Away from the harrying corridors of Publika is our pick for best bottle shop in KL. Hidden along a lonely Solaris Dutamas lane, Ales & Lagers doesn’t share the same cool vibe perfected by some of its more illustrious neighbours on the block. However, the imported craft beer specialists make up for the cramped space and nonexistent design with a very simple yet effective modus operandi – serve the most dizzying array of bottled craft brews in town.
‘At the moment, we carry 40 to 60 different types of craft beers,’ says owner Kennhyn, whose goal is to reach a variety of 100 in the near future. Currently, the beerbeer.org blog ringleader relies on Taps Beer Bar and four Singaporean suppliers to bring in limited quantities of stock from cult brands like Oregon’s Rogue Ales and California’s Lagunitas to the impressively curated Ales & Lagers bottle shelf. ‘I carry brands and brews I like in terms of taste and flavour, primarily to study how the market reacts to them,’ he explains.
Ales & Lagers is all about beer education, appreciation and discovery. Regulars can opt to either take away their purchases or pick out bottles based on Kennhyn’s recommendations and savour the brews in glasses right away. The two sets of barstools and small tables here become hot property come weekend, but when we visited the place on a Monday afternoon, it was already buzzing with regulars sharing tasting notes and stories of blowing off work.
Everything appears rosy for the little bottle shop that could, which has blossomed from a hobby to a bona fide business since it opened its doors late last year. Plans are afoot to expand the hitherto tiny establishment and maintain a more consistent stock for its rapidly growing fanbase, with Kennhyn remaining hopeful of craft beer’s wider appeal. ‘Maybe we can hit it big like coffee did.’