Know the difference between an ale and a lager? A stout and a porter? Or between an IPA and a regular Pale Ale? Whether you’re a beer enthusiast or just starting to dabble into these watering holes, these are a few places for you to check out with your friends:
1. The Great Beer Bar
This is one of the famous craft ale bars that is here since a couple of years back. A sister bar to Publika’s Ales & Lagers (which we will cover below), The Great Beer Bar’s aims to propagate great craft beers and amazing food. The bar also whips up things like Kristang-inspired baked prawns, spicy smoked mango salsay, and more. As a person who has been there personally, whether you’re a lover of craft ales or not, this bar is great if you’re looking for tasty beers and a quiet atmosphere with some really friendly staffs.
Address: 86 Jalan SS 21/62, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
2. Ales & Lagers
To me, this was the beginning of my craft beer journey. It used to be a tiny craft beer bottle shop in Publika that people bought bottles from. There were probably about 3 tables available indoors. Today, they’ve expanded and is now a beer bar filled with tables and barrels after barrels of beers. You can probably see their success flourished with their sister bar, The Great Beer bar, which I’ve just mentioned earlier. You can also count on their staffs to tell you which beers would suit you best, as do their sister bar’s staffs. Currently they have about 40 to 60 types of craft beers and hoped to reach a variety of 100 in the future. If anyone wants to start a passion for craft beers, this is the place to be. Ales & Lagers will always have a special place in my heart.
Address: D5-G4-3, Publika, Solaris Dutamas, No.1 Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
3. Takumi Craft Beer
If you’re more inclined to Japanese wine, beer and whiskey, this is the place to be. You can have your beers to-go or along the bar at Isetan’s Japan Store food market level. Raft beers are offered on draught basis at the bar… in a tasting flight of three kinds!
Address: Isetan The Japan Store, Lower Ground Floor,, Lot 10, 50 Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur.
4. PAUS
Led by a band of Malaysians who hope to offer their fellow drinkers more than just Tiger and Carlsberg, this bar focuses on the works of microbreweries from the Oceania region; Australia and New Zealand. The bar goes beyond the generic IPA and flaunts a casual, laid-back setting.
Address: 42a (1st Floor), Persiaran Zaaba, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 6000 Kuala Lumpur
5. Gold Bar
Looking for a laid-back bar to have some craft beers and wine? This is the place to go. If you’re up for a nibble, go ahead and order their beer siew yok- luscious roast pork with robust malty flavours.
Address: P-01-17 Tropicana Avenue, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
6. Brussels Beer Café
This is probably the bar everyone thinks about when they want to have beers with names which they can’t pronounce. The best part? This bar is available worldwide, serving craft beers from Scotland, Germany, Australia and Belgium. You can also count on their food, such as their Crispy Roasted Pork Knuckles, or if you feel like just nibbling while drinking, their beer food platter is equally amazing.
Here’s their list of outlets & numbers!
7. Taps Beer Bar
The bar is also a little more happening than the rest of the bars stated above. The bar came about when a group of cousins had an idea to open a pure craft beer bar with the widest range of better beers in Malaysia. The bar regularly rotate their beers to provide a diverse range of craft beers. To date, they’ve already served over 800 unique beers!
Address: A-0-3 One Residency, 1 Jalan Nagasari,50200 Kuala Lumpur