It was a while ago that I discovered a relatively nascent brewery that’s cooking something here in Singapore through the craft beer community.  

Outtamost, from their Instagram, started out from 2017 as a dream. The Outtamost Brewery project took shape, making its first debut Facebook post in 2019.

Interestingly, Outtamost has journaled some of their learning on their Facebook page. If you dig enough, you’ll see some beer WIPs, research, and all the behind-the-scenes trials and tribulations that often do not see the light of day, something that us beer guzzlers shouldn’t take for granted. 

One of the earliest pictures from the Outtamost Facebook page.

As of now, Ottamost still does not have a brick and mortar shop, but a few kegs have been making their rounds in the beer watering holes around Singapore. Just July  of last year, they have launched their first commercial batch. 

“It’s about embracing the trend, or challenging it, or setting it. It’s about getting carried away but yet staying true to the root.” Worthy of a motivational poster for sure. 

The painting in the background is Spring (1911) by Polish-Belarusian landscape painter Henryk Weyssenhoff.

The first Outtamost beer I got acquainted with was the Estes Brot Munich Dunkel, at Locality - the go-to place for drinking Singaporean-made beers (stocking only local produce is their policy).

The ever-famous Millie mural.

A Munich Dunkel is a beer that is a bottom-fermented lager style beer, with the word “dunkel'' meaning “dark” in German. Originating from Munich, which was in then Bavaria, is a traditional style beer that was the most popular during the introduction of Reinheitsgebot (1516). Usually making use of Munich malt, the beer was most common in the countryside, before the golden coloured, lighter style beers became more popular today. This style of beer, for the record, uses lager yeast. 

Here’s what Outtamost has to say about their Erstest Brot Munich Dunkel (erstest brot translates to “first bread” in German):

“Brot is bread in German. This bread is rich, malty, slight crusty with a hint of chocolate.

Pack with wholesome goodness, it is best consumed with Parma ham, salami, peperoni, schweínshaxe (roasted ham hock), smoked brisket, roasted pork belly, sausages and brátwurst.” 

Erstes Brot Munich Dunkel, 6% ABV – Review

Nose: Quite savoury smelling on the nose. It reminds me of marmite toast, but specifically on wholemeal bread. There is a mild sarsaparilla sweetness and fragrance hiding within the aromas when it was first poured out, but dissipated quickly afterward.  

Taste: Pleasantly toasty and deep in flavour, like pumpernickel or rye toast without it being overly roasted in flavour. There is a banana jam sort of fragrance and tropical flavour to it, followed by a marmite like savouriness to it (just a very thin spread, not a spoonful’s worth). 

Finish: The bitter roasty flavours develop more on the finish, though not overbearingly so. As the bitterness tapers off, there is a more toasted nut flavour that comes through - something like almonds and hazelnuts withi that papery, slightly astringent skin. A bit of cola syrup and sarsaparilla comes through as well the more the bitterness dissipates. 

My Thoughts

Rating: What you want in a dunkel, all satisfied. This beer gets you all the delicious roasty notes that you come to expect from a darker beer, without the overbearing charred bitterness or cloying sweetness that may come with iterations of this style. Even amongst those who don’t quite like the darker style of beers, I think it is worth giving this beer a shot. 

Nice stuff! I appreciate how this beer pays homage to the classics.

Rating: 7.5/10 

Cloned Heart West Coast IPA, 7% ABV - Review

The Cloned Heart WCIPA marked a special milestone in the Outtamost journey, being the first commercial batch that launched in July 2023. It has had several batches and made its way to the usual suspects since, with the beer again landing at Locality. 

Nose: Pineapple skins and green pineapple, however a bit subtle. There is a bit of grapefruit peels and juice as well, the bitter-tart aromas you’ll expect from a freshly squeezed fruit. There is some wet grass aromas as well, a bit herbaceous. You definitely pick up the hops here.

Taste: The taste confirms what you’ll get from the nose - fruity, but not necessarily sweet. There’s more delicate, freshly zested citrus like pomelo and grapefruit here, alongside a hint of freshly cut wheatgrass. The bitterness from the hops is quite pronounced here, having a bit of a fiery feel to it.

Finish: A lingering fiery, bittering feel on the palate. It’s quite drying and astringent, while coating your palate with a sense of slipperiness. The burn feels akin to raw green chili, especially when you bite into one of the seeds. As the finish tapers off, there is a powdery, bittersweet flavour like chewing on raw mugwort leaves. 

My Thoughts

Now, first to admit here, I’m no WCIPA fan. However, I do feel that this is quite a strong, classic WCIPA style beer. There is fruitiness, hoppiness, lasting bitterness, all balanced well with one another. It’s a heavy beer no doubt, but honestly, in a hot afternoon bouncing between places, this was refreshing and a good cooler to have. 

Rating: 7/10

That makes two out of three Outtamost beers... we'll be on the lookout for their New England IPA! 

@vernoncelli