Smith Street Taps (Chinatown Complex)

@youngmasterales doing a collab beer with @smithstreettaps is definitely one of the most unexpected collabs of all time, right up there with Eminem & Dido, and Paul Mccartney, Kanye, Rihanna. And just like the two aforementioned music collabs, this beer collab produced something wonderful.⠀
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The Smith Street Anniversary Beer is an imperial stout that clocks in at 10.5% ABV. It seems to be a trend with Young Master Brewery that their imperial stouts tend to have a thin body. Sure, it’s more suited for guzzling in the harsh climate of Southeast Asia, but the body of the beer isn’t nearly as robust as the flavours & scents. Speaking of which, the usual aromas of roasted coffee, molasses & just a little bit of vanilla were present. What made this beer really special, however, was the extra notes of oak & bourbon.⠀
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Yes indeed, this stout was aged in Rebel Yell bourbon barrels, and it definitely shows. The oak flavours were quite prominent in the background, and the unmistakable malty sweetness of bourbon meshed well with the roasted coffee notes. Truly a beer worthy commemorate an era of tapping up great pints. ⠀
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I remember when I first started paying (alarmingly) regular visits to Smith Street Taps and then drunkenly staggering home after last call, and long may it continue for many more years to come.

@amagerbryghus has been on a crusade to conquer my money for years, and this half pint of tawny port barrel aged Livonian Crusade stout is their latest campaign on my already nearly dead wallet. They’ve allied with @soribrewing from Estonia for this assault, and yes, I can confirm that my wallet has been conquered, and my bank account is in ruins.⠀
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It’s a delightfully smooth stout with pleasantly low carbonation, with all the prerequisite stout elements of roasted coffee & malts, dark chocolate, and caramel. However, due to this imperial stout sitting in tawny port wine barrels for an undisclosed amount of time, it has picked up a few tricks from the former occupant of the barrel.⠀
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The Livonian Crusade is quite light and somewhat vinous for a stout, and there’s a deeply intriguing tart cherry flavour from the tawny port, as well as the expected oakiness from the barrel. It’s rounded out by the sweetness & fruit forwardness of the port wine, and the finish is long, languid and warming.⠀
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With imperial stout this good, it’s no wonder that Amager’s crusade has conquered all in its path.

An imperial stout that’s super chocolatey and easy to drink, albeit a bit thin.

Syrupy but potent. A great pre-festival drink for sure. The menu changes frequently so it’s a fantastic place for discovering new craft beers to pair with hawker food.

Stall name: Chinatown Cooked Food

Manned by two elderly ladies. It sells a small assorted selection of fried Yong Tau foo to go with laksa or fried beehoon or noodles. Go early as the stall sells out very early.

Smith Street Taps is back in action after a 3 month hiatus, and on their opening last Friday, all pints were going for a modest $12 per pop. Also to celebrate, Smith Street Taps had a threesome with Little Creatures Brewing & Freehouse and The Chinatown Hustle Double IPA was born.

At 8.3% abv, it’s a mild DIPA, but it’s shockingly bitter and the hops were absolutely running riot within. The obligatory citrus notes within the DIPA were actually overwhelmed by the hops, which certainly is no mean feat.

The Chinatown Hustle is probably better when paired with some real good zi char or that famous claypot rice, but when drinking solo, I’ll just have one for the road.