Nothing gathers more excitement than hearing there’s a new brewery in town.

The moment I saw the local beer junkies speaking about Rainforest Brewery’s first beer launch, I knew I had to check it out. 

Source: @rainforestbrewery

As soon as I was able to, I headed down to The Locality, a beer taproom tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city towards the east. To head down to Locality, you have to spot a rather inconspicuous staircase right outside the building, and, well, head down. 

The beer taproom is located at the end of the hallway, with a huge mural of a cat blazed across the wall. Apparently, the cat used to be a resident inside the beer place, but ever since the shift to the new place, the cat had to stay at home.

According to their Facebook page, the cat's name is Millie and is still up to mischief while being at home.

Staying true to their name, the Locality only stocks locally made beers - with a majority of the beers on tap being seasonal and limited editions. Cheers to that!

Before I get too excited and carried away, let's get down to knowing the new player in town.

 Lavender Haze NEIPA 6% ABV – Review

Lavender Haze NEIPA is the debut brew of Rainforest Brewery, helmed by Andy with the support of his wife Christy. The Lavender Haze was the right fit to launch the brewery, as the brew is meant to reflect “journey through the serene and lush rainforest that is bursting with blooms of all vibrant colours, filled with the intoxicating air of a thousand flowers.” 

Source: rainforest.beer

Nose: As the name implied, there really is a faint scent of lavender dancing on the top of the beer. There is still a bigger orange and grapefruit aroma that sometimes eclipses the floral, soapy scent of the lavender, but it can still be caught if you dig deeper. There is a mild oat porridge aroma that comes through as well.

Taste: There is a distinctive floral and citrus sweetness that’s well blended together. The lavender becomes even more pronounced here, where you get that mild bitterness and astringency of chewing on dried lavender flower buds. Together with the lavender floral taste, there is also that navel orange juice flavours and a mild piney flavour. Texturally, the beer is relatively thick, like an orange cordial drink, with just a hint of effervescence. Midway through the taste, there’s a spike of raw oats that come through, a tinge of malty savouriness that comes and quickly goes. Overall, the taste really is a like a mix of lavender tea and orange juice.

Finish: Interestingly, the lavender aromas are even more pronounced here. The sweet, dense fragrance of the lavender develops slowly but with growing intensity, sometimes even becoming soapy at some point. After the floral aromas plateau and eventually taper off, there is a malt syrup finish that is both sweet and savoury left on the palate.

Congratulations on Rainforest Brewery @rainforestbrewery on the debut!

Do check out In The Locality and tell them 88 Bamboo sent you:

Locality Craft Beers @inthelocality

160 Changi Rd, B1-10 HexaCube, Singapore 419728