Young Master 1842 Island Imperial IPA

As legend has it, Rohit Dugar, the founder of Hong Kong based Young Master, used to visit Taps Beer Bar in KL not long after it had opened and would tell the staff there that one day soon he would return to HK and open his own craft brewery. And then, one day... he did.

If you listen to the good beer drinking people of Hong Kong, up until 2014 they struggled to get good beer. This isn't strictly true, though I can see their point. You could definitely get good beer, you just had to know where to find it... it also depended on your definition of "good beer".

I remember visiting HK in 2013 when I was, frankly, astounded by the range of good beer available compared to Malaysia. As well as a much wider range of commercial lagers and ales, there was also a surprising amount of Belgian and German ales and lagers, British real and traditional ales and even the first forays into Asia of craft beer from some of the older craft brewers. Admittedly, I didn't find an actual craft beer bar when at that stage there were two in KL. (Admittedly, there may have been some in HK somewhere, I wasn't there long enough for a full search.) But on the whole the range and availability of "good" beer was certainly better than KL at the time.

A HK beer menu circa 2013, chock full of great beer!

So while you could definitely get a great beer back then, the "Craft Revolution" hadn't hit as hard as it had in Malaysia... yet. There were no dedicated bars curating craft beers from around the world and there weren't any local brewers making any waves in the craft world either.

But then, in 2013, just as he said he would, Rohit Dugar launched Young Master Brewery and his bar The Ale Project (TAP), a double shot of local beer and a craft bar in one, firing the starting pistol on a beer scene which has gone from strength to strength since. And a lot has changed, with craft bars popping up across the city and numerous independent brewers like Moonzen, Black Kite and Gweilo, among others, pushing the the boundaries of the young scene. Some of this beer has landed on our shores here in Malaysia, reminding us what we're missing thanks to the strict laws stifling brewing in the country.

The success of Young Master can be seen by the fact that I can now stroll down the road to my local store and find their ales on the shelves. An honour normally reserved only for the most famous of craft brewers. Those whose brands are strong enough to handle the otherwise overpowering marketing of the commercial big boys in Malaysia.

So it's a treat that I can walk a matter of yards and grab a Young Master 1842 Imperial IPA. It's worth it too. An easy beer to drink, despite an 8% abv, it has a big floral aroma and a nice citrus hop hit on the first sip. Refreshing and zesty rather than chewy. 

So if you want to try an Asian beer success story, have a look for Young Master in your local store. And although you should find them in a number of the beer bars across Malaysia, their spiritual KL home remains at Taps, in Changkat; where you might still just be able to hear someone whisper on the wind... I told you!

You can read about some of other Double and Imperial IPAs available in Malaysia, here.