Beer (Tiger, ABC, Guinness) and sio bak (roast pork) is a perfect match, and any uncle who hangs out at the coffeeshops or hawker centres often enough can tell you that.

But do craft beers, which are gaining popularity among Singaporeans, produce similar wonders in one’s palate too?

Yes, says Daniel Goh, which is why he opened what could be the first hawker stall specialising in craft beers.

“I’ve always wondered why hawker centres only have lager and stout, when other beer varieties go very well with our local food too,” says Daniel.

In October last year, he rented a stall at the Chinatown Food Centre and began to tout a range of 50 beers and ciders from countries like Belgium, America and Germany.

Within a few months, he already has a decent pool of regulars who knew about his stall via word of mouth and social media.

“A home brewer saw my Facebook post and came to check us out. He then spread the word to the other home brewers in his network, and they ended up buying in bulk to get inspirations for their experiments,” he says.

Most of his customers are Singaporeans are in their 20s and 30s. But there’s also another 20 per cent of expats who go the hawker centre specifically for his beers. “I have a guy from San Diego who comes here for Stone, which is from San Diego,” says Daniel. “According to him it’s not even available in some other states in America.”

When walking around the maze-like and somewhat timeworn hawker centre, one will notice that the seating area around Daniel’s stall sits a bunch of yuppies, whereas the rest of the hawker centre is mostly occupied by the middle-aged from the neighbourhood or families.

Occasionally Daniel gets a few elderly folks who are curious enough to patronise his stall. However, most people of that age are appalled by the higher prices and smaller volumes of the craft beers, compared to the local beers which they are used to. One old man even went as far as to tell them that they will not survive more than a month.

But they did. In fact, business has been so good that he is expecting to break even within another three to five months.

“I wasn’t depending on traffic. Those are people who will complain that my beers are expensive. The craft beer people will hunt me down, which is why I chose this secluded corner in the hawker centre,” explains Daniel.

The beers are sold at between $6 to $15, which is two to three times more expensive than the uncles’ perennial favourites, but cheaper than what they’ll cost at bars and restaurants after tax and service charge are factored in.

Upon a customer’s order, Daniel always appear so eager to throw in advices on what local food, from the close to 200 stalls at the hawker centre, to pair the beers with (see bottom of article). Hearing him going on and on about it, it is hard to imagine that he had once hated the alcohol, until an encounter with Belgium beer a few years ago got him addicted to it.

Last year, his retrenchment from his job as a PR manager in a video games company got him to think about setting up his own business. He had no doubt that it would be related to beer. As for the location, he has had good memories of this particular hawker centre, because his parents used to bring him there for lunch every weekend when he was a kid. But mostly importantly, the rent there was “decent”.

“I dug into my savings, got my brother to invest and my uncle helps to run the stall. It’s really like a family business,” he says.

On a Friday night, more family members came to give support. His wife was there to help out and his brother and his family were there for their dinner. No wonder when we ask him how his experience has been so far, all he said was “awesome”.

Daniel’s beer and hawker food pairing recommendations

Dry Mee Pok with Lychee Beer

The sweetness of the lychee beer covers the gaminess of the pork (some people don’t like it). For us, it also waters down the spiciness.

Garlic Steamed Fish Head and Witchcraft

The spicy notes of witchcraft complement the pungency of the garlic. It also finishes off the fish with a subtle sweetness. The dunkel on the other hand overpowers the natural flavours of the fish.

Satay with Konig Ludwig Dunkel

The dunkel has a smoky nutty flavour that builds on the similar flavour of the peanut sauce. We also tried eating it with the witchcraft, but the contrast is too huge. The peanut sauce even brings out the bitterness of the beer.