Craft beer bars seem to be aggressively expanding their foothold in tiny Singapore, with more and more bars popping up across the island. The East side has always been known for its food – and increasingly hipster vibe – so it’s no surprise that you’ll find more craft beer bars popping up on this side of the sunny island.
How do you define a craft beer bar? For starters, they’ve got to have more than a few taps dedicated to beer that’s not just mainstream (ie. Tiger, Heineken, Guinness, etc) but have multiple other varieties and brands. Plus, you’re allowed to actually have a small taster of any beer you want before you commit to a full pint. Also, you can usually get a sampler flight where you’ll get to taste about 3-5 different beers.
Here are some craft beer bars – both old and a lot of new – you can find in the East (for clarification, we’ve defined it as Kallang to Changi). And now with the completion of the new Thomson East Coast (TEL) line, you can easily take the MRT to this area! Closest stations are Tanjong Katong and Marine Parade.
Kallang
American Taproom, 73 Geylang Road
This second outlet of American Taproom is easily walkable from Kallang MRT, and it’s a spiffy location at the corner of Geylang Road boasting indoor and outdoor seats (albeit a bit busy with traffic). It’s got a whopping 40 beers on tap (compared to 32 at its original outlet), with a wide variety beers from porters to sours, fruity beers, and IPAs. They also have a pretty decent lineup of grub, with pizzas, burgers, and salads.
Ziggy Zaggy, Kampung Bugis
Located at the foot of Kallang Riverside Condominium next to Kallang Riverside Park, Ziggy Zaggy is pretty much a hidden (and dog-friendly) space. Its indoor area is an inspired retro space (the bar is made of 3.5″ floppies) and outdoor seats facing the green is where you can play a spot of Cornhole! It has about 15 craft beers on tap, as well as a food menu with pizzas, grills, all-day breakfasts, and the like.
Brewerkz, 920 East Coast Parkway
Founded in 1997, Brewerkz is Singapore’s granddaddy of craft beer brewery, with multiple locations across Singapore. There used to be an outlet at Singapore Indoor Stadium but it’s since moved to East Coast Park. Brewerkz has always been known as a casual place to enjoy a beer. On tap are Brewerkz’ usual beers, from their signatures like Golden Ale to Singapore series, and Islander Brew series with uniquely-flavoured beers.
Geylang
The Tuckshop-Assembly, 403 Guillemard Rd
Tuckshop-Assembly is a riverside bar has outdoor seats that face the river. It specialised in craft beers from Archipelago Brewery, but since the brewery has since shut down, they’re shifting to other brews that aren’t exactly “craft”. Its food menu is small but varied, with items ranging from pizzas to sio bak and pork collar.
Locality Craft Beers, Hexacube
Located in the basement of Hexacube complex next to Geylang Serai Market, the tiny space within Locality has about 10 beers on tap. It specialises in local craft beer from brewers like Specific Gravity, Brewlander, Alive Brewing, Sunbird, District Brewers, and Pink Blossoms. While you can drink on site and have a chat with the owner, you can fill up their 1.9-litre growler for takeaway from just $35.
Pink Blossoms Brewing, 50 Ubi Ave 3
This is a tasting room for local brewery, Pink Blossoms. They have five of their regular brews (from milk stout to NEIPA) on tap, with a selection of rotating interesting brews like smoked saison, gingerbread stout, coffee stout, and many, many more. They don’t serve food, so you can basically bring your own meal there or order your food to get it delivered. Situated on a quiet road, most patrons sit out in the carpark to drink.
UB3 Bistro, 51 Ubi Ave 3
With 12 craft beers on tap, UB3 specialises in Asian beers (with a lot of Singaporean ones) where you’ll get a range of stuff from mead to maibock, lagers to sours. The bistro is a casual space that serves Creole and Cajun inspired food, with a selection of freshly-baked pies. It’s also got a decent selection of rum. Located right across from Pink Blossoms, UB3 has both indoor and outdoor seats, and a friendly vibe.
Joo Chiat
TAP, 191 Joo Chiat Rd
One of the original craft beer joints in Singapore, TAP now has a branch in Joo Chiat. Unlike most other craft beer bars, TAP charges one flat price for all its beers – well, except some of their premium brews which are usually higher in ABV. The food – ranging from hot dogs to pizzas – go great with their beers.
Blue Smoke (The 1925 Brewing Co), 261 Joo Chiat Rd
Also known as Blue Smoke, it bills itself as a contemporary Asian smokehouse with dishes like Indonesian crackers, Thai grilled pork, as well as Teochew-inspired Duck Breast and Kurobuta Pork Belly. The beers are 1925 Brewing’s specialties, with bottled beers and brews on tap – including the popular Lychee Lager and Liang Teh Lager. You can also book yourself a brewery tour and find out more about their brews.
Cider Pit, 328 Joo Chiat Rd
While the name inspires more of a cider menu (they do have the most number of ciders on tap in Singapore), they do have a selection of craft beer available on tap – mostly from British breweries – as well as a bigger range in cans and/or bottles. This casual place is an institution, and a bit older than most other breweries, and it’s got a fish-and-chips kind of vibe.
Picotin, 382 Joo Chiat Rd
Picotin is an outdoor restaurant and bar set in the compound of a colonial bungalow with a casual vibe. It specialises in European fare, and on tap, it specialises in its own Picotin Brewhaus beers with IPA, Lager, Wheat, as well as unique flavours like Green Hulk and Cherry Bury. The location at Katong is way more casual than the one in Fullerton Boathouse, and you can see the tanks of beer outside.
Smokey’s BBQ, 73 Joo Chiat Pl
Another institution in the Joo Chiat area, Smokey’s is a casual outdoor smokehouse that’s known for its ribs and Buffalo wings. It’s also got about a selection of 8-9 easy-drinking craft beers on tap, mostly from the US (like Sweetwater, Rogue, and Heretic).
East Coast Road
In Bad Company, 66E East Coast Rd
Located on the 5th floor of the rather quiet The Flow@East Coast, it can be hard to spot this cozy place. They have various craft beers on tap, from brands and varieties that are rarely found in Singapore. They also have fridges stocked with more unique beers. It serves gourmet food, from small plates like stuffed squid and lotus chips to mains like Wagyu and Lobster Bisque Linguine.
Freebird, Katong Shopping Centre
Located on the basement of Katong Shopping Centre, Freebird boasts 12 taps which features a number of unique beers both local and international. They also have a variety of beers in cans and bottles in their bottle shop a few doors down. Its menu features fusion dishes like Hainanese Chicken pasta, peanut butter chicken, and Sichuan pork dumplings.
Tapout Craft Beers, 103 East Coast Rd
Located along East Coast road, Tapout has 20 taps which rotate frequently, and includes the usual favourites like IPAs, lagers, and sours. They have a healthy selection of local craft beers. The food here consists mainly of burgers and skewers (which are ideal for sharing), and a decent selection of starters (bar grub).
AlibabaR Hawker Bar East Coast , 125 East Coast Rd
This sports bar is unique in that it’s actually a hawker centre (yes, you can even get your kopi and kaya toast here)! Most customers come here for the famous Hokkien Mee. AlibabaR does have a small selection of German/Belgian craft beer on tap and it also retails bottles of other craft beers. If you’re a fan of strong and full-bodied Belgian beers, this is the place to be.
Brotzeit, 126 East Coast Rd
Brotzeit is an institution for German fare and beers, and its East Coast outlet is no different. With huge portions of sausages and pork knuckles on the menu, you can pair them with a selection of German beers on tap (like weiss, lager, dark) and sometimes they have seasonal beers on tap. Additionally, they also have German beers in bottles – including alcohol free ones.
Malthouse
A mainstay in the Siglap area with both indoor and outdoor seating, Malthouse has 14 rotating taps featuring a wide variety of brands from around the world, from South Korea to Scotland, Australia, USA, and more. Depending on when you go, you may also get non-alcoholic craft beer on tap. Malthouse also serves bar bites (like chicken wings), tacos, pizzas, burgers, and more.
The Bullion Hawker Bar, 394 East Coast Rd
Similar to AlibabaR, The Bullion is another kopitiam serving local delights that has a decent bar with a selection of craft beer on tap like London Pride and Tooheys. They’ve also got an interesting range of craft beers in bottles in the fridge.
Changi
Little Island Brewing, 6 Changi Village Rd
Tapping into the laid back seaside vibes with outdoor seats, Little Island is unique in that you tap your own beer – from any of their 30 taps – and that all the beers are brewed on site. You procure their RFID card (either pre-paid or with a credit card holding) and fill your own glass with the beer of your choice. This means you’re charged by the ml instead of an entire pint. They have a huge range of food – mainly grills, pizzas, and burgers – depending on whether it’s lunch or dinner, weekday or weekend.
Want more places to explore? Check out these far-flung restaurants across Singapore you can explore via the Park Connector Network!
