I think it’s any booze nerd’s innate desire to support their local craft - something about cheering on the home team just feels good and right. However, talking the talk's easy - who’s walking the walk?

Locality is run by the owner Dennis, a local beer evangelist who runs only Singaporean brewery beers on his taps. Earlier in 2023, Locality has shifted to its current venue, nestled in a sleepy estate at the east of Singapore. 

Locality is about a 10 minute walk away from Eunos station. Source: Wikipedia

You might have caught us reviewing a few pints here at the Locality (the big cat mural, anyone?). Just recently, we just happened to be near the area and were thirsting for a few pints, hence we headed down to guzzle on the homemade stuff.

Dennis, the man behind the taps at Locality.

Locality is located in Hexcube, Singapore. On the outside, you’ll see pubs and restaurants going about their day. There isn’t an obvious entrance to the building itself, until you see a rather ominous looking staircase down into the basement.

After walking down the stairs and walking past the automatic glass doors, walk all the way straight down the corridor. 

The big feature of Locality is the huge cat mural drawn across the left wall (from the glass door). Dennis shared that the cat is Millie - who used to lounge around Locality’s previous space.

Millie, taken from In The Locality's Facebook page.

Now, due to certain regulations, the cat is chilling out at home instead of at the beer joint. Our feline friend has to be replaced with murals and trinkets for now. 

I think Dennis loves cats. 

It was a rather lively afternoon for Locality that day - the front bar counter was lined with regulars. At the counter, you’ll see the beers on display at the TV screen - 10 locally brewed stuff to choose from. All of the taps are constantly rotated out with fresh brews from the local breweries - so expect the menu with every visit.

For a craft beer taproom that taps only local stuff, it suffices to say that Dennis is very in-tune with the local brewing community. Be it new drops, limited releases, or a brewery’s debut beer, Dennis seems to always be able to get his hands on a keg. Last time, when Rainforest Brewery debuted with their Lavender Haze NEIPA, we came down here to give it a review.

You can read our review of the Lavender Haze IPA here.

We decided to go for a few rounds - as Mark from Niang Brewing was also present there, we picked up a pint of their rice lager OnlyFun (review here), as well as their Spirited Lands Kveik hazy IPA. Review on that coming soon! 

The Spirited Lands Kveik Hazy Pale Ale from Niang Brewery, this time with the bar top POV.

To end off our visit, we opted for a half pint of Love Potion #9 from Brewlander, a bandung (rose syrup) sour beer (review here). 

Can we also mention how the mural of Millie makes such a good backdrop for our beer reviews? 

In all honesty, I deeply appreciate Locality’s contribution to the Singaporean craft beer story. Despite being nestled in quite frankly a rather obscure office building in a quiet neighbourhood, it’s heartening to see it being a melting pot for the community. 

Some of these beers are limited editions that aren't available on sale elsewhere - something Dennis have a knack of getting hold of.

Across my many visits to Locality, both on quiet and busy days, there’s been quite a few folks from many walks of life - cyclists stopping by for a thirst quencher, folks looking to catch up over the local stuff, beer brewers themselves, and all of them craft beer fans in their own right. In celebration of a small, budding scene that’s still very much in its infancy, the atmosphere may have made you think we’ve always had a craft beer culture all along. 

While craft beer has been taking off in Singapore, it’s still a niche hobby to be downing IPAs and imperial stouts, especially when the big commercial stuff is so readily available in reach and price. For a space so easily crowded out by the hype train from legendary OG craft breweries abroad, choosing to instead support the home team, the established crew and the small passion projects - I meant “walking the walk” from a place of admiration. 

And its oases like Locality with folks who stuck to their guns, championing the locally made stuff, that makes a thriving local beer community possible. 

If anyone’s looking for a cozy, quiet and easy going beer joint on the eastern side of Singapore, I highly recommend coming down to Locality for a pint. If you’re there, tell Dennis that 88 Bamboo sent you!

@vernoncelli

Locality

160 Changi Rd, B1-10 HexaCube, Singapore 419728 (located in HexCube)

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