Pair new beers and bites at Beerfest Asia

Try new brews from Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan with torched eggs, schnitzel, ribs and more at Beerfest Asia

Tiger Black beer with yakitori from gourmet catering company Shiso (above left) and German beer Benediktiner Weissbier with a cheeseburger from American restaurant Handlebar (above right) at Beerfest.
Tiger Black beer with yakitori from gourmet catering company Shiso (above) and German beer Benediktiner Weissbier with a cheeseburger from American restaurant Handlebar at Beerfest. PHOTO: BEERFEST ASIA
Tiger Black beer with yakitori from gourmet catering company Shiso (above left) and German beer Benediktiner Weissbier with a cheeseburger from American restaurant Handlebar (above right) at Beerfest.
Tiger Black beer with yakitori from gourmet catering company Shiso and German beer Benediktiner Weissbier with a cheeseburger from American restaurant Handlebar (above) at Beerfest. PHOTO: BEERFEST ASIA

While you knock back bottles of beer at the annual Beerfest Asia this weekend, enjoy, too, the array of booze-friendly food available.

The beer festival, organised by Sphere Exhibits and United Overseas Bank, kicked off yesterday and runs until Sunday at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre. Tickets, priced from $28 for an advance pass, are still available.

Pair your beer with food ($6 to $12 a portion) from first-time vendors such as Easy Eggs by Jar, as well as American restaurant Handlebar and its sister brand Kontiki.

Four-month-old pop-up concept Easy Eggs by Jar specialises in quail eggs, so expect items such as mentaiko quail eggs, which are scrambled egg balls topped with mentaiko sauce and torched; fried wonton quail eggs, or hard-boiled quail eggs wrapped in wonton skin and deep-fried; and cheesy quail eggs - scrambled egg balls topped with cheese and torched.

Easy Eggs' co-owner Jasmine Xie, 29, has tried the mentaiko quail eggs with Thai craft beer Lamzing Sticky Mango Pale Ale and says: "The beer is good for those who like something fruity. The pairing works well and it's not a combination you taste every day."

Dishes from Kontiki include bangers and mash, beef hotdogs and chilli nachos; while Handlebar's menu includes pork ribs, cheeseburgers and hot wings - all of which go perfectly with beer.

Handlebar and Kontiki's owner Jan Pek, 48, says: "It's great for us to come in to pair our food with the beer. Some pairings we have tried include Tiger Beer's new range."

  • BOOK IT / BEERFEST ASIA

  • WHERE: Marina Bay Cruise Centre, 61 Marina Coastal Drive

    WHEN: Today, 6pm to 2am; tomorrow, 3pm to 2am; Sunday, 2 to 10pm

    ADMISSION: From $28 for an advance pass, go to eventregist.com/e/ beerfest2017

    INFO: www.beerfestasia.com

The recently launched Tiger Black, a rich black lager, and Tiger White, a cloudy wheat beer, are available at Beerfest.

Other stalls are set up by the likes of Harry Potter-themed restaurant Platform 1094, which sells Cajun chicken and pork schnitzel; Middle Eastern restaurant Beirut Grill, which offers hummus and chicken shawarma wrap; and Korean fishery K. Fish Korean Seafood, which sells organic seaweed snacks.

Beer lovers can also check out more than 500 beers and ciders, with over 100 of them making their Singapore debut.

New ones to look out for include Bali brewery Stark Craft Beer's Asian collection of six brews - ranging from a 1945 pilsner in commemoration of Indonesia's independence to wheat beers and a lychee beer. Its beer will also be served as ice cream beer floats, in collaboration with local ice cream parlour Creamier.

Other beers debuting at Beerfest come from emerging beer markets in Asia. Hong Kong's Black Kite Brewery launches eight new brews, while North Taiwan Brewing from Taiwan offers three limited-edition beers. Thai brewery Singha showcases three new craft beers as well as its latest lager, U Beer.

Activities include beer yoga, which involves doing yoga poses while drinking beer; live band performances and beer workshops by local and international brewers.

Each workshop is 45 minutes long and can hold up to 50 participants. They are free for passholders, but require registration.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 18, 2017, with the headline Pair new beers and bites at Beerfest Asia. Subscribe