It took us years before we could like beer and even longer to appreciate Craft beers. However, after we tried quite a few, we can’t have any other beer but Crafts. I mean local mainstream brews like Leo and Singha are OK but they don’t hit the spot. They aren’t the best for a night out with friends.

Recently we joined the Hitachino Tap Take Over at CRAFT Bangkok, which was available for two days at both the Sukhumvit 23 and Silom branch.

About Hitachino

If you haven’t heard about Hitachino, you’re going to want to try it out now. It is Japan’s iconic and award-winning craft beer, which started 20 years ago by Kiuchi Brewery. Originally it was a sake brewing company but later took advantage of new alcohol brewing laws in Japan and started making Japanese craft beer.

We first tried Hitachino at a local craft beer spot but it was only the White Ale so we were quite interested to try other styles by the brewery.

The Flight of Beer

Behold the craft beer flight! It’s great for sharing and tasting different kinds of beer.

This particular flight consists of all the Hitachino taps at the promotional offer of THB 480++ while a single pint would cost you around THB 320++. The flight is definitely a better value deal as you get to try 5 different types of Hitachino beers. It included:

Hitachino Lager
Gold Medal Winner at the 2014 International Beer Competition (Japan)

Hitachino Amber Ale
Silver Medal at 2011 Japan Asia Beer Cup 2011 (Singapore)

Hitachino DaiDai (IPA)
Silver Medal Winner at 2014 International Beer Competition (Japan)

Hitachino White Ale
Bronze Medal Winner 2013 Australian International Beer Awards (Australia)

Hitachino Classic Japanese Ale
Silver Medal Winner at 2013 International Beer Competition (Japan)

Our favorite is the White Ale but also became fans of the Amber Ale and the Classic Japanese Ale. The Lager and IPA were also pretty good considering we are not big fans of the two types. In fact where IPA goes, this was one of the best we’ve had. Not too bitter.

The Food

At CRAFT, it’s not just about the beers. Food is also a big highlight at the bar/restaurant. For the Tap Take Over, you can order these 3 fantastic dishes that go really with the beer.

If you are a big fan of wagyu beef steaks, this is definitely for you – the Smoked Wagyu Beef Brisket. Moist, succulent and extremely juicy cuts of beef go really well with the Lager or the IPA. You could even do the Amber Ale with it. But to be honest, all the beers are good with the steak. Best thing to do is order the flight and mix and match with the food. There are lots of combinations and it is up to you to decide what suits your palette.

The chicken wings are another option. They are crispy on the outside and juicy from the inside. The chili sauce with chili powder is a perfect dip and adds a nice kick to the flavor.

This was by far our favorite snacking dish – the crispy pork or Moo Daad Deow. Normally not a fan of pork but this dish was delicious. The spiciness and sourness of the marination combined with the soft yet crispy texture kept us reaching for more.

Definitely great snack choices to go along with the beer if you’re feeling nippy.

Overall, fantastic selection of beer and food. Hitachino is absolutely one of our favorite, a good Japanese beer and we can see why it has won so many awards.