Here’s the thing about craft beer lovers. They’re a breed of young, hip and devastatingly confident individuals. Walk into the craft beer festival and you’ll be struck by the collective aura of coolness emanating from the patrons wearing bright tropical print shirts. Many’ve got that rugged, outdoorsy vibe going on and tattoos on their forearms. All of them dancing to party music in the background. It’s like you’ve stumbled onto Tanjong Beach Club, except instead of thumping bass, everyone’s sipping on hoppy IPAs and discussing the latest trends in artisanal brewing.

Compare this to most wine clubs or liquor stores. You’ll find a bunch of stuffy intellectuals who read law and played lacrosse in the UK, debating about the subtle nuances of oak tannins, peat smoke or the best vintages of Bordeaux reds. Okay, I’m just kidding of course (I consider myself a whisky nerd)!

My point is that craft beer lovers absolutely know how to have a good time, and they’re always the life of the party. And when you bring them all together in the largest local craft beer event, you get a riot of colour, music, flavour and beautiful people.

Over a hundred different beers and a dozen Singaporean craft breweries were represented at the first ever Urban Beer Festival held this month. Needless to say, it attracted beer lovers from all over the island to come together, get a little raucous and not worry about growing a beer belly today.

It was Day 2 of Urban Beer Fest and after burning half my Saturday working in the office (what’s new?), I arrived at the festival venue in the afternoon with my companion. We looked to a breezy open courtyard space at Tanjong Pagar and saw a line of people streaming into the entrance of the festival space. We made our way through the throngs of people. The atmosphere was electric, with the buzz of conversation, laughter and hoppy aromas filling the air. We couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement building.

To kick off our journey, every festival attendee is handed a free half-pint of the festival collaboration beer called the Mash-Up Mixed Tape. This is a rice cream ale co-created by brewers from 13 Singaporean craft breweries, using barley, flaked rice and hops from New Mexico (where they filmed Breaking Bad), fermented with Kveik Viking beer yeast – known for its quick fermentation times and creating bright tropical fruit notes.

Festival Collaboration Brew: Mash-Up Mixed Tape Rice Cream Ale, 5% ABV

We both sipped the creamy festival brew and were left with milk moustaches. This has very heady passionfruit and pineapple aromas on the nose, and a creamy and velvety mouthfeel that is somewhere between a pale lager and an unfiltered hazy IPA. In the mouth, lots of lemon peels, mild maltiness and a finish of slightly briny coconut water. More tangy, effervescent notes that sort of zap your tongue. Very bright and approachable but nonetheless memorable too – something that surely captures the spirit of the festival!

I explored the festival space as I digested the first brew. I started my journey in front of the bright neon sign of Brewlander.

Brewlander Frost Nip Cold IPA, 6.3% ABV

I elected for half a pint of Brewlander’s “Frost Nip” Cold IPA – a style of IPA fermented at a lower temperature than usual, to create a bold-flavoured and hoppy IPA with a clean and crisp flavour profile. I had heard of this style of IPA before, but had never actually tried one – but the first sip was a revelation. I’ve decided this is by far my favourite Brewlander beer ahead of my former favourite the Courage Double IPA because it toes the Goldilocks line between bold flavour and still being very well-balanced. Indeed, like many IPAs the aromas are incredibly bold and piney with lots of sweet citrus notes. In the mouth, also very punchy with a distinct note of yuzu sweetness, orange peels, a very light and clean dryness, but counter-balanced by crisp notes of sweet barley. Flavourful, bright and refreshing!

Sunbird “City Of Gold” Hazy Copper India Pale Lager, 5% ABV

I moved on to Sunbird Brewing’s multiple-award-winning Hazy Copper India Pale Lager, “City of Gold”. This one’s another standout at the festival.

I describe this as a fruit tart in a can.

The nose is sweet and aromatic with rich maltiness, citrus, mangoes and apricots and only a hint of hoppiness. The palate is a fantastic cocktail of jammy stone fruits and maltiness – apricots, caramel, honey, toasted graham crackers and cereal. Incredibly rich brew with little to no bitterness and a very clean profile. Some citrus and grapefruit shows up on the back.

The passionate head brewer and founder of Sunbird was present at the booth, earnestly recommending me a beer he hoped would be to my liking. Clive, you certainly didn’t disappoint!

Specific Gravity Classic IPA, 5.8% ABV

Next up, I had Specific Gravity's Classic IPA. This one is a classic done right, with a strong hoppy flavour, balanced by moderate citrus notes, a malty sweetness and a very slight briny coconut water finish.

Frenchie Wine Bar Charcuterie, 0% ABV

As I shared beers with my companion, we decided to pair them with a mini charcuterie board from Frenchie Wine Bar. This perfectly complemented the bold and complex flavours of the hoppy IPA. The combination of the salty, savoury meats and the bright, piney taste of the cool IPA was simply divine!

That Singapore Beer Project “Double Luck” Double IPA, 7.5% ABV

As the afternoon wore on and I indulged in more and more beers, I found myself becoming increasingly tipsy and carefree. I found myself standing by the counter of Off Day Beer Company’s tap. I elected to have the boldest beer available there – the “Double Luck” Double IPA from That Singapore Beer Project’s label.

This has a very piney, very aromatic aroma, with fresh and bright grapefruit notes and a thick malty character. In the mouth, this is deliciously potent! You get a robust wave of sweet grapefruit along with the fresh hoppy bitterness that reminds me of grapefruit pith (i.e. the white, spongy membrane that holds the citrus pulp together). There’re also a warm and bready toasted ciabatta notes fading into the distance. Just the sensory overload I needed.

I struck up a conversation with several other craft beer enthusiasts at Off Day Brewing’s booth, shared stories and asked for recommendations for other beers to try. One of whom was a senior VP of a local company but spoke to me like I was his age –like many other craft beer folks, he’s very young at heart and looks the part.

1925 Cacao Stout, 6% ABV

Sensing that I would soon hit my limit, I decided to wrap up the session with a dessert stout from 1925 Brewing Co. This was a delight for the senses, with mildly sweet aroma of hops and black malt. In the mouth, it is velvety smooth with deep notes of malt, espresso, black forest sponge cake, cacao powder and even a slight caramel-umami note of Brand’s Chicken Essence.

I thought I was late to the party, but it was only just getting started. Urban Beer Fest is raucous with the sounds of music, laughter, conversation and a hoppy buzz in the air, blended together to make a lively weekend afternoon. The atmosphere was electric, with a palpable sense of excitement and adventure in the air. I felt like I had made some new friends from the local craft beer scene. And I certainly hope to see everyone together again very soon!

@CharsiuCharlie