KL Beer Hunter

Brooklyn Defender IPA

noreply@blogger.com (The Beer Hunter) — Thu, 12 May 2022 00:55:00 +0000

If you've read any of the other beer reviews on this site you'll have noticed how much I love the stories behind the beer I talk about. Whether it's the drink itself; where the name came from; the style; or the history of the brewery(s) that created them, most beers have a story to tell. Some are complicated... some are entirely fictitious... And some, like Brooklyn, criss cross the globe before settling down to say "let me tell you about my travels."

With a name like Brooklyn, one that evokes a deep sense of local pride in one of the five boroughs of New York, the beer we find on the shelves here in Malaysia is surprisingly global. One of the leading names in the craft beer revolution through the 90s and 00s, Brooklyn Brewery haven't bowed to any conventional thinking in how they market and sell their beer.

Part owned by Japanese brewer Kirin since 2016 and with a partnership with Danish giant, Carlsberg, that's longer than most craft breweries have been in existence, Brooklyn also own or have partnerships with breweries in Scandinavia, South Korea, Lithuania, UK and Hong Kong.

And that American beer in your hand here in Malaysia? That was brewed in China.

Global histories like that are nothing new in the brewing world, but they tend to belong to major brands and commercial lagers, not legendary craft breweries. While some may sniff at the close relationship built with "Big Beer", Brooklyn themselves make no apologies for the decisions that allow them to spread the word about good beer to markets that have until recently had the choice of mediocre local pilsner or Guinness. Sound familiar?

It's easy to be righteous about your choices when you have them. But in many parts of the world those choices don't exist. We're certainly not going to complain when choice is increased.

So after almost a decade of the fight for better beer in Malaysia being led by just a handful of passionate beer importers and craft bars, they now have an ally in the shape of *checks notes* Carlsberg. Wait...what?

OK. that's not strictly correct. It's not like Carlsberg have started banging the drum for pastry stouts and triple IPAs or anything. They've merely brought in an associated brand hoping it will sell. In fact they haven't really leveraged the Craft Beeryness of the brand at all. The Brooklyn Bar in Genting aside, (in which a mortgage is required to buy a beer), most of the bars in which you can (or could) buy a Brooklyn have been those that normally cater to the "Ten mugs of ice cold Carlsberg for as cheap as possible" crowd. Not your usual craft beer target audience.

So as expected, plonking a tap of lovely IPA on the bar next to a commercial lager and then selling it at twice the price without any explanation to what it was, didn't really work. Even those Carlsberg associated bars that had bottles of Brooklyn available seem to have stopped stocking it. Again, price was the issue. Those of us who occasionally wander into a craft beer bar aren't going to be surprised by how much an IPA costs. But if all you've ever drank is gallons of frozen pilsner from a tower, you're probably not going to go for a beer you've never heard of that costs a lot more.

So after bringing in Brooklyn a few years ago, things did seem to stall for the brand on these shores. Possibly the wrong locations... definitely a lack of information.

But, the thing is, Carlsberg haven't walked away from this fight as I thought they might, having seen similar mistakes made when they tried to launch Grimbergen in the country a few years ago, (which disappeared pretty quickly).

Although I haven't seen a shift in marketing yet or, in fact, that much marketing at all, they definitely seem to have had a rethink about how and where it's sold. In particular they seem to have doubled down on direct sales in stores and online portals, with a revaluation of the price that has made it one of the best value imported beers on the market. It's now easier to get into the hands of those that know what they're getting. Perhaps a bit of that Brooklyn attitude is rubbing off. If they can have a rethink about on-trade sales and how it's marketed, there could be good times ahead.

So IPA on tap remains the province of a small (but growing) number of craft beer bars in the country for now. But if we can get to the point where you can walk into one of the thousands of Carlsberg linked bars, cafes and restaurants in the country and get a Defender on tap? Blimey!

And we should look forward to that prospect, because it's a great beer. I know many in the craft scene here turn their noses up at it. Perhaps because it just hasn't been available in the bars they go to, or its associations with Carlsberg? It's difficult to know, but they really should reassess. In blind tests I've forced upon unwilling friends, Defender has come out favourably against more respected IPAs that you can get in the craft bars in town.

And honestly, you shouldn't be surprised. Brooklyn are legends of the Craft Beer industry. They do this stuff well. That it's brewed in China and sold by Carlsberg shouldn't be an issue. If it was imported from the US and sold in a craft bar, it would be celebrated.

When put up against some of the other IPAs you can get in your local store (and admittedly, the choice isn't huge in most supermarkets) the dryness of Defender really stands out. It doesn't have the pine or biscuit notes of the big west coast styles or the fruitiness of the east coast hazys, but is closer in spirit to a more traditional UK style IPA, with citrus flavours and a huge dollop of bitterness to the fore. 5.5% means it's strong enough to take note of but easy enough so you can indulge in a few on a hot day.

So lets hope Brooklyn and Carlsberg keep the faith. I for one would love to be able to get an IPA on tap on those occasions when I find myself too far away from a craft bar. Maybe one day soon?

You can read about other IPAs available in Malaysia here.

Young Master 1842 Island Imperial IPA

noreply@blogger.com (The Beer Hunter) — Mon, 09 May 2022 09:44:00 +0000

As legend has it, Rohit Dugar, the founder of Hong Kong based Young Master, used to visit Taps Beer Bar in KL not long after it had opened and would tell the staff there that one day soon he would return to HK and open his own craft brewery. And then, one day... he did.

If you listen to the good beer drinking people of Hong Kong, up until 2014 they struggled to get good beer. This isn't strictly true, though I can see their point. You could definitely get good beer, you just had to know where to find it... it also depended on your definition of "good beer".

I remember visiting HK in 2013 when I was, frankly, astounded by the range of good beer available compared to Malaysia. As well as a much wider range of commercial lagers and ales, there was also a surprising amount of Belgian and German ales and lagers, British real and traditional ales and even the first forays into Asia of craft beer from some of the older craft brewers. Admittedly, I didn't find an actual craft beer bar when at that stage there were two in KL. (Admittedly, there may have been some in HK somewhere, I wasn't there long enough for a full search.) But on the whole the range and availability of "good" beer was certainly better than KL at the time.

A HK beer menu circa 2013, chock full of great beer!

So while you could definitely get a great beer back then, the "Craft Revolution" hadn't hit as hard as it had in Malaysia... yet. There were no dedicated bars curating craft beers from around the world and there weren't any local brewers making any waves in the craft world either.

But then, in 2013, just as he said he would, Rohit Dugar launched Young Master Brewery and his bar The Ale Project (TAP), a double shot of local beer and a craft bar in one, firing the starting pistol on a beer scene which has gone from strength to strength since. And a lot has changed, with craft bars popping up across the city and numerous independent brewers like Moonzen, Black Kite and Gweilo, among others, pushing the the boundaries of the young scene. Some of this beer has landed on our shores here in Malaysia, reminding us what we're missing thanks to the strict laws stifling brewing in the country.

The success of Young Master can be seen by the fact that I can now stroll down the road to my local store and find their ales on the shelves. An honour normally reserved only for the most famous of craft brewers. Those whose brands are strong enough to handle the otherwise overpowering marketing of the commercial big boys in Malaysia.

So it's a treat that I can walk a matter of yards and grab a Young Master 1842 Imperial IPA. It's worth it too. An easy beer to drink, despite an 8% abv, it has a big floral aroma and a nice citrus hop hit on the first sip. Refreshing and zesty rather than chewy.

So if you want to try an Asian beer success story, have a look for Young Master in your local store. And although you should find them in a number of the beer bars across Malaysia, their spiritual KL home remains at Taps, in Changkat; where you might still just be able to hear someone whisper on the wind... I told you!

You can read about some of other Double and Imperial IPAs available in Malaysia, here.

Urbanaut Williamsburg IPA

noreply@blogger.com (The Beer Hunter) — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 07:46:00 +0000

Like a barley tsunami, beers from certain countries tend to introduce themselves to Malaysia in waves, crashing into our lives as the best of one country arrive at once. It started with Belgian and German traditional beers, followed quickly by UK traditional and then US and UK craft ales. Since then we've had Scandinavian, Australian and Eastern Europe. But one of the most interesting waves, a few years ago, was from New Zealand, who landed on our shores like an angry pack of hopped up forwards, scrummaging towards our beer glasses.

Renaissance were the first to arrive; pioneers for NZ craft beer in Malaysia as they had been back home. But their visits were fleeting; a batch here, a batch there. What we needed was, well... an invasion. And that's exactly what we got.

Deep Creek, Behemoth, Parrotdog, 8 Wired, Epic, Tuatara and, of course, Urbanaut, all arrived within quick succession, striding through the saloon doors to enter the bars with a swagger that belied their "new world" status. Big flavours, unique styles and eye-catching designs were backed up by marketing that most companies rarely bothered with in a new market like Malaysia. Deep Creek created a team of ambassadors carrying armfuls of t-shirts, glasses and even umbrellas, all bearing the company's impressive artwork.

Urbanaut landed with a mixture of well produced classic styles and curious ideas like cucumber gozes and taping together two individual beers, like an ale sherbet double dip (remember them?) which could be torn apart and either drank separately or poured together to create a third beer.

Urbanaut Beer Blender - The Sherbet Double Dip of the ale world

But it was their core range of traditional styles which proved most popular. Amongst them, Williamsburg IPA, a straight up, old school IPA; no gimmicks, no bandwagon jumping. Produced using local NZ hops and malts, it has a fresh citrus aroma and earthy hints of grass. It has a bold, bitter flavour with a dry finish; a proper IPA, closer to a traditional UK style than more recent trends. But it's still a big beer at 7.2%, despite it's refreshing nature. Perfect on a hot KL afternoon.

It's well worth trying any Urbanaut beers when you see them. I have a soft spot for their Brixton Pale Ale, which is also just a great beer on a sunny day.

Are you an Urbanaut fan? Have you tried all the NZ craft arrivals? Let me know which is your favourite.

You can read about other IPAs available in Malaysia, here.

It's In The Can! - Guinness Draught vs Connor's Draught taste test

noreply@blogger.com (The Beer Hunter) — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 11:33:00 +0000

It's always the way. You wait around for ages for a draught stout to be available in cans, and then two turn up at once!

So, we thought we'd stack the newly relaunched Guinness Draught In Cans up against it's only real rival, the not much older, Connor's Draught In Cans.

Both of these beers have, of course, been around in the bars of Malaysia for some time being favourites in Heineken (Guinness) and Carlsberg (Connor's) stocked bars. But to have them available on the shelves of our stores to be enjoyed in the comfort of our own home is a new experience. (Apart from a brief promo campaign for Guinness Draught in 2017).

Having being available on the market for a year now, Connor's is much easier to find, available across the country in convenience stores and supermarkets. Guinness is slightly more difficult to find, having only been relaunched in the last couple of weeks, however you should be able to find it in many 7Elevens across the Klang Valley and a growing number of Jaya Grocer supermarkets. The plan is for it to be available as widely as other Heineken products as soon as possible.

Price wise, there's a slight difference between the two beers. I'll ignore 7Eleven for now as they tend to be a bit more expensive as a late night convenience store. In Jaya Grocer you can currently buy the 500ml cans of Connor's for RM12.50 per can. Other stores do tend to retail it at closer to RM15, so best to shop around. You can also get it in 4 packs and 24 packs, which should be cheaper per can. And it can be found in single, 4 and 24 can packs at 330ml too.

Guinness is currently retailing in Jaya Grocer for RM14.50 for A 440ml can. Whether this is an introductory promo price, it's difficult to know. I would like to see it closer to RM12.50 per can, which was the price point of the promo back in 2017, but the extra cost is understandable as it's an imported beer.

Unlike Connor's, which is brewed locally by Carlsberg Malaysia, Guinness Draught in Cans is brewed in Ireland. (Although the kegged draught you find in bars is brewed locally by Heineken Malaysia). The truth is, wherever you may find a can of draught Guinness in this big old world, it will have been produced in Dublin, no matter how many local brewers may be producing the beer for bars. This is down to the widget; the little ball of nitrogen in each can which causes the famous surge effect when the beer is poured. Guinness HQ seemingly don't have a solution for producing the widget in their global breweries, so stick with production in Ireland for now.

Being an imported beer, there are prohibitive tax and duties placed upon it by the Government which are eventually passed onto the customer, making that extra RM2 per (slightly smaller) can, understandable. Basically it's all the Widget's fault.

Connor's, of course, don't use a Widget to produce the "surge" so can sit on the shelves looking all smug and slightly cheaper. Of course, Guinness can point to hundreds of years of history, decades of Widget Wizardry and a much more premium brand name, which Heineken Malaysia will hope is enough to make people forget about the two ringgit difference.

The aim of both these stouts is to end up with a black beer and pale creamy head, like the picture on the left. But to get to that point, both go through "The Surge", whereby the nitrogen in the beer is released and when poured a caramel coloured cloud of tiny nitro bubbles swirls around the glass before settling into a white head above a dark stout.

How these two beers achieve this surge is satisfyingly different. As stated, Guinness use a Widget; a plastic ball with holes in it. As the beer is canned nitrogen gas is pumped in, which, when the can is sealed, is then forced into the widget under pressure. With the can closed the pressure inside keeps the ball intact, but when opened and the pressure released, the widget releases the nitrogen at speed causing tiny nitro bubbles to run riot through the beer.

Although Guinness are the most famous proponents, and original inventors of, widget technology, other brands now use it in their cans, especially if their beer is marketed as "Draught" or "Smooth". John Smiths and Boddingtons most notably.

Some brewers don't bother with the widget and just inject the beer with nitrogen during canning, which still creates the tiny bubbles required for that "smooth" finish, but without the characteristic "surge".

Connor's take unique approach to their beer, however. Dispensing with the widget, they still inject the beer with nitrogen but then ask you to shake the can before opening. This awakens the nitrogen in much the same way a widget would and you can feel the can "tighten" in your hand as you shake. Just two or three seconds is required.

You may feel a tad nervous about opening the beer after this vigorous and unreasonable behaviour, but all is safe. A small amount of beer will more than likely foam onto your fingertips, but anyone that's opened a can of draught Guinness knows that a widget causes the same thing.

Why the Connor's doesn't explode out of the can like a normal beer would, I'm not exactly certain. At a guess I would say the beer is probably under carbonated slightly during production and before canning. But fear not, the forced nitrogen, awakened by good old fashioned elbow grease, means that you don't notice any difference as you drink and stouts tend to be less carbonated than lagers or IPAs anyway.

So, although they utilise different methods, the two beers pour in a very similar fashion with the expected results. But are there any other differences? Only small ones.

Whilst we're all used to the smooth, uniform finish on the head of a pint of Guinness, as those microscopic nitro bubbles form a creamy foam, the head on a Connor's can be slightly less picture perfect. The problem is, while it may be carbonated less than it could be, it's still a carbonated drink and if you shake such a drink the CO2 will do what CO2 does. This results in the occasional bigger bubble in an otherwise nitro-tastic smooth finish. To be honest, it's not a great issue, just a result of the process they have chosen. And if you head to the pub for a Connor's the beer will pour just as smoothly as its Irish counterpart.

Otherwise, the only difference between the two once poured is that the Connor's has a slightly darker head. And honestly, you would only notice that if you put it up against a Guinness for comparison.

The real differences between the two start to emerge as you take in the aroma. Guinness isn't noted for its strong aroma. There are subtle, sweet, toasty notes, but nothing to awaken the senses before you drink. This could just be the beer, or perhaps a consequence of that famous, thick and creamy head.

Connor's, however, has a much more upfront aroma of coffee and roasted barley. These things are, of course, all relative and if you put Connor's up against any number of craft brews, you'd think that the aroma is actually quite slight. But in a Malaysian bar that serves only locally brewed beer, the Connor's would have far and away the strongest aroma. And it's quite an appealing smell too.

But let's face it. The main question is how do they compare in taste? I talked to a few friends about the comparison in advance of pitting the two together and it's fair to say most thought Guinness would win easily in any taste test.

"The Burnt malty taste of the Guinness will make it the winner", said one.

"Guinness will just have stronger flavours", said another.

"Connors will be too thin in comparison", was another common opinion.

A mixture of brand loyalty, marketing hype and bias against the new boy, perhaps. But how did it play out?

I'll admit that we did try a blind taste test at first to see if we could pick the better one without knowing which was which, but this proved a pointless exercise. I've just drank far too much Guinness in my time. After 30 plus years of the black stuff it's going to take a much larger field of competitors for it to hide away without me spotting it on first taste. The familiarity wasn't helped by the big difference in aroma between the two, which rendered the blind test irrelevant almost immediately.

So, we did a straight taste test instead and it's fair to say that one of the beers certainly had a more robust flavour profile. While they both shared the toasty, roasted barley palate, the much stronger coffee, chocolate and malty notes of the Connor's shone through. The person who claimed that the "burnt" taste of the Guinness would be unbeatable obviously hadn't tried one against the other, because in direct comparison, only one had that burnt taste and it wasn't Irish.

But it wasn't all a one way street. The thing is, there aren't many direct competitors to Guinness in general and, in fact, I believe (though I could be wrong) that Connor's is the only other mass produced, "Big Beer" canned, nitro stout on the market globally. (Yay Malaysia!). So it's only when you put Guinness up against a rival like this that you notice just how smooth, creamy and delicately luxurious it is in comparison. The beauty of Guinness is not in the aroma, or even the taste (sorry, Guinness, that's hardly a recommendation). It's actually in the feel... That silken texture is normally only found in something like a double chocolate stout from some tiny craft brewer that costs three times the amount. No other mass produced beer comes close.

So is there a winner? Well, no. And really, there shouldn't be, because it's a bit of a weird fight anyway. They are two massively different beers that are almost interchangeable. There are huge similarities between the two, and yet you can tell them apart straight away. If you walk into the wrong pub and ask for one, but are presented with the other... you probably won't mind. But when you walk into a shop and see them both on the shelf, you'll somehow have to choose between them. Confusing, huh?

People with loyalty to a legendary brand like Guinness are unlikely to be swayed. Others with a penchant for coffee or those that lean towards a local underdog (err... a Carlsberg beer an underdog?) will probably choose Connor's.

Me? I'm just happy they both exist.

You can read my original review/history lesson of Connor's Draught in cans here and my story on the relaunch of Guinness Draught In Cans here.

Guinness Draught In Cans

noreply@blogger.com (The Beer Hunter) — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 12:02:00 +0000

I've said a few times that the Malaysian love of Guinness Draught, a love that keeps the local market as amongst the most lucrative for the brewing giant, is even more impressive when you consider that two thirds of the country aren't allowed to drink and, of the ones who can, they don't drink draught Guinness at home. Or more to the point, they can't. Well, now they can, because the beer is back!

Haven't we been here before? Yes. Back in 2017 Heineken Malaysia tested the local market by selling 4-packs of Guinness Draught in cans with the hope of finding a permanent home for the beer on the shelves of our local stores. Sadly, however, it was a bit of a failed experiment and within less than a year all the stock was gone, the campaign was over and we've been unable to have a pint of the black stuff at home for the past 5 years.

So what went wrong? Heineken Malaysia told me at the time that the campaign was actually a success, but it just wasn't financially viable to sell the product as the local tax and import duties forced them to sell the drink at a higher retail price than they would like, much higher than locally brewed equivalents. (Not there there were any locally brewed equivalents at the time, but more on that later).

Heineken aren't wrong. Any craft beer drinker in Malaysia knows that imported beer can be off-puttingly expensive. So that will certainly be a factor on the success of a product launch.

The thing is, that fact hasn't changed today. In fact taxes and duties have risen since 2017. And, indeed, the returning Guinness Draught In Cans (as the marketing insists we call it), will be retailing for more than it did 5 years ago. So if the cost wasn't the reason the launch failed back then, what was?

Well, it was a mixture of things. Some odd choices on the retail of the product didn't help. But the main culprit was poor marketing that didn't differentiate the Guinness Draught in cans from other beers available in the stores, including their own locally brewed Foreign Extra Stout. This caused a fair amount of confusion with potential customers.

So, five years have passed and in the meantime, their one and only rival in the Malaysian market has released a very similar locally brewed product, with a unique selling point.

I can't can't say for certain that the launch of Connor's Draught in cans is the reason Heineken decided to give Guinness Draught In Cans another go in Malaysia, but their marketing for the re-launch specifically takes aim at Connor's by pointing out that you don't need to shake a Guinness.

And that's why I think that canned draught Guinness might gain some traction this time. There is actually some Marketing behind the product! Praise be!

Heineken and Diageo (the owners of Guinness) seem to be fully behind the launch this time around and are certainly doing things differently. They're retailing the new stock at a growing number of outlets, starting with 7Eleven and Jaya Grocer with the aim to have it in all stores soon. And they'll be selling it in individual cans, 4-packs and even 24 can slabs.

They are also going to heavily market the difference between Guinness Draught in Cans and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, linking the new beer with the draught sold in bars and promoting the "widget" technology; the little ball of nitrogen that rattles inside the can, which provides the "pub-like" creamy surge of beer that you expect from Guinness draught. If only they'd done this back in 2017 before there was a like-for-like competitor on the scene.

Still, that does mean it will be interesting to see how the sales of both canned Guinness and Connor's Draught will match. One suspects the huge pulling power of the most famous beer brand in the world will probably win out. But you never know.

And with that in mind, I think I'll do a little blind taste test between Connor's and Guinness draught in the comfort of my own home (because you can't do that test in a bar in Malaysia). Should be interesting. I'll keep you updated.

I am genuinely happy to see Draught Guinness back on the shelves and I'm really pleased they're doing things properly this time around.

Guinness Draught in Cans remains a 4.2% nitrogenated sweet stout, brewed in Ireland. It's available now from 7Eleven, Jaya Grocer and an increasing number of other stores very soon.

Connor's Stout Porter (Draught in cans)

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 06:04:00 +0000

Before I tell you about Connor's, a beer that exists purely because of marketing, a little history is required. South East Asia has had a love affair with strong stouts for decades. Each country has at least one locally brewed heavy, high ABV stout available that makes an appearance wherever locals gather to talk shit and generally enjoy themselves.

*** Health and Safety warning. This post is about 300% longer than it needs to be. Grab a beer and strap yourself in. (or just go and do something more interesting)***

Discovering the history of these very local stouts is difficult since actual fact long ago fell prey to marketing nonsense, while small local brewers were eventually consumed by large behemoths like Carlsberg, Heineken and Guinness/Diageo.

Most brewers now try to link their product to some historic beverage from the UK (The original home of stouts and porters), but depending on their current marketing needs, others will link them to Irish, Danish or German heritage, whether or not any such heritage actually exists. Malaysia's own Royal Stout proclaims to honour great feats of the Danish Kings during the 19th Century, without ever offering any information to back it up. But it sounded good to Carlsberg Malaysia's marketing team, so they went with it. If you create a new stout and your marketing team decide to claim it's based on a recipe handed down by intergalactic space weasels, who's to stop you?

But whatever the background, these stouts remained popular down the years in the hot conditions of South East Asia for a number of reasons that may at first sound odd to stout drinkers from Europe.

In the west, strong dark beers are considered "winter warmers" or end of the night drinks. They generally wouldn't think about something like that for a 35c daytime drink. But in many of the countries of the region, electricity to run a fridge or chiller is a relatively recent development, outside of the big towns and cities at least. And in many of the more remote towns and villages, you still may struggle to chill beers, because even if you do have a generator, it's normally only used in the evening and rarely used for a fridge.

What does this have to do with beer? Well, the thing about dark beers, especially strong ones, is that the warmer they get, the more flavoursome they become. Therefore it's perfectly acceptable to drink a warm strong stout when you would never consider doing the same with a pilsner. (Warm Carlsberg... urgh!) So you can take a slab of stout along to your mate's tropical BBQ and not have to worry that they aren't ice cold. And of course, because the beer is strong (often 6% and above. 8% is common), if you do want it slightly colder, you can add ice (delivered by an ice vendor and kept in a cool box) and it won't overly impair the taste (like it would with, yup, a pilsner. Watered down Carlsberg... urgh!).

So for decades in the region, strong stouts were the go to beer and in many cases in rural areas of places like Cambodia, Vietnam and Philippines, that's still the case.

And so, finally, we get to Malaysia, which for many years was exactly the same as the rest of South East Asia, enjoying heavy locally brewed stouts like Guinness Foreign Extra, ABC and more recently Danish Royal Stout (now less Danish, but apparently still quite Royal). These were all around 8%, heavy, slightly sweet and were massively popular. It's fair to say that Malaysia loved stouts. (Sadly, in recent years, the Malaysian brewed stouts have taken a Governmental tax hit that took aim at their ABV, resulting in all the local strong beers lowering their alcohol content to below 6% to avoid huge tax bills. But's that's a different story.)

The Malaysian love of stouts took a new turn when draught Guinness was launched in 1980 and the local market very quickly established itself as one of the top 10 markets for draught Guinness globally, often reaching the top 5. This may not seem like a huge deal, but there are a few points of interest.

1. Malaysia has a much smaller population than the other top ten markets for Guinness

2. Being a majority Muslim nation, only a 3rd of that small population is actually legally allowed to drink alcohol.

3. Unlike most of the other big markets, Malaysia only sells draught Guinness in bars and not in cans at local stores.

So with those restrictions in mind, the fact that Malaysia remains one of the drink's biggest markets just goes to show how much Malaysian's love Guinness and stout in general.

Which brings us to Connor's. Connor's has been around for quite a while now. I'm not sure when it was first launched, but I think it's at least 15 years old, if not longer. As you probably know, there are only two beer brewing licences available in Malaysia. Ok, there is a third, but that's a whole different can of worms that we won't open here. The two main licences are held by Heineken and Carlsberg.

Heineken Malaysia (formerly Guinness Anchor Berhad) brew Guinness under licence and do it so well in 2006 it was voted the best draught Guinness outside of Ireland. They also brew Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, a bottled none nitrogenated stout (like a strong version of Guinness original in the UK).

Carlsberg, understanding that stouts were a huge market in the country, introduced Royal Stout to go up against Foreign Extra and Connor's to take on the legendary might of Guinness Draught.

The thing is, Connor's didn't really stand a chance. Malaysians are famous for their loyalty to big established brands, and you don't get much bigger, in any sector, than Guinness. Connor's wasn't bad and in many ways was quite similar to it's more famous competitor. Both nitrogenated, creamy, Irish style, sweet stouts, but Connor's was slightly less bitter, a tad more sweet, and lacking slightly in body in comparison. But in no way was it a terrible drink. If you found yourself in a Carlsberg bar and fancied a Guinness, it was a reasonable substitute, yet often customers would shun it even if they were in the mood for a dark beer. It seemed many thought it was "Guinness or nothing!"

The market for draught stout was far too big for Carlsberg to cede 100% control to their only rival, so in 2015 Carlsberg rebranded and re-launched Connor's in the hope of increasing market share. The new Connor's had a Union Flag emblazoned on the logo and was described as a "British Stout Porter" based on a recipe from 18th Century London. All of which was almost certainly marketing bollocks, although, as we saw above with Royal Stout, Carlsberg certainly have form when it comes to marketing bollocks.

For a start, a recipe from 1700s London? Stouts and porters are essentially the same thing. A Porter is a dark, rich beer invented in London and made famous around the docks of the Thames as a warming beer for hard working dockers and sailors. A stout porter, later just simply a stout, was, as the word suggests, a stronger version of a porter. Therefore, it's highly unlikely that a recipe for a stout porter from 1700s London bares any resemblance to the 5% abv, fairly moderate beer Connor's is.

As for the big leap towards calling it a "British stout"? A strange move for a Danish company. (Though less strange considering it was a decision from Carlsberg Malaysia for a uniquely Malaysian beer). The thing is, this style, a sweet, nitrogenated, moderately strong stout, is universally seen as an Irish drink, and let's be honest, by that, I mean Guinness. Come on, Carlsberg, you originally called the drink "Connor's" for a reason.

So Carlsberg were taking some risks with this rebrand, but the risks seemed to work. There was certainly an uptake in sales and the perception of the drink as merely an inferior Guinness changed. The beer itself had also had a refresh with bolder coffee and cocoa notes added to the usual creamy and slightly sweet style. They have even put coffee beans on the new cans to emphasize the change. Whilst I certainly prefer Guinness, I must admit to a soft spot for Connor's. Despite the branding risks and historical liberties taken, I think Carlsberg actually did an OK job.

Which leads us to the newly launched Connor's Draught in cans. As I mentioned above, Malaysia is one of the few global markets that doesn't have draught Guinness in cans. This is mainly due to expense. The prohibitive tax laws here mean importing beer into the country puts a hefty margin onto the sale price of the product. Craft beers can, to an extent, get away with this as it's seen as a more premium product anyway. Guinness, however, is not. So while various attempts have been made to introduce draught in cans to the Malaysian market, all failing for various reasons, in the end a gap in the market has been left wide open.

Carlsberg noticed.

Finally there was an opportunity to one-up Guinness at their own game. Enter Connor's Draught in cans. The first thing to note about this newly launched beer is that it's nitrogenated, just like its tap equivalent and more to the point, it's a "surge" nitro beer. This means it's not just nitrogenated, but on opening the can there is a surge of nitrogen released so when you pour it a rolling, creamy head slowly appears, just like Guinness.

This is interesting, because one of the reasons behind the expense of Guinness draught in cans is that, unlike kegged draught, which is brewed globally, canned draught is only brewed in Dublin because Guinness claim the technology to create that nitro surge via their infamous widget can't be replicated in their international breweries. (or is too costly to do so). And yet Carlsberg Malaysia have come up with a nitro stout that pours incredibly similarly to draught Guinness. And, more interestingly, they don't use a widget.

What witchcraft do they use? Well, you, err... shake the can.

I'm not joking. You take the unopened can and shake it vigorously. As you shake you can feel the can tighten as the nitrogen bubbles inside expand. Once the can has expanded and you can't feel the liquid sloshing inside (it only takes 2 or 3 seconds) you can pop the can open. On the first attempt you expect an explosion of beer as you'd get with a typically carbonated brew. But it doesn't happen. Yes, you may get a slight surge of beer on your fingertips, but lets face it, the same thing normally happens when you open a can of draught Guinness too.

And when you pour the frothy Connor's the same hypnotic nitro surge appears in the glass, just as if there had been a widget involved. To be honest, it's impressive and is such a simple solution it's difficult to believe it hasn't been used elsewhere. I certainly haven't come across this method for nitro beer anywhere else.

The beer itself is just like it's kegged brother. A large, creamy pale head over a dark, stout body. Coffee and cocoa aromas are present with a more sweet than expected taste, followed by slight bitterness.

I'll be interested to see how this new canned beer succeeds. For the time being it's certainly the best option for those of us in Malaysia who fancy a draught Guinness experience at home, and it's close enough that you don't mind that it isn't the Irish "black stuff".

I'm usually quite dismissive of Carlsberg, but they've outdone themselves with Connor's and should be congratulated. Give it a go.

In the meantime, you can read about the last time Guinness draught in cans was launched in Malaysia, here. And how the launch ultimately failed, here.

*The cat in the top picture is our eldest moggy called, and this is true, Widget. Which makes it all the more amusing that's she sat next to a Connor's looking pissed off. For the sake of completeness, you can follow Widget on twitter at @CatWidget

Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 04:55:00 +0000

As a lad from the North East of England, I was raised on Brown Ale. But this stuff? It's next level!

In 2014/15 there was an influx of Scandinavian craft beer from breweries with big reputations and bucket loads of hype behind them. It was said by the beer geeks in the (still quite small at the time) KL craft community that we were about to have our collective socks blown off. Wild tales were told about huge flavours and uncompromising experimentation. Strange names celebrated... and beer styles that ran to short stories in length were considered.

Omnipollo, To Øl and Mikkeller arrived with impressive artwork and crazy styles, but stood behind them, quietly doing its own thing; confident in its own ability; was Nøgne Ø. Their bottle designs were simple, yet bold. The type of beer was stated confidently on the label and didn't run to 18 insane ingredients like some of their regional brethren.

Some of those other brewers had beer styles that couldn't be understood or ingredients lists that said things like: hops, barley, water, chocolate, peanut butter, the number 7, the mysterious sound of purple, the thoughtful laugh of an unborn child, kitten tears, yeast... (I'm looking at you Omnipollo).

Order an Omnipollo before you run out of breath

Nøgne Ø's beer simply and boldly had Imperial Pale Ale or Belgian Blonde Ale stamped across the front.

The beers were likewise simple yet bold. Recognisable styles, not just done well, but extremely well. But, just as suddenly as they all appeared, the Scandinavian beers disappeared. Sad times.

Then, the dark days came. The simple, beer laden pleasures of the Before Times, were forgotten as a pandemic swept the globe. Surely we would struggle to find good beer ever again?

Well. err, actually... for some reason during the pandemic, the glorious craft beer importers of Malaysia, heroes all, stepped up their collective game and beer from across the planet rained down upon the grateful beer drinkers of Kuala Lumpur! Let joy be unconfined!

And into the presence of the mask-wearing, lockdown-weary public strode Nøgne Ø, like the Norse God of Beer!

Nøgne Ø have been brewing beer (and, indeed, saké) for 20 years, with the uncompromising aim of combining traditional methods and ingredients with big and new flavours.

Amongst the range of beers that arrived in 2020 was their Imperial Brown Ale and I was intrigued. Having grown up drinking the legendary Newcastle Brown Ale, I have always looked out for a good version of a brown ale from the craft scene. (And I'm perfectly aware that many people do not consider Newcastle Brown a good version of a Brown Ale - I do though, so there!)

Many of the brown ales I've tried have been too thin, to dry or overly carbonated to really hit the spot. While other brewers have gone too far the other way making overly rich, thick, sweet drinks, closer to a very strong Old Ale than a brown ale.

A real brown ale was the archetypal working mans beer, drank through world wars and lean times by ship builders and miners. Designed as the perfect northern session ale, Newcastle Brown was poured from the big bottle into a half-pint glass (often a style called a schooner), and enjoyed over time, topped up occasionally. As it warmed the rich, nutty flavours were allowed to bloom.

In the 1980s and 90s, students found the beer and a new generation called it their own. Drinking it as overly chilled as a lager straight from the bottle, the beer was able to withstand the cold and still taste great, all the better to dance at clubs and gigs without spilling a drop.

No beers can be all things to all people no matter the situation, but Newcy Brown comes close. And despite not being, perhaps, the very best incarnation of the style, it is the quintessential one, and the one that all other brown ales invariably end up being compared to.

That being said, Nøgne Ø's Imperial Brown Ale is a different beast altogether. Stronger at 7.5%, it has a big hit of coffee and chocolate upfront, sweetness on the palate, but then a lovely, hoppy bitterness to finish. It's richer and more complex than the paler, dryer style of Brown Ale, but not overly so like other craft examples. Much more balanced.

This was probably my favourite beer of 2020. If you get a chance, it's highly recommended. You can read about other brown ales here.

Brewdog 5AM Saint

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 10:34:00 +0000

Almost a staple in some stores in KL, but often overlooked, is it time to give 5AM Saint another try?

Anyone in Malaysia reading this blog really shouldn't need an introduction to Brewdog. One of the pre-eminent global craft brewers, they've been pushing the bar for what a craft brewer can be for years and have been a consistent presence on the Malaysian craft scene pretty much since day one. And whether it's their chain of global bars, their "beer" hotels or their "Equity for Punks" crowdfunding scheme, their business ideas are often just as big and bold as their beers.

Brewdog can be found in many of KL's ever increasing number of beer bars, but to really check the extended range available in Malaysia you need to visit Taps, who have cultivated a close relationship with the Scottish brewer. As well as looking to see what's on tap (Please let it be Jack Hammer, please please!), it's always worth scouring the fridges behind the bar to see which Brewdog bottles are lurking back there, often something beyond the core range you normally find in KL.

But it's that core range that I think has become really important, because in certain stores it's become a permanent addition to shelves otherwise covered in commercial lager. And that is amazing. Knowing that I can walk into places like BIG or Jaya Grocer and find alongside the Heineken, Tiger and Carlsberg there'll be Brewdog, Fullers and various German and Belgium staples is a huge difference to what I would see 10 years ago.

And obviously many stores have other great beers rotating across the shelves as stock comes in, but it's great that I can wander down to the local supermarket and pick up a Jack Hammer or ESB whenever I want.

If you are lucky enough to live near a store that has Brewdog year round, one of the beers you will likely see is 5AM Saint. This red ale first arrived in Malaysia very early on alongside its stablemates Punk IPA and Dead Pony Club pale ale and was a class act immediately, but has somewhat been overshadowed by the various trends since then as big hop, haze and sour flavours have dominated.

But we shouldn't dismiss 5AM Saint just yet as it really is a very good ale which, at supermarket prices, should be picked up whenever you can. Brewed at 5% it's easy yet flavoursome. A slight ruby colour (which is why it's called a Red Ale) hides that it is in many way just a really nice amber ale. Malty, with some caramel and well balanced hops it's a great beer to relax with on a hot day.

One day, maybe, we may have a Brewdog bar here in Malaysia (and hopefully not too long, eh, guys?). Until then, their beers are here to stay anyway, and that's worth celebrating.

2021 UPDATE: Brewdog have flourished in Malaysia since this post in 2019 (not withstanding their issues elsewhere, with some very unsavoury allegations abut their business and operating practices.)

What hasn't flourished is 5AM Saint, which seems to have disappeared from shelves just after (and quite possibly, because) I called it a staple on the shelves. Still, I can pop to my local store and find a range of 8 different Brewdog beers on the shelves, which was unthinkable even when I wrote the above 3 years ago. So Farewell 5AM Saint... hello Jackhammer in a can!

Modern Madness Beer

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 04:11:00 +0000

Everyone knows there aren't any new beers produced in Malaysia, right? What's that? There are? 2019 just got weird! Or should that be "Mad"?

I’ve spoken of the strange beast that is the Malaysian beer industry in the past. It’s an industry that has for decades been heavily controlled and micromanaged by the powers that be, to the point that only two commercial brewing licences exist. Those licences currently reside with global brewing behemoths Carlsberg and Heineken (along with their partners in Malaysia, Guinness).

In addition there is a mythical “Third Licence”, which has been in the hands of the same group for many years now under varying guises. Not that you’d know it as they very rarely actually produce any beer. Their current brew, Legend Pilsner, can only be purchased on the 7th Sunday of the New Year if (and only if) their head brewer stands at the junction next to the brewery and sees a water buffalo wink coquettishly at a passing monkey.

Every now and then rumours do waft through the jungle of a group who claim to have some sort of licence to be able to brew and have big ideas to blow the market apart. Whatever truth there is behind such rumours is never really known and as yet, none have actually produced something to drink.

It’s extremely pleasing then when a new beer produced in Malaysia pops up out of nowhere.

Modern Madness beers appeared at the turn of the year and have taken up residency at craft beer

hangouts Ales & Lagers and The Great Beer Bar. They haven’t (as yet) claimed to be that mythical creature the “first Malaysian craft brewery”, as others have done in the past (before disappearing). They don’t even claim to be craft brewers at all, merely stating that they are “crafting” new beers.

But if “how” they have managed this is still somewhat of a mystery to most, “why” they have appeared is more obvious. Apparently the aim is to put some fun back into a local scene which has become increasingly po-faced over the past few years as the government continues to hit the craft beer importers with ever-increasing taxes and duties, whilst Carlsberg and Heineken, who should be revelling in their continued monopoly status, seem to be increasingly uninterested in enjoying it.

With a love of experimentation and a desire to surprise, Modern Madness are producing small batch beers with a quick turnover. A number of differently hopped session IPAs have been tapped, while other ales with more local flavours like lemongrass, chrysanthemum and even bah kut teh, have proven popular. Their Chinese New Year inspired Prosperity Ale should be available any time now.

Whether this is the start of something new and exciting for the local scene or merely the flash and bang of a beer firecracker; lots of excitement but gone too soon, who knows? But for the time being it’s an interesting and most welcome addition.

You can try the ever changing roster of Modern Madness beers at Ales & Lagers at Publika and The Great Beer Bar in Uptown. They’re currently an extremely reasonable RM10 per glass.

2022 UPDATE: Modern Madness are still going strong after an eventful few years since their inception. They left their residency at The Great Beer Bar when it changed hands, but made a new home at the refurbished Rex Theatre in Chinatown, where they had a huge space all to themselves while other vendors were still waiting to set up shop. They used the space well by installing 15 taps! So at any given moment there were 10 or so different styles of Modern Madness beer available and weird beers like the infamous Bah Kut Teh ale would bring people in from miles around to have an Instagram moment.

But creating that much beer was a huge jump in production for such a small team, so Modern Madness have since retreated to their spiritual home at Ales and Lagers where they have a more manageable 5 taps. They have a rotating core range of beers served on tap at the bar, or in very affordable one litre bottles for take-away or delivery. You can even refill your own growlers and mini kegs.

Rogue 7 Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 07:00:00 +0000

Never ones to stand still, Rogue Ales have always taken pleasure in experimenting with the basics of beer. They happily try new ideas and pass it on to the customers with a knowing wink as if saying... "Go on, see what you think."

Beers with sour berries, chocolate, chilli sauce, tea, coffee, pumpkins and sea water have all been released over the years, tempting people to try something a bit different. But they also like to celebrate the basics of beer too.

Their numbered hop range of IPAs proudly declare the use of ingredients grown at Rogue Farms or taken from the surrounding area. Each beer uses the corresponding number of hop varieties and is brewed to the corresponding ABV. For example the Rogue 4 Hop IPA uses 4 hop varieties and is brewed at 4.44%.

With each hop variety mentioned on the bottle, it allows the drinker to appreciate the subtle (and often, not-so subtle) difference the change in the number and type of hop variety makes to a beer.

Most of this numbered range has made its way to Malaysia over the past 2 years and they're all pretty good. Bold and full of character. I've tried numbers 4, 6, 7 & 8 and I look forward to trying the Black IPA 5 Hop soon, as it's just arrived in country. Fingers crossed Rogue 10 Hop heads this way soon!

My favourite so far is 7 Hop. It's a powerful yet extremely well balanced IPA, with a deep caramel colour, rich aroma and toffeeish character. Not overly bitter, it still has a kick and is brewed at 7.77% (obviously).

It can be found in the various craft beer bars, often in large 650ml bottles, but occasionally you may find it as a 330ml bottle or even on tap, which is recommended.

If you like it, why not try Tempest Brave New World, Brewdog Jack Hammer or Buxton Axe Edge.

Fuller's ESB

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 09:49:00 +0000

Like many things to do with the English language, the naming of beer styles, especially in the UK, was always a jumble of local colloquialisms, confusing logic and local one-upmanship leading to modern terms that make little sense. A "Mild" that can blow your head off... a "Bitter" with nary a hint of hops in it. It's enough to drive you to drink! Ooh, there's an idea!

A bitter is in most respects just a type of pale ale, but that really doesn't paint a full picture of this most confusing of beer styles. A bitter could be a perfect session drink at 2.8%, or it might be brazenly strong at 7%. It could be dark and malty or, as the name suggests, bitter and hoppy. Colour, taste and aroma can vary wildly and over the years local whims have made it even more baffling.

One brewery might have a Mild Bitter, Ordinary Bitter, Best Bitter and Special Bitter in their lineup. In many cases this is an indication of strength, but it could also point to increased hop or malt in the the ingredients.

For some brewers the weaker session bitters have fallen out of favour, leaving their "Best Bitter" as the weakest they offer. This despite that their Pale Ales or Session IPAs aren't adorned with the superlative "Best".

In other cases, a brewer in years past might have brewed an ordinary bitter only to find a nearby competitior had produced their own version. With no specific guidelines to work from they then rename theirs as Best Bitter, so creating a new style. So a premium bitter might really be just that, the best that brewery has created... or it could just be a way of getting one over on the rival down the road.

Such naming chaos is generally a thing of the past (though it has crept back in via the IPA wars to a lesser degree). But it has left behind a landscape of confusion for the novice drinker. To a greater or lesser extent, Bitters, Milds, Pale Ales, Golden Ales and Light Ales are all variations of the same theme. Strength, colour, taste, aroma, hoppiness and maltiness may all vary and at the extremes some will seem miles away from another, but the only real way to find out which you like is to take note of the abv and then dive in.

Into this bizarre mix confidently strides Fuller's ESB, or Extra Special Bitter. It is in many ways as far away from an ordinary bitter as a good IPA is, yet there is the word bitter right in the name.

Originally launched as a seasonal, warming winter beer in 1969, it was renamed ESB when it was changed to a year-round brew two years later after proving very popular. Having gained a lot of attention, other brewers looked to cash in by creating their own variation of an ESB, but they proved short lived and in the UK the term is now a copyright of Fuller's; a brand as well as a style.

Nowadays the beer's renown and fame is such that in the U.S. a number of craft breweries have picked up the term for their own version of what is essentially a Strong Ale, but even now, if you use the term ESB, it's assumed you are talking about Fuller's.

Fuller's ESB is strong at 5.9%, richly golden in hue with a deeper, creamier head than usual for a bitter. The robust malt flavour is slightly sweet but is well balanced by some British hops and well rounded by the Fuller's yeast blend which leaves a slight marmalade note. To be frank, this is one of my all-time favourites. An awesome beer. As the late great Michael Jackson said, it truly is a "world classic".

If you like ESB, also consider Fuller's 1845.

2021 UPDATE: As you are probably already aware, Fuller's beers are no longer available in Malaysia. Fuller's themselves have since split their brewery into a separate entity from their property portfolio (Pubs and Hotels) and sold the beer making side to Asahi of Japan. Fear not, however, as production remains in its old location at the Griffin Brewery by the Thames and by all accounts nothing has changed in terms of the beer. And, as Asahi already have a growing presence in Malaysia, there is hope that Fuller's may one day return.

Little Creatures Pale Ale

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 08:50:00 +0000

Australian craft beers have been enthusiastically welcomed to KL for quite a while and are amongst the more popular brews in many of the retailers. Little Creatures beers were one of the first to arrive right at the start of Malaysia's craft beer awakening and have lasted the pace as an almost permanent addition to the scene.

Hailing originally from Fremantle, Western Australia, but with a brewery in Geelong, Victoria, Little Creatures have set out with one aim in mind, to create the perfect pale ale. Despite a changing roster of styles and brands, the Pale Ale is still their passion.

Little Creatures pale ale was the beer with which they announced themselves back in 2000 when the style was less popular in Australia. Aiming to recreate a classic, hoppy, American style ale they helped kick-start a resurgence of the style, which had until then been closer to UK bitters, to the point that Australian Pale Ale is now a distinct variation.

When it arrived in KL it was only really found in the handful of dedicated craft beer bottle-shops that had sprung up around 2012, but it wasn't long before it could be found in bars, restaurants and hotels across the city, where it now often holds the dubious distinction of being the only non-commercial lager on offer, sold by people who don't know what craft beer is and generally twice the price it should be. Ah, the cost of fame...

Luckily it can still be found more reasonably priced in those same craft beer bottle-shops and bars where it first said hello. And luckily for us it's increasingly on sale in various supermarkets across the country too.

Little Creatures Pale Ale is golden in colour with a classic pale, foamy head. Not overly hoppy, it has a refreshing bitterness with a citrussy finish and slight toffee flavours. Brewed at 5.2% it's a great session beer for a long hot afternoon.

Outside of locally brewed beers, Little Creatures is probably the most omnipresent beer in KL and can be found in the strangest of places. So rather than pinpointing of where it can be found, I'd just suggest looking at the drinks menu next time you're out. It'll be there more often than not. I'd also recommend their IPA too. Both drinks remain reassuringly well valued.

You can check out some other Pale Ales here.

St Austell Brewery Cornish IPA

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 10:13:00 +0000

Supermarket "Own-Brand" Products are a strange concept in many ways. Produce sold by the chain with their own branding but often produced by a manufacturer to be put in direct competition with its own products. So why would any brewer do it?

Well, there are benefits. For instance, it allows the manufacturer a guaranteed market with a long

contract meaning solid income. And assuming that some of the consumers are curious enough to read the small print, it's good marketing too. The downside is that they could find the product they're making for Tesco is sat on the shelf right next to its very own branded product, which is probably more expensive.

In some cases it could be the very same product they manufacture for themselves, just re-branded for the supermarket. But many times it's a unique recipe they've agreed to produce. Either way it's swings and roundabouts and generally the pros outnumber the cons.

So in this way you will see beer badged as one of the big retailers but actually produced by some of the biggest names around, like Brewdog, Harviestoun, Marston's, Shepherd Neame, Black Sheep, Meantime and Adnams amongst many others. Though often you would have to look very hard to see proof of this on the label.

Marks and Spencer have done particularly well using this technique in recent times, supplying a much larger range of own-brand styles than the other retailers, all with strong labels that carry the manufacturers name up front and centre along with the M&S branding.

And luckily for us, M&S Malaysia stock a wide range of these great drinks. Since Christmas 2016 they've had available some amazing porters, stouts, wheat beers, pale ales, 5 or 6 different IPAs and 7 or 8 distinct yet wonderful ciders... all produced by renowned manufacturers in the UK.

Among this treasure trove is a lovely Cornish IPA, brewed for M&S by St Austell Brewery in Cownwall, a great brewer responsible for such beers as Tribute Ale and Proper Job IPA. The benefit of this arrangement to St Austell is clear as we're yet to see any of their fine beers imported directly to Malaysia. Yet next time you pop to get a pair of socks at M&S, you can pick one up anyway.

And the best thing for us as consumers is that not only can we try beers from manufacturers that are, as yet, unavailable in KL, but also in great value big old 500ml bottles. And when I mean great value, they are easily the cheapest imported ales you will find in KL. Thank you Mr Marks and, indeed, Mr Spencer.

As far as I'm aware, St Austell Cornish IPA is a recipe produced uniquely for M&S. It's a light and refreshing IPA, pale in colour with a foamy head. It's fully hopped with a nice bitter finish balanced with citrus. It's not overly strong at 5% but is satisfying and well balanced.

Imported beers and ciders are only available at the one or two M&S stores that allow alcohol sales. In my case that's at Gardens in Mid Valley, but it's worth the trip (and you can stock up on custard creams while you're there).

If you like the Cornish IPA, why not try Buxton Axe Edge too?

2022 UPDATE: M&S have certainly had some stocking issues with their beers and ciders over the pandemic. Although, to be fair to them, their stock does tend to get wiped out as soon as it arrives, so popular is it. But it's always worth a look if you're nearby just in case they have restocked. One worrying note is that their online stock seems to have doubled in price in the past weeks. OK, so that means the M&S are now roughly the same price as the other importer's craft beers in the country (which shows you just how good value they previously were.)

The problem is, the vast majority of M&S customers in KL don't go there for beer, or even food. Doubling the price means that the few people who did make a trip specifically for their imported beer may not do so now. And it may also deter those who weren't expecting to buy beer, but thought they'd take a chance. The concern is that if sales drop, which they will, M&S Malaysia may just stop brining in the beers altogether, which would be a shame as it's currently the only source of traditional and real ales in the country.

Heretic Evil Twin

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 05:36:00 +0000

HERETIC: noun; a person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted. EVIL TWIN: noun; an identical twin, or unrelated person of similar appearance, who wreaks havoc or does evil.

What's it like to be a heretic? A question asked by Heretic brewing who encourage drinkers to go against the grain. When Heretic started in 2010 this was still an admirable sentiment for beer drinkers in many parts of the world. Those parts dominated by Big Beer (a term for global commercial brewers), where it was difficult to find something different... something better. "Hey, why not take a chance on this beer instead of that commercial lager that everyone else is drinking? Be a beer heretic."

But times have changed and hasn't it been glorious being a beer heretic since then? New Beer has taken the world by storm (Hello you lovely craft brewers). Old Beer has found a new lease of life (Hi to all the real and traditional ale makers - the ones with the slight look of "Excuse me, we've been making this shit for ages, but thanks for noticing, finally"). And in the meantime Big Beer panicked and decided to buy every craft and real ale brewer it could so it didn't lose market share (but did lose soul).

The thing is, whilst in many parts there is still a battle between craft beer and commercial beer, the lines being drawn are as often ideological as they are practical. Where Big Beer uses its commercial might to seriously hamper smaller brewers and landlords in a bid for greater control and earnings, I can commend the continued struggle.

But often the argument against commercial beers seems much more rudimentary. "You're drinking that? I wouldn't want to be seen drinking that!" Like that annoying friend in college who loved an indie band so much... right til the point they signed to a major label, when suddenly they had sold out and were rubbish. HERETIC! They say... And I tell you what, I get more people questioning my choice of drink now if I stray from what is seen as the "right kind of beer" than I ever did from lager drinkers when I chose a real ale at Uni.

I fully applaud the introduction of UK and US kite-mark accreditation for for truly independent brewers, and I support those companies to the hilt. But in Malaysia it was such a struggle to find any good beer for so long, can we really afford to be sniffy if someone isn't drinking the cool beer now?

Independent brewers deserve and need our support. So lets continue give it to them in unwavering amounts. And if you live somewhere that allows you to drink only amazing independent beer, I raise a glass to you. But in many places that choice isn't there for a number of reasons (and in Malaysia that includes political, economical, cultural and religious ones). And in such places Big Beer plays its part and we have to grudgingly admit that they do make some good drinks too (amongst the bad ones). So, lets hold them to check for the practices they adopt, but can we reign back on the lofty attitude? Over here both the small but vibrant craft scene and the commercial industry is under pressure in a way not seen in most other countries. Let's just celebrate good beer.

Poor Heretic brewing, a great company with some truly wonderful beers, really don't deserve to be cast amidst this ill-thought rant, it was merely their name that prompted it... I blame my evil twin.

BOOM! and we're back to the review. (See what I did there?)

Heretic Evil Twin is a Red IPA, a sort of half way between a traditional malty ale and a big bitter IPA and it balances both aspects very well. The malt isn't too sweet on the palate, the hops not too bitter, but both present, creating a very easy beer.

It pours a rich red with a foamy cream head and at 6.8% it packs a punch without being too heavy.

Heretic Evil Twin can be found at Ales & Lagers and The Great Beer Bar in cans.

If you like Evil Twin, you might also enjoy Rogue Dead Guy and Beer Farm Brown Ale

Stone Hail to the Hop Thief

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 04:34:00 +0000

Following on from our first Stone Brewing Co. review, we have another. Always the same isn't it? You wait for ages then two come along at once.

When I reviewed Stone Ruination a few days ago I mentioned they liked a good IPA. So with their 21st anniversary in mind it was always a good bet they'd celebrate with a good ol' India Pale Ale. What's a 21st birthday party without good beer?

With Hail to the Hop Thief, they took all of their knowledge of creating kick-ass IPAs and poured it into one celebratory beer. Dry-hopped to the max and unfiltered, Stone wanted it to be as raw an expression of a hopped-up, double IPA as there can be and it's certainly a cracking beer.

Slightly hazier than normal due to being unfiltered, it pours the typical rich golden colour of a DIPA. There's a more complex nose than most IPAs, with citrus and fruit notes joined by sweet and floral aromas. Similarly it has very different layers of taste. More wheaty than malty, with fruit flavours replaced with a good old kick of bitterness from the hop resin. But through all this, it's still quite a well balanced beer, not overly powerful to drink, but still very flavourful. Refreshing, yet you know it's a strong drink. And it is at 9.8%.

Being a limited edition anniversary beer, this one might be a bit difficult to find. We can always hope another batch is released and makes its way here before it disappears. But if you can't find this beer, fear not, there a plenty of other good Double IPAs available including Stone's own Ruination.

Stone Ruination

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 04:48:00 +0000

Every new batch of Stone Brewing Co. beer that arrives in Malaysia is greeted with either joy or in many cases, relief. "Ah... finally. It's back!" There's a simple reason for this... they don't produce a bad beer.

Some companies have a full range of beer encompassing every type and style of ale known to man and quite a few they've just made up themselves. But there will often be one or two amongst the list that either don't sit well with you or perhaps will be overlooked in favour of a different beer that in your mind you'd prefer to drink.

With Stone that choice is more difficult for two reasons. Firstly, their core range, the beers we get most often over here, are almost all variations of one style. If you look at their website the six "year-round" beers listed are made up of four IPAs, one double IPA and a pale ale which, let's face it, is just the "Father of IPAs"

The second reason is that all of them are great beers. There isn't one I would be disappointed to drink. Don't get me wrong, they have other styles, especially a great line in Imperial Stouts and their iconic Arrogant Bastard ale, but since their inception in California in 1996 they have become very good at IPAs, so why hide the fact?

But, having said I wouldn't turn down any of those core beers, I do have a favourite. (Shhh... don't tell the other children).

Stone Ruination or, to give it its full name, Stone Ruination Double India Pale Ale 2.0.

That 2.0 is in reference to an earlier incarnation of Ruination, itself a worthy beer, but as the craft brewing industry grew and established new processes and better methods, Stone realised there was an opportunity to revisit what was already one of their best beers and make it even better. The result is a fantastic DIPA.

Ruination pours a deep golden hue with a pale head and at 8.5% is easy to drink but has an attitude that will live up to its name the next morning if not respected. The initial deep citrus notes are less floral and more fruity than in some double IPAs. While the pine resin finish is sharp and bitter and less biscuity and malty than might be expected, producing a big beer that is more refreshing than chewy.

Stone beers have become staples of the craft bars in Malaysia, so shouldn't be too difficult to find.

If you like Ruination, why not take a look at some of the other Double IPAs we've reviewed.

Tempest Brewing Co. Marmalade On Rye

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 09:05:00 +0000

Triumph in a glass.

Every now and then you come across a beer that is just trying too hard to be different. A beer that screams "My brewer wants to impress you so much he threw the kitchen sink at me! ... AND a squirrel!" These are often beers that are seasonal in theme and unusual of ingredient. Often they fall flat and don't live up to the big claims made on the label. Others, however, are interesting, great even, but you couldn't imagine yourself sitting down to drink two or three. But some... well, some are bottled genius... Triumph in a glass.

At this time of year wacky beers abound. Autumn seems to attract experimental flavours with pumpkin ales leading the charge. But I have something to admit: *stands solemnly*

I am yet to try a pumpkin ale that I think is any good.*

"HERESY!" they cry. "You are bound by the laws of man... NAY, the very laws of nature itself, to enjoy (during October and November) something that should not be pumpkin flavoured but that is now PUMPKIN FLAVOURED!"

No... I'm afraid not. This way leads to folly... and somebody turning to you during Christmas to say "Try this peppermint saison. It's great."

So with this in mind, when I find a new beer that claims some unusual combination of ingredients I do tend to sample expecting to find it intriguing at best, but not a drink I'll rush back to. It was in this vein that I first encountered Tempest Marmalade On Rye, a double IPA said to be packed full of orangey flavour from the copious use of orange zests. Already being a fan of the Tempest range, I was willing to give it a little leeway, but I was expecting to think "Yes, interesting. Right, can I have a proper IIPA now?"

What I wasn't expecting was to find my favourite new beer of last year.

It's true that Marmalade On Rye is made with oranges, a lot of them. There's also a lot of ginger thrown into the mix. But these spicy flavours mingle and combine with the big biscuity hop tones to create a chewier sensation. This is not a fresh citrus IPA, but more, well... marmalade on toast. But don't let that put you off, it works. Big, bold Double IPAs often have bittersweet, sticky, chewy notes and the ingredients used here work well with it.

Tempest Brewing Co. Marmalade On Rye is a Double IPA that has a hefty abv of 9% to go with its hefty flavours. It pours a rich amber with tangerine and slight toffee aromas.

For such a bold beer it's surprisingly easy to drink and can be enjoyed during a session (with caution... ahem, 9%) but works well as the final beer of the night.

If you like Maramalade On Rye, you should definitely look at some other bold Double IPAs like Buxton Nth Cloud and have a look this review of Brewdog Jackhammer, which also includes some other IIPA suggestions.

Alternatively, if you want to try another unusually flavoured ale that works extremely well, Rogue's Chipotle Ale is worth a look.

You can read about more Double IPAs here:

*In the interests of full disclosure, the guys at The Parcel Yard in Kings Cross didn't believe my claim that I'd never had a decent pumpkin based beer and advised me to try Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale. Brooklyn beers have since arrived in Malaysia, but you can't currently get that one in KL, but I'll look out for it. You never know, it might be the pumpkin ale that changes my life. (I doubt it).

2022 UPDATE: Tempest beers aren't currently in stock in Malaysia and haven't been since before the pandemic. I'd love to see them back.

Fuller's 1845

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 07:41:00 +0000

Over the years trips back to the UK have invariably meant time spent waiting for a train in London. Luckily for me there nearly always seems to be a Fuller's Pub either in or next door to the station, which means I'm never too far from a bottle of 1845.

Fuller's are one of the old UK breweries that have always been around but have prospered during the recent emergence of craft beers and the popularity of old brews. Where many other traditional brewers fell by the wayside, some canny marketing and excellent customer service in their bars (alongside an awesome beer range and great food) have seen them become ubiquitous in their native London, whilst their beers gained traction across the country.

Popular globally too, on my last long-haul journey I managed to have a pint of their iconic London Pride before I left home, at the two London stations en route to the airport, at Heathrow itself, at Dubai Airport and finally back home in KL at journey's end.

While famous for their big flavoured take on traditionally British, malty ales, they always championed the less favoured styles as well, before they came back into fashion.

1845 is a classic Strong or Old Ale, typically dark and malty. Like a counterpoint to the modern IPA styles, Old Ales are less bitter... richer with more sweet and spicy notes, but no less ballsy or flavoursome.

It was first brewed in 1995 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the brewery, making it a surprisingly young beer, but one brewed in classic style using amber and chocolate malts and bottled with live yeasts so the beer continues to ferment and condition for 100 days before it goes on sale and can continue to mature for a number of months if stored correctly, allowing for a more rounded flavour. It is said that the first hops cast for the inaugural brew came from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. So revolutionaries beware, the Monarchy do have their uses!

1845 is brewed at 6.3% and pours a deep tawny colour with a surprisingly pale, almost white head. A live beer, it tends towards more complex flavours, in this case fruits and spices with almost sherry notes, but well balanced with a dry biscuit finish.

If you like 1845 it's also worth trying the two beers either side of it in the Fuller's range, ESB and Golden Pride, similarly full-flavoured ales. You could also consider Founder's DKML that we reviewed recently or even Paulaner Salvator, for a German version of a big, malty beer.

2022 UPDATE: Sadly the Fuller's range has disappeared from the shelves in Malaysia. The importers lost interest, which isn't a great shame as they didn't really know what the beers were or how to sell them, which is part of the reason they didn't sell very well. But it leaves a big gap in the market as many other classic real and traditional ales have also disappeared from the country. The importer bringing in things like Youngs and Adnams has closed and the old school importers now seem to prefer Big Beer as a safer alternative, while the Craft importers don't seem interested in more traditional brewers. There's still plenty of interest, but sadly no route in at the moment.

Founders DKML

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Sat, 28 Oct 2017 04:32:00 +0000

As anyone that drinks enough beer could tell you, there really aren't any hard and fast rules dictating which of the many beer styles a particular brew should be beyond the whims of the brewers who produce it.

Traditionalists may point to certain aspects that make up a pale ale, but throughout the 20th Century brewers, keen on a commercial edge, renamed and re-branded; tinkered and tailored the names and styles of their beers until that same pale ale could be seen as a bitter, mild, ordinary, special, best, light, amber, golden, summer or who knows what other name brewers thought up to make it seem unique.

In other words, getting bogged down on styles isn't really worth it. A good beer is a good beer and should be judged on that simplest of terms no matter the style it purports to be.

And yes... that right there is a HUGE proviso because I'm just about to get bogged down in styles and I wanted a get out of jail free card.

I've been a fan of barley wines since I tried a bottle of Young's sadly departed Old Nick many years ago. Unlike many beer styles that have names that can occasionally sound contradictory and confusing to a new beer drinker (strong Milds... not particularly bitter Bitters etc...) barley wine is a fairly apt description as it describes beers that have alcoholic volumes around that of a wine, but are generally made of grains (barley) rather than fruit (grapes).

However, this being beer, there is still ample room for abuse of the term as barley wines can range in colour from an IPA to a Stout and can be as low as 7% abv onward past 20%. Along the way any barley wine in that range could have been called a Strong Ale, Old Ale, Imperial Stout or Aged Porter and no one would have batted an eyelid.

So, now we're bogged down in all these names, let's extricate ourselves and get back to the review. I tried a bottle of Founders DKML a few nights ago and immediately thought it was a very good Barley Wine. Then I read the back label and discovered Founders were marketing it as a malt liquor, a term from the US I'd never heard of.

A little research found that malt liquor is an old term used in the US for beers with a high abv and had, over the years, become a slightly derisory term given to cheap, strong beers with a bad rep. Think of the reputation Special Brew had in the UK. (Although I have a fondness for Special Brew... did you know it was produced in honour of Winston Churchill? A story for another time).

As with many old styles, the craft beer revolution has helped to reinvigorate this old term as Founders decided to produce a Malt Liquor that was, in their own words, worthy.

But to my mind what they've produced is a damn good barley wine, with the characteristic rich, fruity flavours. In other words... who cares. It's a great beer.

DKML is a surprisingly smooth drink, despite its herculean abv of 14.2%. It pours much paler than you would expect of a barley wine, keeping closer to its true nature of a malt liquor with deep golden hues and a fine pale head. The rich, malty, bourbon notes are soon replaced with a fruity, raisin finish which is extremely moreish. It's a perilously easy beer to drink at that volume, stronger than most wines, but at the end of a long day a bottle can be savoured with pleasure.

Founders beers are increasingly popular here in Malaysia and have become a regular sight in bars and stores.

2022 EDIT: As it turned out we only ever received one batch of DKML here in Malaysia, which I probably drank a fair portion of myself. As stated above, Founders beers did indeed become more popular here and their Centennial IPA and Breakfast Stout can be found often amongst their other brews.

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 07:05:00 +0000

Chocolate, like beer, is one of the small luxuries in life that makes things that little easier. We could live without it, but the world would be just that wee bit less sweet.

Chocolate and beer are, admittedly, not the most obvious of bedfellows. Not many would think washing down a Mars Bar with a pint of Skol is a classic pairing (Or perhaps you do. Confess below in the comments if you dare you strange, chocolate mouthed, little Skol Goblin).

You see, lagers don't quite work... Where a good dark chocolate and a single malt whisky can certainly be savoured, beer was generally thought not to have enough flavour. (Some whiskies work, some don't. It's worth experimenting till you hit a good combination. Y'know, any old excuse...).

But chocolate and beer actually make better partners than you might think. Many darker richer brews like porters, stouts and barley wines employ chocolate malts in the recipes, a type of malted barley that is roasted to higher temperatures during production than normal pale ale malts, delivering a richer, smokier flavour of chocolate and cocoa when used.

Why not, then, use actual chocolate?

Young's have a history of being a little experimental with their ingredients. I've mentioned before one of their honeyed ales, Waggle Dance, which certainly changed character after they took it over from Vaux. In 1997 they were the first known brewer to add real chocolate essence to a stout recipe along with chocolate malts creating the "Double-Chocolate" of the name.

The former label's resemblance to a
certain chocolate manufacturer was
toned down... slightly

Knowing this might be a little bit of a hard sell, they then pushed the new brew at places like the UK Chocolate Fayre and went one step further by using a certain easily recognised purple colour on their label. The original bottle certainly screamed CADBURY'S, though I don't think there was ever any real link beyond some cheeky marketing.

But Young's beers do seem to be in a constant state of flux at the moment. Although their F&B division is as healthy as always with new bars popping up (and it's always worth a visit), the brewing side has been a little unstable for a while. A good old-fashioned brewer from London, established in Wandsworth in the 1830s, Young's were matching their local rival, Fuller's, stride for stride through the Millennium.

But from a position where they were buying up other brewers, in 2006 they merged with another old brewer Charles Wells, taking a 40% stake in Wells & Young's. In 2015 Young's sold this stake to Wells who dispensed with the Young's company name but continued to produce the Young's brand beers under licence, though not before moving some of those brands across to its own stable first, like the aforementioned Waggle Dance.

Earlier this year, matters became even more confusing when Wells sold their entire operation to real ale giant, Martson's, adding to their already large portfolio of beer brands like McKewan's and Hobgoblin along with their own brands. This sale included Wells' most famous beers like Bombardier along with the Young's Licence. It's said that Charles Wells will reopen anew in the next few years, though I'm not sure if this would include any of the beers they have since sold to Marston's? If anyone knows, let me know, it would be good to see them continue in some form.

So what of Young's? Well, it's clear that Marston's now hold the rights to brew Young's beers under licence so you would hope that nothing really changes. In fact, Marston's do have a good reputation for letting their brands "breathe", so perhaps there may even be a bit of a push. I'd love to see a continuation of Double Chocolate and Special London ales. Perhaps the realignment of Waggle Dance to the Young's brand and possibly the re-emergence of Young's Old Nick, a beautiful old style barley wine that disappeared around the same time they merged with Wells.

Double Chocolate Stout is a smooth stout, brewed at 5%. Complex yet well balanced, the sweet notes of chocolate and biscuit are rounded nicely with a bitter finish. It pours a deep colour with a paler head than usual for this kind of stout.

Not many places in Malaysia stock the various Wells & Young's beers and I do hope the new ownership doesn't stop the few lines of import we do have.

If you like this, you can also look out for Rogue Chocolate Stout or, if you're lucky (and have the money) you could try and find Rogue Double Chocolate Stout, which is obscenely decadent in all the best ways.

You can read about some more stouts to be found in Malaysia, here.

2021 UPDATE: We haven't seen Young's beers in the country for a while now. Hopefully they'll return, but until then, we'll still have Paris...

Tempest Brave New World

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 07:28:00 +0000

Tempest Brew Co. were one of the stars of the 2016 Better Beer Fest KL, where one of their team from Scotland was showing a full range of beers and a rather dapper line in facial hair.

Along with other UK Craft Brew contemporaries, like Buxton and BrewDog, Tempest like BIG flavours in their beers. While many traditional brewers are happy to keep their core range relatively simple and save the tastiest treats for the seasonal and special edition brews, Tempest prefer to push out the big guns straight away.

They opened in 2010 having spent the previous ten years experiencing the best of a new breed of beers and flavours in Canada and New Zealand, before heading back to Scotland to bring it together.

Their Brave New World is a take on the new American IPA styles, but utilising hops from New Zealand and local barley malts. It's a rich IPA with hints of pine and citrus present without overpowering the sweet malt tastes. Well balanced and yet bitter enough to satisfy.

It pours a biscuity gold with a pale, not overly foamy head. And while it's not classed as a double IPA, it's still potent at 7% yet is a surprisingly easy beer. If you're new to craft ales and are unsure if you would like a big flavoured IPA, you could start with their Long White Cloud Pale Ale, an excellent beer and great intro to craft beer.

I'm glad to say that I've yet to be disappointed with any of the Tempest range thus far and if you see any in KL it's highly recommended to jump straight in.

If you like Brave New World you could also look out for Buxton Axe Edge and Stone IPA.

You can take a look at more IPA's here.

2021 UPDATE:Tempest Beers are currently available in Malaysia. This is sad. *Wails*

BrewDog Jack Hammer

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 07:31:00 +0000

When craft beer started to gain traction in Malaysia around 2012 there seemed to be two companies dominating the scene. Rogue from the US and BrewDog from the UK.

Indeed both companies have consolidated that initial impression and lead the way in many respects. Brewdog in particular have grown into an F&B sensation with their own bars popping up across the UK and in global cities, to the point that in China there is even a fake Brewdog bar.

Brewdog began life in 2007 as a 2-person 1-dog enterprise in Scotland as a means to simply create better beer than the commercial brews available. A simple aim, but one they've surpassed. They now have a dizzying range of beers covering almost every style from general pale ales through to beers that could be weaponised given their lethal abv. (See their Tactical Nuclear Penguin imperial stout). Their signature Punk IPA has gone on to be an icon of the craft brewing scene and for many in Malaysia it may have been their first taste of the new style IPAs conquering the global market.

Of course, it's often the case that those setting the trends eventually become the cliché that define the trend, and indeed setting foot in a Brewdog bar is like setting foot into Hipster heaven with uniforms of manicured beards and skinny jeans everywhere (on the boys at least... mostly). The bars are wilfully industrial and occasionally dishevelled and come with their own set of hipster rules like queuing at the bar in a long line like at an ATM rather than along the bar as with, well, every other pub in the UK. (A concept I fell foul of in London during my first visit to a BD pub when I unknowingly stood next to the only other person at the bar to buy a beer and he looked shocked and then pointed out I should stand behind him... I didn't).

But these quirks aside, Brewdog are still leading the way in a craft beer revolution and are notoriously generous with their art to the point of encouraging fans to invest in their bars and giving away the recipes to every beer they've ever produced for homebrewers to try and recreate.

Until I master that art (still trying) the beers they brew themselves are among the highest quality craft brews around. Among them a favourite of mine, Jack Hammer IPA. In the wonderful world of beer there are no real naming conventions when it comes to style and the brewer dictates whether one beer is a porter or stout; IPA or Double IPA at their own discretion.

Jack Hammer is an technically a (single) IPA, yet would make some Double IPAs I've tried weep. What defines a single or a double is not set in stone. It could be alcohol content, bitterness, hoppiness, taste, fruitiness or a combination of all. In many cases it's simply a brewer making sure they have a beer for every style. But as Brewdog pay scant regard to tradition they market Jack Hammer as a Ruthless India Pale Ale. RIPA!

Jack Hammer is brewed at 7.2% and pours a deep golden hue with a rich foamy head. It has a citrus aroma before a chewy bitterness takes over. Refreshing yet powerful, like all the best Double IPAs.

If you like Jack Hammer I would also recommend Stone's Ruination, Anderson Valley's Heelch O'hops, Victory Brewing's Dirt Wolf and Buxton's Wyoming Sheep Ranch, all of which can be found in Malaysia at various times.

And it you want to read about some more IPAs and Double IPAs, follow the links.

Hoegaarden White

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 10:22:00 +0000

As we know, Belgian monks have been knocking out cracking beers since the mesozoic era. In fact there is evidence that it was a drunk monk on a moped that wiped out the dinosaurs after too many pints of Stella led to an unwise bet with a tipsy triceratops on a violent volcano.*

But monks didn't just happen upon tasty beer. For many years the art of monkish ale making was quite hit and miss. Consistency was difficult to maintain in primitive brewing and the importance of sanitation in the process was as little understood as it was difficult to attain in the 15th Century. All this led to a wide range of possible results from amazing to sour, which any modern homebrewer would be able to sympathise with.

All this would be resolved by the 17th century with better sanitation and understanding of the brewing process, but until then other means were required to give your beer a more subtle and consistent taste.

The Monks of Hoegaarden, a small Belgian village then part of the Netherlands, which at one point was home to over 20 separate breweries, came up with the idea of adding spices to the brew hoping to mask the sour flavours. As the Netherlands was at the time one of the dominant colonial powers, ingredients from across the globe were newly available for the adventurous monk to experiment with.

Eventually the monks hit upon a recipe for an unmalted wheat beer that included hits of orange peel and coriander creating a mellow, easy to drink, citrusy witbier. Hoegaarden White was born and quickly established itself as a favourite. Yet despite this popularity, during the twentieth century the art of making Hoegaarden nearly died out, along with many other Abbey beers, as pressure from large commercial beer manufacturers left the traditional brewers either needing to sell-up or call it a day.

It was the villagers of Hoegaarden themselves who came together to protect the brand and re-establish a commercially viable brewery so by the 80s it had regained not just its local reputation, but was making inroads globally. becoming for many people their first taste of a wheat beer.

Of course, canny marketing always helps and Hoegaarden had a trick up their sleeve that would help them stand out from the crowd in the shape of the now infamous Hoegaarden glas; a magical item that simultaneously makes anyone holding it look tiny and the amount of liquid within look voluminous! The half-pint glass looks like a pint and the pint glass looks like it could hold the contents of an oil tanker.

Hoegaarden is brerwed at 4.7% and has a floral aroma and subtle spice flavour with a slight honey and fruit background. It's a pale beer with a thick foamy head to help fill the heavy glass it comes in and keep those aromas fresh.

You can enjoy Hoegaarden in one of those unreasonably huge glasses on tap at Brussels Beer Cafes. Alternatively Hoegaarden White is available in bottles in many supermarkets in Malaysia along with Hoegaarden Rose, its fruity sibling.

You can read about some other monk-brewed abbey beers, here.

*Some of the above may not be strictly true

Guinness Bright Stout

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 05:04:00 +0000

Guinness, that most Irish of brands... but not Guinness Bright, a uniquely Malaysian beer.

There are many beers brewed in Malaysia through the numerous brands owned by the two local giants Heineken (formerly Guinness Anchor) and Carlsberg, the only two companies with brewing licences in the country. (OK, there's a third, more on that later). The thing is, the majority of these beers, though brewed here, originated overseas. Just as Heineken is Dutch, Carlsberg Danish and Guinness Irish, so is Asahi Japanese, Kronenbourg French and Tiger Singaporean etc...

I'll admit that this can be a tricky subject though. Malaysia is a relatively young country, and there was beer being brewed in the region well before it existed, so who's to say there wasn't an original beer amongst them?

Like Tiger, Anchor Beer was brewed in both Singapore and Malaya before Malaysia was born and I was enthusiastically told that it was a Malaysian brand when I first arrived in KL. But just like its big cat brother, it seems the origins of Anchor also lie in Singapore.

So to find a truly Malaysian beer you have to come a bit closer to the present day. In 1992 Carlsberg Malaysia gave us the previously reviewed Danish Royal Stout, or Royal Stout as it is now known, having dropped its pretend Danishness because, despite the name, this beer has never been anywhere near Denmark. It is a purely Malaysian drink. Not brewed anywhere else and I imagine not drank anywhere else (though it may be possible to find it in Singapore I guess)? Finally there was a beer that locals could truly call their own. But the beer was so worried about being Malaysian it had to pretend to be from Copenhagen up until 2016.

It wasn't until 2007 that a Malaysian beer came along and shouted about being so. Jaz beer! Yeah, I know... who? Brewed by a company called Napex, who at some point in the past managed to persuade the Government to give them the gold dust of a third national brewing licence, Jaz was supposed to be the local lager. Brewed with rice instead of barley and proud of its heritage, sadly, it sucked and didn't gain any traction with the local drinkers. Napex also gave us a second truly local brand. Starker beer, brewed in Johor and sold only in OverTime pubs, was the country's first micro brewery beer. But despite being Malaysian, they sold their German heritage upfront as three different styles of weissbier.

I'll admit, I actually quite liked the Starker beers (the great happy hour prices helped), but it was not to last. In 2012 the OverTime chain closed, the starker and jaz brands disappeared and Napex vanished with rumours following it, taking their brewing licence with them. The government has steadfastly refused to hand out a new licence since. *

So if we were to ever get another Malaysian beer, we had to hope that Heineken or Carlsberg would step up and it was the latter who did, though just as with their Royal Stout, you'd never have known. Connors stout had been around for a number of years as the Carlsberg answer to Heineken's Guinness Draught, though many people just assumed it was an Irish brand given it was draught stout with an Irish clan name (Connor being a none Gaelic form of O'Connor). But during a relaunch in 2015, Carlsberg came clean and happily started telling the world it was a truly Malaysian beer. Created and brewed here. Happy days! But something was still wrong... when you looked at the lovely glass of draught stout you see a whopping great big union flag. (there because Connors is apparently based on an ancient English porter recipe... so, not even Irish).

So where does that leave us? With two beers that can said to be fully Malaysian, but one so embarrassed about things it spent 24 years pretending to be Danish and the other peeking out from behind a British flag. OK, I'm being facetious... these are both lovely beers and Malaysian drinkers should be proud of them.

But finally there is a new player on the scene and it's waving its Malaysian attitude right in your face!

Guinness!

Wait... what? We've been through this... they're Irish. OK... OK. So, yeah, the new Malaysian beer is a foreign brand. But until Heineken or Carlsberg create a new unique brand for Malaysia, this is the closest we'll get. Guinness Bright.

The Guinness HQ in Dublin has it's own Microbrewery called Open Gate who specialise in going through the centuries of brewing notes from past head brewers and seeing if there is anything exciting to experiment with. They've produced a number of interesting beers, none of which have sadly made their way to Malaysia. However, the brewing bods at Open Gate were asked to tinker around to see if they could produce something a bit special for Malaysia, which is one of Guinness's biggest global markets. So working with Heineken Malaysia, they played around with local flavours before finally settling on a new version of Guinness Original, which is the original stout that both draught and Foreign Extra (the two brands known here) were based on back in the day. Not as strong, but just as flavoursome as FES, the team took Guinness Original and added local flavours like ginger and lemongrass and a large wallop of coffee. The results are weird at first but eventually quite impressive.

I'll admit, when I first tried it, I was underwhelmed. At a promotion event it was poured from a half frozen bottle and the aroma and flavours were muted to the point of being barely noticeable. I almost gave up there figuring it was just a marketing gimmick aimed at younger drinkers. Luckily I decided to give it a second chance in the comfort of home.

Guinness Bright is a light 4.5% Irish stout, brewed with extracts of coffee, lemongrass and ginger along with the usual hops and malted barley. It's slighter redder than the Foreign Extra Stout variant, with a small cream coloured head. As with my first taste I must admit the aroma is underwhelming despite the ingredients championed on the can which should be shouting at you before you even take a sip, however, allowing the beer to warm slightly releases the flavours and all three of the added extracts come to the fore on the palate and the finish. It really is quite surprising but nice with it. And despite these additions, it's still a relatively easy drink and amenable for a session.

So there we are. That I know of there are currently three truly Malaysian (and extremely stouty) beers, if ones that owe a debt to Denmark, Ireland and England. But all three are (now, at least) proud of where they come from.

You can read about some other stouts, including Connor's and Royal Stout, here.

2021 EDIT: Sadly Guinness Bright turned out to be a relatively short lived beer that had disappeared off the shelves by early 2019.

*As of 2022, the range of Starker Beers are back on the market, though sold exclusively online in 5 litre mini-kegs for home use. It's still brewed by Napex, who had returned to the scene in 2018 with 2 relatively non-descript beers under the brand, Legend. A mediocre commercial style pilsner and a slightly more interesting dark lager. Their Starker range is much better, however.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

noreply@blogger.com (Anth Hartley) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 07:58:00 +0000

Even though real ales of varying types have been around for centuries, this thing they call "Craft Beer" is still relatively new, appearing in the late 80s in local scenes, but not really taking off as a global force until 10 years ago, give or take.

I tend to view real ales and craft beers as pretty much the same thing now, both championing excellent brews. But for many people when being introduced to the concept of craft beer a few years ago, there's a good chance it was with a Rogue beer.

Rogue have been at the forefront of the Craft Beer scene since 1987 and were one of the brands that helped craft brewers spread globally, taking the big flavours of the west coast scene to the world. Specifically, Rogue are based in Oregon, the state it's difficult to drive around without stumbling across a famous craft brewer. Along with Rogue, Deschutes, Hop Valley and Ninkasi have made it to Malaysia from Oregon, and with dozens of other highly regarded independent brewers in the state there's a good chance they won't be the last to make the journey.

If you don't know where Oregon is, it's on the West coast of the States sandwiched between California to the South and Washington to the North. I could ramble on about all the great bands from the state, but this is supposed to be a beer blog. However, I am an 80s child, so next time you watch Goonies... that's Oregon; a town called Astoria. In fact, in a shot from Mikey's house looking down the hill to the river there is a dock (in the film it's called the Goon docks... hence The Goonies). Today, Rogue have a pub on that dock. *geeky fact fans rejoice*

For much of its existence Rogue's signature beer has been Dead Guy Ale, a beer with a tough reputation. Dead Guy is inspired by German Maibocks and other heavily malted traditional beers from Northern Europe. Typical of the style, it's lightly hopped, but heavy with malty aromas. It has a deep caramel colour and is rich and a little sweet, though not overly thick. It's quite balanced and moreish, similar to many old style malty ales from the UK.

Dead Guy Ale was among the first craft beers to land in Malaysia and is still going strong today. It can be found regularly in bottle and occasionally on tap in the usual places... Taps Bars, Ales and Lagers, Farmers Bar, Great Beer Bar etc...

It's a 6.8% German style, ale. Heavy with toffeeish, malty flavours. A hearty beer. If you like Dead Guy Ale you should also consider Fuller's 1845.

You can read about other Rogue Beers here.