The craft beer scene is booming in Hong Kong and it’s always good to sample the local brews when you travel abroad. I really wish I had more time to go on a proper brewery tour there, since I read that there are many amazing local breweries that have popped up all over the city from Kwai Chung to Kennedy Town.
But with just a couple of days in the overwhelmingly large city and lots of things on my itinerary of things to do, I only managed to squeeze in a short visit to one shop for some take home souvenirs. Before my trip, I actually plotted out various craft beer spots which I planned to check out on Googlemaps if I had the time, but they were a bit far from other places I had to visit. I didn’t realize how easy it is to get lost just walking around in Hong Kong.
While hunting for street art around the Old Central area on my first night, my exhausted feet brought me to HK Brewcraft. I was originally hoping it was a bar because I badly needed a beer, but it’s apparently a homebrewing supplies store hidden on the 4th floor of a building on Cochrane Street. Even better, since I just ended up buying beers and drinking a few back in my hotel.
A tiny elevator led me directly to a door plastered with posters of local craft breweries. The shop was a hidden gem as it sells 350+ craft beers including local Hong Kong brands Moonzen Brewery, Yardley Brothers, Gweilo Beer, Yong Masters and more.
Craft beer can be pretty pricey, and even normal drinks in Hong Kong are already pretty expensive, but most craft beer enthusiasts will be willing to pay more for good beer no matter where they are. For those who like to brew their own beer, the cozy homebrew store and bottle shop also sells high-quality home-brewing ingredients and equipment you need, and they also offer home-brewing workshops for novice brewers.
Hey, I didn’t shop for clothes, gadgets or anything else during my Hong Kong trip. This is my idea of souvenir-shopping. There are a lot of resources here for craft beer geeks, from books, glassware and homebrewing supplies and equipment. The store has a great international selection from top breweries such as Mikkeller, Brewdog, 8 Wired, Stillwater, and Evil Twin.
However, I decided to limit my purchases to just a few bottles and cans of mostly Hong Kong brews for a local flavor (and that I could physically carry). The posters and design of all the beer labels alone made me want to buy everything in the store.
I’m not that familiar with the local brews, so I just based my purchases on the design of the cans and bottles and what sounded cool. I ended up getting a bottle of Lamma Island IPA (6.1%) by Yardley Brothers Brewing and cans of Galactic Hops by Young Master, Si L Dan IPA by Heroes Beer Co. and IPA by Gweilo (which interestingly means “White devil,” a common Cantonese slang term for Westerners).
From the international selection, I got Cerberus (ABV 7.5) by Brasserie de L’etre from France (just because of the cool artwork) and a can of Punk in Drublic Hoppy Lager (5.8%) by Stone Brewing & NOFX made in the U.S. I’ve yet to drink some of these, but will be posting reviews on my beer-centric Instagram account Beer Up.
I admit it was tough walking back to the train station carrying a whole bunch of bottles and cans of beer in a backpack, but it was worth it. If you’re looking for a place to buy craft beer for takeout in the Old Central area, HK Brewcraft is worth a stop!
Not a beer drinker? This October 2018, Hong Kong will be celebrating the 10th CCB (Asia) Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival at the Central Harbourfront with world-class food, drinks and entertainment right next to the stunning Victoria Harbour skyline. Aside from wine-pairing meals designed by master chefs and tasting classes by industry experts, there are well over 430 booths featuring everything from single malts to single-origin coffee to keep your palate refreshed. For event details, visit: Discover Hong Kong’s page.
NOTE: This trip was made possible by search engine WeGo and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). For travel bookings, visit: www.wego.com.ph
LOCATION:
HK Brewcraft. 4/F 15 Cochrane Street, Central, Hong Kong.
There’s a lot more craft beer to sample around Hong Kong. If you have more time, I recommend the following very useful guides: