Start low, end high.
Opt for lighter, crisper styles first, then move on to darker, more bitter and higher ABV beers. Daniel Goh, owner of The Good Beer Company, agrees: “Go by beer style, roastiness and alcohol content. Start with a lager, witbier or pale ale before tackling the extra stouts, dark ales and barrel aged goods.”
Follow the seasons.
Why go for the labels you can find anywhere in Singapore? Take advantage of the situation. “Ask for seasonal beers that are only available during Beerfest. Also, aim for one beer per stall and share it among your friends,” say Fabio De Souza and Keagan Kang, owners of The Papa Shop. “If you drink too many different beers from one stall, you might find it tough to make it to the rest of the stalls when you feel drunk.”
Pick your battles.
Sorry to break it to you: you’ll never drink all the beers at Beerfest (don’t take that as a challenge) and get any meaningful knowledge out of it. Corrine Chia of The Great Beer Experiment recommends a more curated approach, where you identify the beers or breweries you want to hit up ahead of time. “Is it by taste profile? For example, if you have a preference for sweet brews, look for fruit beers or alcoholic ginger beers,” she says. “Or brand profile—for example, the Mikkeller range of craft beers. Or country profile? Belgian ales? With your palate still fresh upon arrival, seek out these beers first. The program book will point you in the right direction.”
Flirt—and don’t commit too soon.
Exhibitors are fully expecting for you to chat them up, so don’t be shy, particularly if you see cute ones. You can make googly eyes at each other while discussing the finer points of organic hops. But you don’t have to buy a whole drink just to flirt. Be even more shameless (easier when you’ve had a couple) and ask the exhibitors for a little sample before you buy. You have the go-ahead from the man himself. Beerfest director Edward Chia says, “Our exhibitors are very open to attendees [having] a little taste of what they have on offer before attendees make their purchase choice.”
Know what’s more important than beer.
Aaron Grieser of American craft beer exhibitor Beervana has been to Beerfest a couple times now and describes the event as “an outdoor swelter fest that will inspire a thirst no brew can quench. The only thing more important than beer at Beerfest is good ol’ H20. “Pre-hydrate. Re-hydrate. A bottle of aqua per pint will keep you rocking all night,” he says. And of course, dress right. Wear shorts but no open-toed shoes unless you want sticky beer between your toes. “Want bonus points? Sport that t-shirt you picked up when you toured your favorite ultra-cult brewery last year. Nowhere else will you find such adoring fans.”
Now that you’re ready to conquer this booze fiesta, find out what are spanking new brews at this year’s festival.
