer bars and festivals followed, and then came the local brews. It was Rohit Dugar who really pioneered local craft brewing in Hong Kong when he established Young Master Brewery in Ap Lei Chau in 2013. Since then, Young Master’s handful of beer styles has grown along with the company, which added a second brewery, the city’s largest craft beer brewhouse, in Wong Chuk Hang, and expanded distribution to Mainland China and Singapore. The original brewery is now dedicated to the brand’s small-batch limited edition beers, which complement award-winning year-round offerings that include pale ale, pilsner and wheat beers as well as Hong Kong-inspired brews such as the Cha Chaan Teng Sour featuring the salted lime commonly served with lemon soda in the city’s cha chaan tengs.