Page 80 - MASALA Vol8 Issue4 February-March 2017

Guide To...

CBreaefrtThe Fine Art of
Discover the unique tastes of Craft Beer — an innovative, yet traditional
brew on tap in Bangkok.
By Nandini Sehgal

Craft beer – what is it? Ask 10 people and you’ll get 10 different Trying to define craft beer is a difficult task. Beer, like art, is a
answers. Bangkok is an ever-growing hub of trends, being able personal experience, judged only subjectively. To provide enough
to tackle the world with its never-ending innovative options. From information to hold a conversation with your favourite beer-drinking
crafty cocktails to wonderful wines, there’s never a dull moment hipster, read on to find out exactly what this phenomenon is and
in the drinking scene of the city. For those who enjoy an ice-cold how it’s gaining traction in Bangkok.
beer, more options are now available as the craft beer movement
has arrived in Thailand, bringing with it a number of Bangkok- Craft beer breweries, as defined by the American Brewers Association,
based beer establishments. must be small, independent and traditional. Small literally means the
beer is produced in limited quantities — a maximum of two million
barrels per year. Independent refers to ownership, in which only 25
percent of a brewery can be owned by anyone not identified as a craft
brewer. Finally, traditional means that the majority of the brewery’s
output consists of beers whose flavour derives from traditional or
innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Craft beer is
generally made with traditional ingredients, such as malted barley,
and the hallmark of this alcoholic beverage is innovation, using
historic styles with unique twists.

In order to truly get a sense of the craft beer scene in this city, we
spoke to Mike MacDonald and Pete Spalino, owners of one of the
first craft beer establishments in Bangkok, known as Hair of the
Dog. When Mike arrived in Thailand about 12 years ago, the beer
scene was quite dismal, largely dominated by Singha and foreign
beers were pretty much nonexistent. In 2008, the original House
of Beers (HOBS) came to town and brought with it several Belgian
brands. The manager at the time, Chris Foo, is often cited as starting
the craft beer market in Bangkok. Located next to HOBS, SheBar
took a different approach, stocking all German beers. As HOBS grew,

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