Coronavirus: Singapore craft breweries band together for #SGCraftTogether beer variety packs

Craft beer brewers on a Zoom call. Fifteen home-grown breweries have come together to sell an assortment pack of local beers. PHOTO: SG CRAFT TOGETHER

SINGAPORE - For the first time, Singapore's small but spirited craft beer scene is coming together to offer customers an assortment pack of local beers to tide them over this circuit breaker period.

You can now sample a range of home-grown beers with six- or 12-packs put together by #SGCraftTogether, a collective effort by 15 home-grown breweries.

For the first release, available from Friday (May 8), there are beers from 11 breweries, including established names like Brewerkz, Archipelago Brewery and Brewlander, as well as up-and-coming breweries like Wild Brew, Alive Brewing and Off Day Beer Company.

A six pack of assorted beers is priced at $39, while a 12-pack is priced at $78. They can be ordered from the websites of any of the participating breweries. Delivery charges apply.

While the current line-up features mostly lagers, ales and IPAs (India pale ale), more beer styles will be introduced to the range in future.

Other breweries set to come on board include The 1925 Brewing Co, Rye & Pint Singapore and Crust Brewing.

The initial idea of a beer swop and sharing resources was raised by LeVel33 craft brewery's resident brew master Gabriel Garcia. It gained traction in early April as more players came on board.

With almost 30 local craft beer brands available in Singapore, Mr John Wei, 37, founder and head brewer at Brewlander, feels that this initiative "helps us as a local community to generate some noise and spread awareness of the many tasty local craft beers as alternatives to the macro lagers that most consumers are only familiar with".

Brewlander, whose beers are currently contract brewed in Cambodia, is featuring its popular Love Wild IPA in the line-up.

Once their brewery is up and running by the end of the year, they will be making beers locally at a facility in Tuas.

Fifteen home-grown breweries have come together to sell an assortment pack of local beers. PHOTO: SG CRAFT TOGETHER

Meanwhile, new player Wild Brew, who entered the scene in March just as the Covid-19 pandemic was spreading, is showcasing its first beer called Creature of Habit - an American-style malty, heavily-hopped pale ale.

Founded by conservation scientist, Charles Bennett, 30, and tech entrepreneur Chris Toh, 31, the beers are contract brewed at RedDot BrewHouse in Dempsey.

"We feel privileged and honoured to be included in this collective, alongside both the well-established breweries and new guys... it's very inclusive, and it's what craft beer should be about," says Mr Bennett.

Mr Wei adds: "As a brewing fraternity, we have had multiple conversations before about collaborating together, and I believe this could be a start towards forging closer ties for #SGCraftTogether."

Participating breweries include:

-Alive Brewing

-Archipelago Brewery

-Brewerkz

-Brewlander

-LeVeL33

-Lion Brewery Co

-Off Day Beer Company

-Paulaner Brahaus Singapore

-RedDot BrewHouse

-Sunbird Brewing Co

-Wild Brew

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