We are all looking for maximum joy, and Singapore’s Lion Brewery Co delivers. Zachariah Buy, Event Sales Manager welcomed our small group to a tour of the Brewery that included six drinks and six paired appetizers to enjoy. Like me, you will have to wait until the end for maximum joy.
Coming in from Club Street one goes down a few steps to enter a space that is divided into many different sections. Once we’ve said our hellos at a table near the big windows Head Brewer, Benjamin Tan leads us to a section in the back where the glimmering silver kettles and vats and crusher are located.
Benjamin makes ales and lagers and specialty beers on his quest to create the ultimate sessionable beer. A beer that is light, refreshing and easy to drink. It takes three to four days to make ales while it is a week for lagers.
Asked about the water, Ben stated that Singapore water, directly from the line, is neutral and good for making beer. While most of Lion Brewery’s beer is sold on the premises they do work with other breweries and sell selected beer from others.
Not only do they collaborate with other breweries they also listen to their customers. “When we are deciding on what beers to keep and add we listen to customer feedback. When we do a specific style, we put it on Friday.” Using botanicals that they add to the process they can make many types of beer. Lion Brewery makes 4000 litres a month.
The door to the secret room.
The very popular Spindle Press Cider and Pork Belly Bites.
After enjoying the cool of the room where the brew is kegged, Zach showed us the secret backroom that you enter through a door that looks like a beer vending machine. Stepping inside is a small room that can hold 35 – 40 people for whatever type of event they would like. “It is like a Speak Easy, where you step inside to a place that few people know about.”
We returned to the bar, which many people know about, and delved into the brews and food pairings that began with Island Lager and Scotch Egg. Like every duo we were to try, it was excellent. Island Lager is a thirst-quenching beer made for every occasion. Clean, crisp and dry-hopped with Hallertau Blanc for a light elderflower aroma, it's a smooth drinking, highly sinkable lager.
Next up was a refreshing clear drop that's perfect for a hot day. And it was a hot day. The Spindle Press Cider is made from bittersweet apples for a bright orchard aroma and flavour, eGervescent body, and a smooth, medium-sweet finish. Dipping the pork belly into the apple sauce accentuates the apple profile of the cider even further. This combo was very popular with our group.
The Straits Pale Ale is a crisp, refreshing beer brewed for the hot equatorial climate. Single, dry-hopped Citra gives notes of passionfruit, citrus and lychee. Well-balanced with dry golden tones and a crisp, clean finish. An exceptionally sessionable beer. The dry and fruity tones of this pale ale pair well with seafood. The soft-shell prawns, dipped into the Vietnamese sauce radiated flavours.
Mosaic, daughter of Simcoe and Nugget is a beautifully blended hop that changed beer for the better. This single-hopped IPA champions notes of mango and citrus, as well as Mosaic's signature infusion of berry-medley aromas. Lion Brewery’s The Boss melds all this into a finely balanced beer, packed with flavours that linger on the palate. Paired with a beef slider their rich flavours balance each other, meaning that each bite after a sip of The Boss, tastes like the very first.
Ong Lai was paired with Spicey Pork Skewer. Infused with 40kg of juicy pineapple, this playful take on the tasty and ever-popular CNY treat is bursting with pineapple tart sweetness layered on a soft biscuit-malt body, leading to a sharp, slightly dry finish.
Now we get to Maximum Joy. Beeramisu – Lion Breweries name for tiramisu and their take on it is a bit different. The Cold Smoke Nitro Stout was originally brewed to commemorate Earth Day, such was its popularity it was brought into the core range. With its roasted malt aromas and low hop bitterness, this is universally acclaimed as a delicious, easy-going beer. To gain Maximum Pleasure Zach suggests: “we strongly suggest you drink ¾ of your glass first, savoring the creamy coffee and chocolate flavors, then pour the remainder over the Beeramisu and enjoy.”
I took a sip of Nitro Stout, excellent, then poured a portion into the Beeramisu. It was excellent! Both are good on their own – mixed together they are heavenly! Really worth a trip to Club Street, that has been home to Clubs since the early days of the city.
The Beer and Food Pairing menu cost $70++ and is not inclusive of the Brewery Tour.
The package with Brewery Tour is $98++, which includes the following:
- 45-minute Brewery Tour & Beer Tasting
- 15-minute Question and Answer session
- 6-course Beer and Food pairing — $70++ stand-alone
- Lion Brewery Co Merchandise (1 lion pint glass)
It took me awhile to believe they actually did Pressure Hour, which is Thursdays 6:00pm - 7:00pm and Saturdays 5:00pm – 6:00pm. Free beer is given to everyone in the pub and they can keep going for the entire hour or when one person leaves. Sometimes they have to leave to go to the washroom, or have a smoke or they just can’t take it. And then the free flow of beer ends. That person may need security from then on in.
Lion Brewery Co
W: lionbreweryco.com
@lionbreweryco
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