The best craft beer bars in Hong Kong

A cosy neighbourhood joint perfect for Kennedy Town, Alvy’s serves up great pizza and great drinks in equal measure. If you’re looking for the former, try some of the locally inspired pizzas, made with such ingredients as char siu and mala. The drinks menu is impressive, too, with a large selection of Young Master craft beers and rarer imported brews. Alvy’s often hosts tap takeovers and beer events in collaboration with international breweries, so it pays to check its Facebook page frequently.

This Staunton Street hotspot is one of the best places in Central to get a beer during the day, thanks to its indoor-outdoor arrangement. The patio is a popular spot for those who wish to see and be seen, but the best perches are inside, either at the bar or beside the window, where you can see without being seen. Whatever your taste in seating, you’ll want to get a draft beer – a mix of local names like Heroes and Young Master and foreign breweries like Garage Project – and settle in for a couple of hours. During happy hour, the price for a pint drops to as low as $50, too.

This beautifully decorated craft beer bar often draws crowds that spill out onto Cat Street, and for good reason. Blue Supreme specialises in funky, sour, spontaneously fermented Belgian-style beers you won’t find anywhere else in Hong Kong. The menu is packed with everything from Berliner weisse and fruited ales to farmhouse ales, most of which are procured from up-and-coming European breweries like Alvinne and Fantôme as well as stalwarts like Hill Farmstead and Cantillon. Live beers not your thing? The bar serves beers from local breweries that are a little more accessible. The food is no afterthought, either.

This bar-slash-bottle shop in residential Poho is a real winner. Scan the shelves for the beer that sounds best to you, and the team will pull the frosty cold bottle or can out of the fridge for you. IPAs, stouts, sours, wheat beers, ciders, alcoholic ginger beers – everything you could ever want is represented here, and the selection is always expanding with new imports and local releases. There are also six beers on tap from local breweries like Yardley Brothers and Young Master. 

This humble fourth-floor bottle shop in Central is often championed as the catalyst for Hong Kong’s craft beer movement. When it opened in 2013, it gave aspiring homebrewers access to over 80 brewing ingredients and loads of equipment. Today, it hosts weekly workshops, tasting sessions and more. Prefer to enjoy great beer rather than brew it? The bottle shop has you covered. HK Brewcraft sells tons of beer from world-class international breweries (Mikkeller, Hop Nation, Omnipollo) as well as local stalwarts. 

This unpretentious establishment on Johnston serves an especially good range of locally brewed beers. On top of the major players (Gweilo, Young Master, Carbon Brews), you’ll find fresh pours from underrepresented breweries, like Citi Brew and The Brew Commons. There are even some locally made ciders on the menu from Hong Kong Whistle and Neonotic. The bar owner really knows his stuff and can steer you in the right direction if you need some assistance, too. 

This small spot in TST has been flying the flag for Hong Kong craft beer for years. The owners don’t seem too interested in packing out their bar – the choice of a fairly unassuming spot appears to be deliberate – but the relaxed atmosphere enables the knowledgeable staff to freely chat with customers about anything beer-related. Thoroughly unpretentious, this is a great starting point for anyone wishing to get acquainted with Hong Kong’s growing selection of craft beers – Yardley Brothers, Black Kite, Kowloon Bay Brewery and more.

This bar and restaurant near the ferry pier in Yung Shue Wan is a Lamma Island favourite, loved for its well-executed pub grub – burgers, ribs, wraps and more – and fresh pours of homegrown Yardley Brothers beer. You can also visit the Yardley Brothers beer shack just up the road to fuel up on your way to the beach.

Born out of a former crocodile farm in Fremantle, Australia, Little Creatures is a craft microbrewery that’s been churning out some incredible hoppy beers over the past 16 years. Its first foray into Hong Kong has attracted some serious hype, thanks to its spacious Kennedy Town microbrewery. Behind the bar stand the brew kettles, churning out a selection of beers made just for the local market. You can also get some of the brand’s other beers on draft and in bottles. There are regular events to keep you coming back, including a pretty nice Taco Tuesday deal (two hours of unlimited beer and tacos for $250).

Set right on the waterfront, this independent, al fresco bar-restaurant always draws a crowd. That stems largely from its laid-back, beachy vibe, even if the Sai Kung strip isn’t exactly what you would call a beach. Settle in with a local craft beer in hand (Lion Rock, Gweilo, Yardley Brothers, Young Master and more are on draft) and chill out all night to the sound of house music and the pretend sound of waves you’re imagining.