With this list of shops that sell craft beers by the bottle, there's no reason to ever buy commercial beer again. So whether you're a seasoned hops veteran or are just getting your toes wet, there's a microbrew just for you out there, somewhere.

99 Bottles

Aside from their selection of craft beers from all over the world, this retail shop helps to run The Good Beer Company in Chinatown Complex. They have a particularly extensive list of American, Belgian and Danish beers like the better known Magic Hat, Mikkeler and Saison Dupont. However, they've got a pretty big list of more obscure brews from places like Taiwan and Norway.

Beer is Food

Thought you could only get good Thai food at Golden Mile Food Centre? Think again. Now you can pair your favorite hawker food with good craft beer or get bottles to takeaway. They have a particularly good selection of fruitier and sweeter beers like a Banana Bread beer, Double Chocolate Stout, Mango beer or even a Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale.

Bottles & Taps

It may be a little out of the way considering it's in Yio Chu Kang, but this beer shop doubles up as a tapas bar where you can enjoy snacks and plenty of craft beer, namely American Deschustes Brewery. The best part is that you can order it online and get it delivered straight to your doorstep.

Brewers' Craft

With over 200 brews (and counting) in their repertoire, we won't blame you if you end up spending a dizzying amount of time going through the shelves. Although Belgian and American beers may dominate the list, there are more offbeat options like Japanese, Scottish and New Zealand beers on sale. Oh, and they also do home delivery.

Brewerkz

One of Singapore's best-known and oldest microbreweries also sells their beers by the bottle. Show our local brews some love with classics like golden ales and oatmeal stouts, while seasonal beers like the wheat beer and Black Pig come in rotations.

The Good Beer Company

Arguably one of the most well-known craft beer shops, this hawker centre staple stocks over 60 different beers from places like America, Taiwan and the Netherlands. So whether you enjoy with a steaming plate of char kway teow or bring it back home, Daniel Goh's beer knowledge is sure to astound you each time.

The Great Beer Experiment

Perfectly situated within Pasarbella, this craft beer stall is all about educating the public on the wonders of craft brews. With over 150 labels and an ever-changing roster of beers on tap, there's definitely no shortage of choice. If you're hunting for some knowledge, they even stock books all about beer.

Outpost Trading Co.

A one-stop shop for basically all your boozy needs, this place has a pretty complete selection of American craft beers and ciders on top of wines and spirits. Although they carry labels from other countries, they really know their way round American suds. 

Papa Shop

Don't let the kiosk-like facade deter you from pilfering through their selection of hops and liquors. Although they sell artisanal spirits like Monkey Shoulder whisky, this Kallang shop has a solid selection of craft beers like Mikkeler and Nogne beers. 

Thirsty - The Beer Shop

This retail space is among one of the largest we've seen for a craft beer specialty store. The space lets the beer do the talking with floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with all manners of glorious suds. If you're a porter/stout kinda person or fancy Trappist ales, they've got you covered. They've also got a smaller and cozier outpost in Holland Village, too.

If you're more of a freshly-brewed suds kinda person, we've got a great list of where to find Singapore's best microbreweries.

AdstraGold Microbrewery

AdstraGold does15 types of microbrews ranging from golden ales and seasonal varieties (they've done lychee and mango ales in the past) to their award-winning Red Ale with its slightly roasted aroma. The East Coast Road location adds to the chill vibes, as does the beer-friendly pub grub like fish & chips, bangers & mash and pork knuckles. 

Archipelago Brewery

One of the oldest microbreweries in Singapore, Archipelago has four permanent brews, including the Belgian Wit and the Bohemian Lager which has the base of a Czech brew but with with passionfruit and guava notes. Their fifth brew is reserved for rotating limited edition suds that have included a coffee-based dark lager and a malty, biscuit-like Oktoberfest edition. Even if their actual brewery is sort of in the middle of nowhere in Tuas, more convenient watering holes around town carry their range of brews. Our preferred places are Boulevard Craft Beers by Archipelago, The Pit and The Queen and Mangosteen.

Brewerkz

This microbrewery needs no introduction after being in the business for 18 years and counting. With around 13 different brews available, expect classics like golden ales and IPAs or opt for something a more offbeat like the Black Rabbit, a hoppy wheat beer that has notes of cloves and bananas. Their food menu has dishes like duck quesadillas, pizzas and pork knuckles. They have two other outposts, but we love the actual site of the brewery at Riverside Point.

Hospoda Microbrewery

Hospoda means "pub" in Czech. The establishment brews light Czech-style beers that are predominantly of the pilsner and dark beer varieties. Paired with Czech dishes like the Hospoda pork sausages (also made with beer--is that traditional?), it's beer galore over here.

LeVel33

Touted as the world's highest urban microbrewery, LeVel33's beers appeal to the corporate crowd and come with stunning views of Marina Bay. They specialize in European beers with house porters, lagers and pale ales in their signature range. With a chic dining setting, whether inside or alfresco, even their food reflects the refinement of the brewery. Expect dishes like lamb t-bone, escargot and perfectly-crisped cod.

Paulaner Bräuhaus

The only place to go for authentic German beer brewed on-site. From Munich lagers to the new and wheaty Hefe Weissbier, everything is quintessentially Bavarian. To round off the German experience, their restaurant serves up classics like sausages, rosti and grilled Bavarian meatloaf.

The Pump Room

If Clarke Quay is your 'hood and beer is your thing, you're in luck. Aside from their nightly live music performances to get your hips shaking and feet tapping, The Pump Room brews natural and preservative-free suds. There's also a full dinner menu, which serves wagyu beef carpaccio, pastas and baked lamb ragout.

RedDot Brewhouse

This brewery and its garden setting are to be found In the quiet enclave of Dempsey Hill. Don't miss the kooky Monster Green Lager (yes, it is actually green) that gets its color from spirulina. Novelty aside, there are more traditional brews like the summer ale, English ale and Czech pilsner. The food menu leans on comforting Italian dishes and meat-heavy mains.

Tawandang Brewery

A Thai transplant, this microbrewery has comfortably made a home in Singapore. Its German brews include Dunkels, Weizens and the ever-popular lagers. Food-wise they've got all manner of modern Thai-meets-German cuisine like deep-friend pork knuckles served with spicy sauce and grilled seabass in spicy seafood sauce.

The craft beer craze shows no signs of abating as we head into 2014 with new bars and new beers heading to the city. At the vanguard of it all is a wide range of craft Indian Pale Ales arriving in Bangkok from as far afield as Japan, Scotland and the USA. But what exactly is an IPA, why is it such a hit with beer lovers and where did it originate? 

While craft beers are a relatively new trend, the origins of IPA actually go a long way back. In fact, its roots can be dated back to the 19th Century and a time when Britain’s Empire was at its peak. Many a colonial ruler started to miss a drop of the good stuff from back home creating a growing market in Britain’s largest colony, India. As a result, British brewers started to make a version of pale ale, which had more hops and a longer shelf life, especially for export.  

“IPA was originally designed to survive the long trip from England to India without going sour,” explains Kan Navikapol, part-owner of Smiling Mad Dog Co., Ltd., who import craft beers from the likes of BrewDog and St. Bernardus.

However, the popularity of IPA soon spread and it wasn’t just homesick admin clerks in Bombay who were enjoying the distinctive flavor of the IPAs, which had a much hoppier or bitter flavor and a stronger alcohol level than other ales of the time. As a result, IPAs began to be brewed more extensively and spread to America, Canada and Australia by the beginning of the 1900s. “These days, it just means that the beer is ‘hopped’ and has a strong hoppy flavor,” confirms Kan.

Indeed, it’s the hoppiness (a bitter, tanginess) of IPAs and its flexibility when it comes to brewing with other flavors that have made India Pale Ale such a hit with brewers, beer lovers and foodies. “From tropical fruits to pine and citrus, it really depends on the brew master who can mix these for an endless range of flavors,” explains Brian Bartusch, GM of Beervana.

Much like wines, the profiles and flavors of different craft beers are heavily influenced by the regions or countries where they are brewed. That means that American IPAs have a very different flavor profile when compared to their British cousins. 

“American IPAs use tons of hops, and to get technical, people would call these beers ‘American India Pale Ales,” confirms Kan. “English IPAs use locally sourced ingredients and are usually more balanced between a hoppy taste (bitterness) and the sweet and smooth maltiness.”

But it can be broken down further than that, with IPA fans able to recognize major differences between the different states. The characters of the West Coast IPAs seems to be more flowery with hints of pine and fruits, while the East Coast tend to be sweeter with malty undertones.

As the popularity of craft beer explodes, more and more people are experimenting with brewing combinations and flavors, and it’s now common for breweries to use ingredients, from types of hops to fruit varieties, from all over the world. Sometimes you’ll even find those brewers who emphasize a single-origin idea, such as the BrewDog’s IPA is Dead series, which uses the same base beer but four different hops or come with new styles, such as Deschutes’ black and white IPAs.

Brian believes that the next big trend will see people brewing more sour beer and utilizing wild yeast, while Kan believes that we’ll see more gypsy brewers, individuals like Mikkeler who make amazing beer but don’t have an actually brewery. Moving forward it seems that the sky is pretty much the limit with IPAs. 

Try these different IPAs: 

Scotland: BrewDog Punk IPA (B240)

Punk IPA is just one of a range of ales from Scottish craft brewer BrewDog who claim to make irreverent beer with a soul. It is based on a classic Indian Pale Ale, meaning it’s brewed using pale malts, which in turn produce a paler beer, but Punk is given a modern twist thanks to the addition of lots of fruity hops to ensure a real burst of flavor.

Get it at: Beerosophy, Beerology, Brew Beers & Ciders, Niche Cafe and Hobs.

US: Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA (B220)

Part of the Deschutes family of beers, who have been brewing out of Bend, Oregon (the heartland of American craft beers), since 1988. The beer itself is unusual in that it is a hybrid; brewed with both wheat and pilsner malt, plus orange and coriander, the end result is a distinctive blend of traditional Belgian-style wheat beer and a classic Indian Pale Ale.

Get it at: www.seekbeervana.com

Denmark: Mikkeller Invasion Farmhouse IPA (B1,490 for 750 ml)

Best known for being a gypsy brewer, Mikkel Borg Bjergsø started off his passion by brewing his beer in different breweries including BrewDog and many other countries before his label became famous for its great diversity, including a range of IPAs, and is now served at many top restaurants.

Get it at: Check on the update for the Mikkeller Bar in Bangkok here or at www.mikkellerbangkok.com or get it at www.wishbeer.com

England: Greene King IPA (B195)

Definitely more classic than the other IPAs on this list this beer has a much milder taste, with only a slight hint of hoppiness making it much more reminiscent of a standard English pale ale. It certainly makes it eminently drinkable, though it still packs a potent punch and you can even enjoy it on draught at certain British pubs around town.  

Get it at: Drink it on tap at the Black Swan and the Old Ship. Buy it at www.mbsthai.com or www.wishbeer.com.

MORE: Meet the guys behind Bangkok's Craft Beer Revolution, find out where to enjoy these beers and more with our round up of the Best Beer Bars in Bangkok and discover how you can also have them delivered to your door with our guide to Bangkok's Best Beer Delivery Services.

Cans
“Canned craft beers are a big thing in the States; you can get extremely good beer for very little money, and that’s why it’s so big there. It keeps better, you don’t have to keep it out of sunlight, and it’s a lot cheaper to ship.”
Evil Twin Hipster Ale. $9 from Working Title.

Citrus
“Using citrus fruits in beer is really popular at the moment—in the brewing community, we've actually started talking about ICU rather than IBU (International Bitterness Units). There are so many citrus fruits being used now, like yuzu, orange, lemon, lime. I think it’s perfect for beer.” 
Mikkeller Green Gold IPA. $13.50 from The Great Beer Experiment.

Low alcohol
“Low alcohol with a lot of flavor is a big trend at the moment. I’m often asked what I think the perfect beer is, and in my opinion that would be a beer without alcohol—but with all the flavor—so you can drink it like water.”
Brewdog Dead Pony Club. $7.50 from Thirsty - The Beer Shop.