Frank Shen founded American Taproom with his beer buddies Johnny Christensen and Winston Kwang in April 2018.
When American Taproom opened at Waterloo Centre in April 2018, it instantly became a popular addition to the craft beer scene in Singapore. Founded by Frank Shen, Johnny Christensen, and Winston Kwang, the bar boasts a huge variety of beers on tap – 32, to be exact – with new flavours constantly being introduced. From stouts to IPAs, there’s a beer for everyone.
Find out more about American Taproom from co-founder Frank.
How did the idea for American Taproom come about?
The idea came about when Johnny [Christensen] who is American, Winston [Kwang] who distributes American beers, and me who love[s] the US and started the first taproom concept in Singapore, felt that the industry needed to grow.
How did you guys know each other?
Johnny relocated to Singapore and was working for Brewerkz, where we met. So beer kinda brought us together, the same way that American Taproom wants beer to bring people together. Winston has been in the industry since the beginning, so we met through the industry.
Before establishing American Taproom, you were the bar manager of Nickeldime Drafthouse. But how did you first get into the local beer scene?
I got into the beer scene when a buddy brought me to one of the first craft beer bottles bars in Singapore, called Old Empire Gastrobar. I drank so many beers that the owners started talking to us. I was asked to help at a beer festival, and from there I fell in love and got offered a position in their distribution and restaurant.
American Taproom has the largest collection of craft beers in a bar in Singapore. How do you decide which beers to put on the board?
We want to have a diverse beer list, so we try to have as many styles as possible. We want everybody to have a suitable style of beer for them. Some brands already have a reputation. (Like us!) Some we read about, find out about the brewery, the brewer and their reputation. And some we try at tastings, of course! We love beer!
You guys also do tap takeovers, where other brands come in to literally takeover your tap(s). How does that work, and how do you decide who to work with?
Yes, we do. We talk to the distributor. We know people, and try to help whoever we can as long as the beers are good.
How do you ensure the quality of your beer, and how can someone be sure that they haven’t been given a bad beer in general?
We taste the beer very often. All our guys are trained. We store them in our cold room, which is specially for beers and set at 2 to 5 degrees. If the beer is bad, it will taste off. If the beer is bad, we take it out and send it back. If the beer has deteriorated, we take it off the tap. But so far, all is good. We also maintain the lines and facets on our own.
What if a customer isn’t very familiar with beer? Can they ask for recommendations?
Usually, we start by asking our customers their taste profile. We can start with something light or dark, followed by the style if they know – fruity, or if it’s dark, whether they want more coffee notes or chocolate etc. From there, we kinda try to figure out what they like. If they are confused, we do allow them to taste some of the beers we recommend.
What’s your favourite kind of beer?
I like sours, as they are always unexpected.
And finally, what exciting events does American Taproom have coming up in the last quarter of the year?
On 27 October we have Heretic Brewing doing a tap takeover for Halloween. We also have new menus coming in October, and we’re starting our happy hour – 15% off from 4pm to 6pm, Saturdays to Thursdays.
By Gwen Pew
Published on 28 September 2018
Visit American Taproom at Waterloo Centre, #01-23, 261 Waterloo Street, and stay up to date by following its Facebook page here.
