The best craft beer bars in Singapore

Local bar American Taproom opens a second outlet along Geylang Road. Need help choosing from some 30 taps that the drinking hole has to offer? Just consult any one of the friendly staff; the bar comes tended by beer servers under the Cicerone Certification Program – perfect for offering tailored recommendations. Cold pints are best quaffed down with comfort food of slow-cooked pork ribs ($32) and beer-battered fish and chips ($18).

Orh Gao Taproom leans into its local heritage by naming the place after the Hokkien moniker for stouts. Aside from the dark brews and other refreshing pints, the food served is a fun play on Singapore classics, including Har Cheong Chicken Wings ($10.90) and calamari served with belacan ($11.90).

This Taiwanese bistro and bar bring together the best of the country’s street snacks with cold pints of beer. Tucked away in Lengkok Bahru, Abundance has already been drawing crowds for its hearty selection of chilli dumplings ($9.90), braised pork belly buns or gua bao($6.90), traditional peanut ice cream roll ($6), and more. Wash it all down with cocktails ($10) Aperol spritz or yuzu highball, or share a toast with a tap list that might feature Heart of Darkness’ Kumquat Pale Ale, a passionfruit wheat from Vietnam-based Pasteur Street Brewing Company, and more. 

Cider-turned-craft-beer distributors The Mad Tapper is responsible for this outlet, which runs the gamut from crisp pilsners to funky Berliner Weisse, and dishes out Asian grub. Find a nook in the room and settle in – it's pretty cosy up here. 

There’s a new taproom along Owen Road that hopes to quench the thirst of craft beer lovers. The Parlour Mirage is an amber-hued shophouse space that features 12 rotating taps (from $13.50) that range from an easy-to-drink Clockwork Tangerine from BrewDog to a sweet strawberry gum stout by Native Series. But this craft beer house hopes to be more than just a watering hole; it wants to champion local talent as well. On the second floor, you’ll find The Parlour Singapore, a creative workshop and music studio.

The Copenhagen-based craft beer brand has set up a permanent home in the buzzy Chinatown Complex Food Centre. What started as a pop-up (following a period of closure) is now the world’s only hawker-based Mikkeller Bar. Available on tap are 10 rotating options, along with a list of bottled variants to guzzle down. From the opening tap list: Do Stuff Together, a hazy New England pale ale bursting with tropical and citrus notes; and the Kaffestout with bold, toasty coffee notes.

It’s a new dawn for Heart of Darkness. The craft beer taproom, hailing from Saigon, has found a new home in the hip neighbourhood of Keong Saik. With the new space comes a bigger area – sample over 25 different craft beers on tap, along with a drinking menu filled with wines and beer cocktails. Feeling hungry? The food menu pulls from its Asian roots to give you Western-fusion plates that are best chased down with a cold pint or two. 

Feeling hot after a hike along the Rail Corridor? Welcome to the new kid on The Rail Mall block that offers craft beer on tap and has a large variety by the bottle. Its tap offerings change every week, keeping things fresh for people who want to try new beers. Pro tip: pop in on Taco Tuesdays for combos starting from just $20. 

Let’s get the basics out of the way: this is a no-frills craft beer bar along Haji Lane that’s dark, dingy, and about the size of a janitor’s storeroom. On typical nights, you’ll have 16 beers on draft with which to acquaint yourself, best paired with elevated zi char bar bites. 

Corrine Chia and Lincoln Goh's other craft beer spot is a watering hole modelled after Mikkeller's Viktoriagade flagship in Copenhagen, and the selection of beer styles here is pretty damn gutsy. Extra points for the knowledgeable servers, too. 

You'll find $10 pints – available all day long – at Tap. This is the craft beer scene’s most visible-in-the-city draft bar and probably one of its most chilled-out yet. The rotating selection always encompasses a range of beers, from fruit lagers to bold-tasting stouts, and more. 

Alchemist Beer Lab is Asia's first infusion beer lab brought to you by the people behind microbrewery-pub Little Island Brewing Co. Be greeted by 16 glistening beer towers filled with a variety of experimental beer infusions like Obama (stout infused with marshmallow, vanilla pods and mint leaves) and Sister Golden (ale infused with grilled pineapple and star anise). 

JiBiru, with its popular flagship Hitachino Nest beers, pulls in a regular 20-something and Japanese expat crowd into an outdoor bar. People-watching with a beer is quite the thing to do here. Pair the bustle with a dominantly Japanese range of beers, which are generally sweeter than their British and American counterparts and make for a suitable thirst-quencher between hopping through malls. The pared-down food menu serves casual izakaya favourites like katsu curry rice and yakitori skewers.