Spitfire Amber Kentish Ale English Bitter
Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale is the biggest ale success story of the last decade. Originally brewed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, its characteristically Kentish, hoppy flavour and risque advertising campaign has made it a f
Kagua Rouge Belgian Ale
Kagua Rouge is unlike any beer you've tried before. It's a little like a Flemish red, a little like a Belgian wit and a whole lot of Japanese and Belgian craftsmanship with its yuzu and coriander flavors. It pours with a beautiful ruby body and a head tha
Kagua Blanc Belgian Ale
Imagine a mix between a Belgian wit and a full-bodied Belgian blonde ale, and you've got Kagua Blanc. The first thing you'll notice is the nose and the Japanese yuzu fruit that gives it its beautiful citrus nose. It pours out with a full, creamy head like
Westmalle Dubbel
Westmalle Dubbel is a dark, reddish-brown Trappist beer with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The creamy head has the fragrance of special malt and leaves an attractive lace pattern in the glass. The flavour is rich and complex, herby and fruity wi
Heroes Beer Hangry Donut Hopiscus Wheat
Hangry Donut was born with off the wall levels of goofiness. Over the years of hangrily battling the status quo during prohibition, she developed powers that can bring life to the most boring (aka beerless) objects at the touch of her finger tips. The goo
St Austell Proper Job IPA
Proper Job is an authentic IPA brewed with Cornish spring water and malt made from a blend of malts including Cornish grown Maris Otter barley. A powerfully hopped golden bitter that explodes with citrus grapefruit flavours.
Served chilled Proper Job i
St Austell Tribute Pale Ale
A Supreme Champion Ale of Cornwall as voted by CAMRA*, and the South West's Favourite cask beer**, Tribute is a popular favourite across Cornwall, the South West and the rest of the UK. It is brewed using specially grown Cornish Gold Malt and is a perfect
Estrella Daura Gluten Free Beer
Estrella Damm is the predominant brewery in Catalunya. Daura is the gluten free version of Estrella Damm. This golden lager style beer is crisp and refreshing. It currently holds the title of "best gluten free beer in the world" having won the category th
Estrella Inedit Witbier 750ml’
Inedit means "Never been done before". In cooperation witht the brewmaster of Estrella Damm, Inedit was crafted by the globally acclaimed chef Ferran Andria, Juli Soler and sommeliers Ferran Centelles and David Seijas from ElBulli Restaurant.
A skillfu
Greene King Abbot Ale
Warming, Malty and Fruity. Pale and amber malts contribute to a mouth filling and satisfying 'Horlicks' and biscuity maltiness. Challenger and First Gold give a base note of herbal hop and Fuggle as a late hop contributes the main fragrant fruity and flor
Fuller's London Pride Best Bitter 500ml'
Known and loved for its distinctive, rounded flavour, London Pride is the award-winning beer for which Fuller’s is most famous. In recent years its popularity has grown to the extent that it is now Britain’s leading premium ale: a welcome fixture in many
Fuller's ESB'
ESB was launched into the Fuller's family in 1971, as a winter brew to replace a beer named Old Burton Extra. The potential of the beer was soon realised and ESB was installed as a permanent fixture, creating an immediate impact.
Not only was it one of
Westvleteren 8 Trappist Ale
Trappist Westvleteren 8 brewed by Abdij Sint-Sixtus is a dark beer with an Alcohol ntent of 8,00%. Red-brown colour, clear. Sweet, fruit aroma with a touch of melon.
Style:Belgian Strong Ale
Vol: 330ml
ABV: 8%
Westvleteren 12 Trappist Ale
Trappist Westvleteren 12 brewed by Abdij Sint-Sixtus is a quadrupel beer with an alcohol content of 10,20%. Red-brown colour, clear. Full, creamy aroma. Rich, caramel-like and malt flavour palette.
Bitterness: Medium
Style: Quadrupel
Vol:330ml
ABV:1
Westmalle Tripel
Testmalle Tripel is a clear, golden yellow Trappist beer that undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle (9,5% alcohol). It is a complex beer with a fruity aroma and a nice nuanced hop scent. It is soft and creamy in the mouth, with a bitter touch c
Saison Dupont 750ml
A hazy yellow-colored ale with high carbonation, herbal and spicy aromas and tastes, and perceptible, somewhat quinine-like bitterness. Brewed in the Saison style from Kent Goldings, Styrian Goldings hops and Pilsner malt.Originally titled "Saison Vielle
Saison Dupont 330ml
A hazy yellow-colored ale with high carbonation, herbal and spicy aromas and tastes, and perceptible, somewhat quinine-like bitterness. Brewed in the Saison style from Kent Goldings, Styrian Goldings hops and Pilsner malt.Originally titled "Saison Vielle
Rochefort 8 Trappist Beer
The aroma is more caramel maltiness, as well as some spice and dried fruit. Taste is complex, malt followed by something floral or fruity, a hint of the hops and then a lovely malt/alcohol finish. Incredibly drinkable for a 9% beer.
Style: Belgian Ston
Rochefort 10 Trappist Beer
A very difficult beer to stock, even for us. The smell is similar to the 8, though you’ll pobably notice some alcohol too, and a bit more dried fruit. The taste is a parade: malts, dried fruit, some berries, banana, chocolate, with a clear alcohol presenc
Orval Trappist Beer
Once stored, the beer will continue to ferment slowly in maturiing cellars for three to five weeks at a constant temperature of 15°C. The temperature at which the beer will be enjoyed will depend on this re-fermentation temperature.
The skittle-shaped
La Chouffe Belgian Blonde
LA CHOUFFE is an unfiltered blonde beer, which is re-fermented in the bottle as well as in the keg. It is pleasantly fruity, spiced with coriander, and with a light hop taste.
Style: Belgian Blonde
Bitterness: Low
Vol: 330ml
ABV: 8%
Duvel Belgian Strong Ale
A classic well-hopped beer, fruity and exceptionally aromatic with unique flavour. Well balanced in depth and complexity.
Style: Golden Ale
Vol: 330ml
ABV: 8.5%
Timothy Taylor Landlord Bitter
A Classic Strong Pale Ale, Landlord has won more awards nationally than any other beer: This includes four times as Champion at the Brewers' International Exhibition and four times as CAMRA’s beer of the year.
Refreshingly reliable, nationally renowne
Delirium Tremens
Slightly malty, a nice touch of alcohol, spicy. Feels like the sound shot of alcohol is igniting the mouth. In reality the tongue and palate are warmed. The taste is characterized by its roundness. The aftertaste is strong, long-lasting and dry bitter.
Craft Beer Hong Kong | 手工啤酒 - The Bottle Shop
Craft Beer
At The Bottle Shop, we select our craft beers based on their flavours. When we started our import and distribution service in 2012, craft beers were defined by the volume breweries produced annually. The definition of craft beer has changed over the past two decades, and the term has gotten murkier as smaller breweries are acquired by large beer companies. Craft beer in Hong Kong has come a long way. New world varieties were scarce, and most craft beers in Hong Kong were English bitters and Belgium sweet fruit beers. Nowadays, one can find beers from all over the world.
Our store focuses on award winning beers, both local craft beers, and those imported internationally.
Below are a few types of craft beer that are popular in Hong Kong:
Commercial Beers
Commercial beers certainly have their place in the market. At (rare) times we enjoy a commercial lager as much as the next person. But even within the selection of craft beer in Hong Kong, not all commercial ones are created equal. Some beers can be mistreated during its transportation and storage, and suffer from oxidation, UV light, over-heating, and the list goes on. Some beers have an overwhelming amount of esters that contribute to banana flavours, which isn't really pleasant.
Hoppy Beers
Synonymous with craft beers are Pale Ale, and Indian Pale Ale (or IPA). From these two styles come variations, including Extra Pale Ale (XPA), American Pale Ale (APA), Imperial IPA (IIPA), Double IPA (DIPA), Double Dry-Hopped IPA (DDH IPA), Triple IPA (TIPA), Hazy Pale Ale, Hazy IPA, Milkshake IPA, Black IPA, and the list goes on. What sets them apart are mostly the malt bill (the level and character of sweetness), and the hop bill (the amount and variety of hops). Traditionally, craft beers have higher levels of bitterness because the more hops are in the beers, the more bitterness there is. Recent IPA trend is less bitterness and more hop fruitiness (think Sauvignon Blanc but in beers). Local craft beers in Hong Kong are also hoppy forward, with low bitterness.
Since The Bottle Shop began operation ten plus years ago, the number of local craft beer brands has gone from zero to close to twenty - all thanks to hop forward IPAs.
Sour Beers
Sour beers have been one of the biggest trends in the craft beer Hong Kong movement, especially ones with very big fruit dominant milkshake style sours. Sour craft beers are much like sourdough bread, it's a re-conceptualisation of old techniques popularised by Belgium naturally fermented beers. Contemporary sour beers are deliberately spiked with lactobacillus to lower their pH.
The most popular styles of sour craft beers include Berliner Weisse, Gose, Flanders, Lambics, and Geuze. Many contemporary Gose or Berliner Weisse have loads of fruits added to them, along with other adjuncts like lactose or salt. Sour beers are great for summer sweltering weather for refreshment, but they're also amazing as companions to a meal, or even with vanilla ice-cream.
Dark Beers
Dark beers include Porter, Stout, Brown Ale, and so on. Dark beers are dark because brewers add heavily roasted barley in the brew, imparting roasted barley notes, coffee notes, chocolate, and nutty flavours. Craft beers that are dark doesn't necessarily mean they're bitter. Contemporary dark beers can in fact be sweet. You may have heard of pastry stouts, mud-cake stouts? These craft beers can have weird and wonderful adjunct ingredients, with equally exotic names, like imperial Porter brewed with Toasted Coconut and Maple Syrup, or Blueberry Hazelnut Coffee Cheesecake Stout. I guess you can't say craft beer is boring!!
The craft beer Hong Kong scene has been a dynamic and ever-changing environment. From its anemic beginning, to now an international hub of choices and an incredible array of local craft beers and breweries. Let us know if you can't find a craft beer you're looking for.