Brewerkz Tasting Session

Brewerkz Tasting Session
30 Merchant Road
#01-05 Riverside Point

2 Stadium Walk
#01-06 Singapore Indoor Stadium

1 Tanglin Road
#01-02 Orchard Parade Hotel

Opening Hours:
Sun - Thu: 12pm - 12am,
Fri - Sat: 12pm - 1am


http://www.brewerkz.com/

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session, but I did pay the standard price during subsequent visits.
Attended with representatives from HungryGoWhere, Purple Taste, and The Arctic Star.


Stalwart Brewery With Good Beer, Delicious Food

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Budget about SGD $37 ++ per person.

Established in 1997 by Americans Devin Otto Kimble and Daniel Flores, Brewerkz is Singapore's oldest surviving microbrewery. Known for their award-winning craft beers, hearty American food, and friendly service, Brewerkz has consistently been pulling in the crowds, and doesn't look like they'll be letting up anytime soon!

Brewerkz Signage

Ambience at Brewerkz has a modern industrial feel. You can actually see their beer brewing machinery, under the industrial looking water tower! Colours of blue, grey, and silver, along with wooden furniture, corrugated zinc decked bar tops, and warm, low ambient mood lighting creates a relaxed, casual, intimate atmosphere. Sports memorabilia and retro beer posters adorn the walls. The private booths are perfect for small groups, while the outdoor al-fresco seating along the Singapore River is picturesque at night. Overall, very good ambience!

Brewerkz Exterior

Brewerkz Interior

Service at Brewerkz is friendly and efficient. Although it's sometimes hard to catch their attention, as staff are almost always rushing around, they do attend to requests very quickly. Staff also offer greetings / goodbyes to diners. Waiting time for orders is decent, expect to be served within 15 minutes or so, even during peak periods. The menu has helpful descriptions of each dish, but staff may not always be able to answer questions on the food. Decent service overall.

Brewerkz Indoor Seating

Brewerkz Outdoor Seating

Food at Brewerkz is all about classic American dishes, served in large, hearty portions. Recently though, Brewerkz has also started to hand make more items on premises, such as desserts. Expect heavy Southen influence in dishes, particularly from the state of Texas in the United States Of America. Food is generally full of flavour, accompanied by tasty sauces, generously portioned, and reasonably priced. Budget about SGD $37 per person for a meal with drinks here.

Pool Table

Barrel Art

The 14 Sampler (SGD $49) features all 14 of the Brewerkz craft beers that are available in this season. On this visit, we tried the following:

• 1. Golden Ale: With a low bitterness, floral hop character, and a mild biscuit malt flavour
• 2. Hopback Ale: With a medium hop bitterness and caramel malt flavour
• 3. Wheat Beer: With notes of wheat, fruit, and spices, very lightly hopped
• 4. SG50 Jubilee Lager: Created to commemorate SG50, with a lightly hopped body, and a very mild bitter finish
• 5. Pilsner: With subtle malt flavour, pleasant hop aroma, and a clean finish
• 6. Lemondrop Pale Ale: From the Yakima Valley of Washington comes this new craft beer, with a lemon citrus aroma, and floral, herbal taste notes
• 7. Steam Beer: With a refreshing crisp medium body, taste of malts, and a clean finish
• 8. Irish Red Ale: With a low hop bitterness, taste of nuts, and a smooth, malt flavour
• 9. Black Raspberry Ale: With a fruity raspberry taste that is smooth, has a round finish, and slight malt in the background
• 10. Brown Ale: With a full body, flavours of roasted malt, nuts, caramel, and small hint of hops
• 11. India Pale Ale: With a strong malt and hop character, taste of malt and fruit, and a dry finish
• 12. Oatmeal Stout: With a silky mouth feel from the use of oats, and rich notes of chocolate and coffee
• 13. XIPA: With robust, deep flavours of malt, hops, and alcohol, this 2004 World Beer Cup Gold Medal Winner is a brawnier IPA, hence the name
• 14. Black Pig: With dark and malty taste of roast coffee, bold hops and flavour

14 Sampler

14 Sampler

The 3 Big Pigs Platter (SGD $90) is served with a chunky, slightly creamy White Cheddar Mashed Potato, and features the 3 signature meat items here. The Baby Back Ribs is done East Texas style, with fork tender pork meat that tears off the bone easily, and a sweet, tangy, sticky barbecue sauce glaze that coats the entire rib, making it very succulent and tasty! The Kielbasa Sausages are hearty, meaty, large pork sausages that are grilled perfectly, with a juicy interior and a snappy casing exterior. The Pork Knuckle is oven baked till the skin crisps, and is served over tangy sauerkraut, akin to traditional German styles. However, this was my least favourite of the 3 items, because the Pork Knuckle meat was somewhat dry. Overall, a very good dish worth ordering to share!

3 Big Pigs Platter

Baby Back Ribs

Kielbasa Sausages & White Cheddar Mashed Potato

Pork Knuckle

The Chipotle Pork Belly Satay (SGD $15) features skewers of chipotle spiced marinated pork loin, grilled till so tender (the texture resembles a soft chicken!), and served with a homemade chunky cashew nut sauce, along with fresh cucumber and onion slices. The tender pork is balanced by layers of fat, which lend incredible flavour. Excellent, highly recommended!

Chipotle Pork Belly Satay

The Soba Noodle Salad (SGD $23) is a chef speciality, and features a Japanese twist on the classic European salad. The base is a classic Caesar Salad, with fresh, crunchy romaine lettuce, and juicy cherry tomatoes, but the dressing is Asian, with cold soba noodles, grilled teriyaki chicken slices, and a soy vinaigrette. Garnished with crispy crackers, which lend a crunch to this savoury sweet salad. So addictive I couldn't stop eating it. Highly recommended!

Soba Noodle Salad

The Tasmanian Mussels & Focaccia Bread (SGD $25) feature medium sized mussels, served in a fragrant cream sauce. The mussels are fresh and meaty, but I really liked the warm, aromatic bread, which was soft and perfect for dipping in the cream sauce! Overall, rather decent dish.

Tasmanian Mussels

Focaccia Bread

The signature Buffalo Wings (SGD $18) are coated in a tangy, sweet, spicy sauce, which is so satisfiyingly messy to eat! The chicken meat is tender and juicy, and the plump wings have a good amount of meat on them. Good, worth ordering!

Buffalo Wings

The Satay Seafood Angel Hair Pasta (SGD $25) was created to celebrate Singapore's Golden Jubilee year / SG50. The reimagined Satay Bee Hoon features tender red snapper fish, and chewy soda cuttlefish, doused in a savoury, sweet, crunchy homemade cashew nut gravy. Complimented by the bouncy al-dente angel hair pasta, this dish hits all the right notes of flavour and texture. Well thought out, well executed, completely delicious. Easily our favourite dish of the evening, highly recommended!

Satay Seafood Angel Hair Pasta

The Cowboy Burger Set (SGD $24) is a classic American burger, with a thick, hand formed, 220g New Zealand Black Angus beef patty, flame grilled to perfection, juicy, savoury, yet tender beef meat. Topped with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and sandwiched between soft, fluffy brioche burger buns. Served with crisp, tasty Sweet Potato Fries, and a homemade barbecue / BBQ sauce on the side. Very good burger, satisfiying comfort food!

Cowboy Burger Set

Sweet Potato Fries

Cowboy Burger

The Wagyu Burger Set (SGD $28) has a thick, hand formed, 220g wagyu beef patty, topped with sweet caramelised onions and American cheese, sandwiched between soft, fluffy brioche burger buns. However, this was a classic example of "higher quality does not equal better tasting", as it was less tasty, and overall less flavourful than the Cowboy Burger. Decent enough on its own, but if you can only order 1 burger, I recommend getting the Cowboy Burger instead.

Wagyu Burger Set

Wagyu Burger

The Warm Brownie (SGD $14) as its name suggests, features a thick slab of warm, comforting chocolate brownie, rich and deep in flavour. Topped with a creamy vanilla ice cream, sticky hot fudge chocolate sauce, and garnished with a crunchy, sweet chunk of honeycomb. Loved the moist texture of the brownie, complimented by the sweet chocolate flavour, and the coolness of the vanilla ice cream. Excellent!

Warm Brownie

The Chocolate Fudge Cake (SGD $14) was baked by auntie. Yes, they hired an auntie to bake all their cakes in-house. And she refuses to reveal her secret recipes, even to the staff here. Auntie comes in early in the day, then bakes non-stop till around 4pm when she get tired. And the high quality, love and care shows; the Chocolate Fudge Cake is rich, deep, luxurious, and full of chocolate flavour, with a moist, soft, fluffy texture. Easily among the best chocolate cakes I've eaten, highly recommended!

Chocolate Fudge Cake

The Oreo Ice Cream Cake (SGD $14) was good, with a nice Oreo cookies & cream ice cream slab, topped with a layer of chocolate which helps it hold its shape. Personally, this was my least favourite of the desserts we tried, as it was difficult to cut through the hard, thick slab of ice cream. Plus, it seems rather... normal.

Oreo Ice Cream Cake

Overall, Brewerkz has remained strong in the arena of craft beers, but they've markedly improved on their classic American food, with more artisinal items now. With dishes that are bold on flavour, and chefs that aren't afraid to experiment, Brewerkz looks set to continue drawing in the crowds with their delicious food, friendly service, fantastic ambience, and creative beers.


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Update Oct-2016: Have been visiting Brewerkz occasionally, but I'm glad to say that each visit is consistently good in their ambience, service, and food. The menu receives regular updates and dishes change out. Along with their seasonal beer list, this provides good incentive for return visits, as there's always something new.

The Beer Oktoberfest (SGD $12 / $16) is a seasonal beer, naturally available in the month of October as it's name suggests. It has a light amber colour, with a smooth body that has almost no bitterness. Tastes of malt, nuts, orange, and grains, with a clean finish.

Beer Oktoberfest (SGD $12 / $16)

Absolutely loved the Beer Beef Chili Bowl (SGD $22). A hearty portion of slow stewed beef chili, made with a mix of minced beef, kidney beans, onions, carrots, garlic, cumin, tomatoes, beer, and chili, is garnished with cheese and served with a bowl of crisp tortilla chips. At once chunky and chewy in texture, with a bold savoury salty sweet flavour that is nicely balanced. Delicious, and I like that the tortilla chips hold their shape even after being dipped in. Highly recommended!

Beer Beef Chili Bowl (SGD $22)

Beer Beef Chili Bowl

Beer Beef Chili Bowl

The Merlion Pizza (SGD $24) is essentially a seafood pizza. While I like the generous toppings of squid rings, deshelled mussels, and fresh shrimp / prawns, I felt the doughy pizza crust was too thick for my liking. Incredibly filling too.

Merlion Pizza (SGD $24)

Merlion Pizza

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