Yo, Yau! Carlsberg aims to tap HK craft-beer cravings

A mass-market beer giant launching a supposedly artisanal craft beer may be akin to Michael Bay directing a small-budget indie film. But because craft beer has the potential to rise from its current 3 percent share of the market in Hong Kong to a 20 percent share, Carlsberg has taken action. 

Collaborating with New York microbrewery Brooklyn Brewery, Carlsberg wanted HK Yau (named from the Chinese character 'yau 友' which means 'friendship') to be its "pioneering" craft beer brand in the city and to be "approachable" for Hong Kong drinkers.

Currently, the HK Yau brand offers three relatively safe brews: a wheat beer, a lager and a pale ale. All three are being brewed in Hong Kong by an undisclosed partner.

The pale ale, called Underground, tastes less bitter than typical IPAs—by design. Peter Poon, managing director of Carlsberg Hong Kong and Taiwan (pictured below) said consumer research revealed limits to the local tolerance for bitterness. The cold-fermented lager, called Times Square, is an "easy entry to craft beer for first-time drinkers who are used to mass-produced beer", Poon said.

Plenty of imported craft-beer brands are available in Hong Kong. Among about 10 local-made brands, Young Master Brewery stands out as a distinctive competitor to HK Yau. Young Master's offerings veer more to the avant-garde side, like its tart and saline Cha Chaan Teng Gose, brewed with local salted lime and other Hong Kong ingredients. The brand's website promises "no pandering to lowest common denominator flavor profiles".

"I don't see HK Yau as competing with either the local or the foreign craft brands here, as what we're trying to do is to expand the local market," Poon told Campaign Asia-Pacific.

Peter Poon with the HK Yau lineup.

What's really missing in the local craft beer market is the international standards of quality set since 1847 by Carlsberg, Poon agued. “Our collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery was planned one and a half years ago," he said. "It is a remarkable milestone as we become the first professional brewer to include local craft beer in our Hong Kong portfolio."

 

A post shared by HK YAU (@hkyau_brewery) on Jun 19, 2017 at 2:28am PDT

HK Yau will initially be sold on tap at six bars (with a target of expanding to 65 outlets by the end of 2017) but is expected to be available by the bottle in the next phase.

For HK residents or visitors interested in trying the brews, here are the first phase restaurants and bars:

• Liberty Exchange Kitchen & Bar
• The Garage Bar (Cordis Hotel)
• The Pawn
• Fat Pig
• Stormies (LKF & Elements) 
• Pickled Pelican

Here is a list of the notable Hong Kong craft beer brands: