SCBW Archipelago Brewery Tour
Singapore Craft Beer Week is back in town from 24 to 31 October 2015, with a wide range of activities lined up such as masterclasses, meet-the-brewers sessions, product launches, workshops, and brewery tours. As a passionate fan of craft beers, I joined the Archipelago Brewery tour led by the head of the brewery, Mr. Malcolm Davies.
For the first part of the tour, Malcolm introduced the various hops being used to brew craft beers, including the popular Nelson Sauvin hops which originates from New Zealand. The hops has an intense fruity aroma, and is a nod towards the Sauvignon blanc grape.
After learning about the different varieties of hops, we took a quick glimpse of the brewery proceeded by the highlight of the tour: Craft Beer Sampling.
There were six different types of craft beers for us to sample, and I went straight for the ones that I have never heard about: Orchid Lager, Coco’s Cream, and Red Thatch Ale.
My favourite drink of the day is Orchid Lager which was made from orchid, lime, and gula melaka (palm sugar). This limited edition beer was specially commissioned for the Singapore Grand Prix, but the pinkish colour of the beer ensured that it stayed relatively unsold to a male-dominated audience. Lucky for us, it meant that we had plenty of great lager to savour.
Coco’s Cream is made from chocolate and cream, and it is one of those beers that you either love it or hate it. It is an acquired taste but it is definitely a interesting beer to check out.
Lastly, I sampled the Red Thatch Ale which is a delicious rich beer that goes extremely well with the vinegar chips kindly sponsored by one of the fellow participants of the tour.
I had so much fun sampling all of the different beers, and making new friends who are passionate fans of craft beers. As an added bonus, everyone got to bring home their own Archipelago Brewery beer glass as a souvenir.
The Archipelago Brewery tour is open to the public and it is free-of-charge. If you are interested for a tour, kindly contact the brewery for details.
In the meantime, check out all of the other great activities lined up for Singapore Craft Beer Week at http://www.singaporecraftbeerweek.com/