TAP-The Ale Project

After nearly 3 weeks of traveling through SE Asia I was pining for a beer with some body. Enter The Ale Project (TAP).
TAP is a «gastropub» that seems to have been plucked from Seattle or the Bay Area. Trendy interior, inventive food menu, killer (albeit short) tap list of local brews.
Between two of us we sampled almost the entire local tap list. There were some stunning beers: Grand Maestro IPA from Lion Rock, Momo Wit (Chrysanthemum) from Young Master. And some far out brews like the Smoked Sour Ale.
The food here is no joke. The Chicken Wings were ultra-​crisp and the Fermented Tofu Dipping sauce was simply stunning. The Lap Chong Pâté was so interesting and matched well with the beer.
If you are missing microbrews and high quality pub food stop into TAP to fill your glass and soothe your homesick heart.

TAP — The Ale Project was our first food (and beer) in Hong Kong after touring Beijing and it was an absolute burst of fresh air. For one thing, there was Unilocal and we were able to choose a restaurant ourselves (as opposed to a tour guide) and order for ourselves. I went wild and ordered the most expensive beer and more food than what I could handle.
I ordered The Living End beer and I’d probably pass on it next time. It was good, but there were less expensive beers that were smoother and more delicious (M’s Moon Goddess, for example).
We got fries with garlic, Cajun wings, and the Mouth Watering Chicken Wrap. There were all kinds of toppings you could add to the fries (such as garlic) which was tons of fun. If I lived in the area I’d be a regular and try different fry toppings each time!
M said that the wings were good but she didn’t finish them.
My wrap was delicious. I’ve never had a wrap with that combination of ingredients before and I really enjoyed it. My only disappointment is that I noticed too late that I could have ordered a half order instead which is all I ate.
The atmosphere at TAP — The Ale Project was really cosmopolitan. There was a surprising amount of racial and ethnic diversity. Some people seemed like locals on dates and others seemed like expatriates. Everybody seemed at home scrunching around a very narrow communal table.
TAP — The Ale Project was a fun stop during our visit to Hong Kong. I’m definitely thankful to Unilocal in helping us find such a cool spot close to our hotel.

We went there during happy hour on a Saturday around 6pm, it’s around 70% full. We were seated in the middle of the long bar table as we have a total of 9 people. They have a full selection of draft beer and I think this is a rare place in Kowloon. Most of these craft beer bar are always located in central.
Every one of us ordered a beer. I ordered dark alliance which full of a coffee favor, a very interesting beer. After enjoying the first round, we shared a sample of beer platter which contained 6 small glasses of craft beer.
For snacks, we had 2 orders of wings, 1 Nachos, 1 sandwiches, 1 cheese fries and a dessert. I love the wing as they do have a taste of America there! Crispy and tasty! But the Nacho disappointed me as the chips are all in very small pieces, and guacamole are not well-​made. I do not recommend this dish at all.
Recommend to people come here for drinks, and just snacks, but not a full meal. Our bills are round $ 1500. Ok– price.

SUper!

Coming from San Diego, I was spoiled with the plethora of breweries and craft beers, but lo and behold, I found out about TAP and I knew this was the place to be. Wonderful place for craft brews and delicious food! My friends and I happened to come to Mongkok as we were going to attend the Bön Iver concert at MacPherson Stadium. Turns out we weren’t the only ones trying to get their fill of good beer before the show, because it was packed! Luckily, one of our friends arrived early and put us down for a table. He said it was the busiest he’s ever seen TAP be.
We were seated at the high table, which has hooks for us ladies to hang out purses. We placed our drink orders while waiting outside — an Oriental Pearl Oatmeal Stout for the two of us, and a Jade Emperor IPA. The oatmeal stout was very smooth and bold, and the IPA was hoppy/​bitter as usual. I’m not a big craft beer expert, but I can definitely say it’s one of the best I’ve tried in HK! Once you go craft, you can’t go back.
The food — holy cow, the sandwiches are the BOMB. We ordered the Cubano, which came with a local Cantonese twist of char siu pork and siu yok (crispy pork belly)! They had sriracha on the table, so yes, red sauce heaven. Tickled my taste buds! The beer-​battered shrimp sandwich was just as delicious, and big — had to eat the shrimp first before diving into the sandwich haha! In addition, my friend ordered a fried chicken on kaya toast, which I didn’t get to taste, but she said was great.
Will definitely return to try more sandwiches and their beers!

TL;DR: Great local brews and sandwiches at an unexpected location.
Who would’ve known that a place like TAP exists in Mong Kok! Just a couple blocks from the train station amidst auto repair shops is this little gem. Unless you’re looking for it, it’s easy to overlook the place. Due to its size, seating may be limited at times, but hey, mingle with people and chat!
They have many local and import craft brews on tap as well as a good selection of bottles. We tried the Celebration Ale and the Classic Pale Ale. The Celebration Ale is a winter seasonal, hopefully you still get to try it later because it really tastes like the holidays. The pale ale is crisp and pairs well with their sandwiches.
We came during lunch time and they have a lunch special along with any of their sandwiches. You can get soup, salad, or fries and a drink with the addition of $ 20. Make the drink to a half pint beer with additional $ 30. We got the Retired Superman and Thanksgiving Yesterday. The runny egg in Superman definitely makes the whole sandwich 10 times better and the chicken liver stuffing is amazing! These sandwiches are served on their beer bread, also a must try.
TAP is a quaint place on the Kowloon side if you don’t want to go all the way to Central. We would love to get a growler to-​go if we were staying longer in Hong Kong.

This is a must-​visit for beer nerds and those slightly less nerdy but still fastidious about what they pour down their gullet. For those of you counting calories, this one is for you too, there is absolutely no reason in the world for you to be wasting calories on big commercial brews when there’s a whole exciting world out there of beer that’ll actually broaden your mind and give your tastebuds and primitive mid-​brain something to remember. Stop settling and make the effort to have something truly good.
The craft scene in Hong Kong is actually pretty nippy and hopping right along with more options than you can shake a drunken finger at. As mentioned by other reviewers, TAP is closely associated with Young Master and so their beers are well-​represented here. When I visited, there was also a very good selection of Lion Rock ales which were very solidly brewed and all had sound flavor profiles.
Again, there was a menu of bar food which I usually eschew. For me a craft beer bar is a temple and when I visit, it is always as a supplicant to Aegir… or some local equivalent. In other words, it’s like visiting a local coffee roaster that puts all their effort into churning out an awesome single-​origin and all you can talk about is their tiramisu or some outsourced carrot cake muffin… to me, that’s missing the entire point.
From the reaction of the absolutely packed to the gills bar, I would have to say that the food is likely to be very very decent. They do flights or tasters here so you can quite easily work your way through all the ales on tap. The service is responsive and the atmosphere is warm, convivial and devilishly conducive to the continuous imbibing of very very very fine ales… with or without food.
TAP does get crowded, so don’t expect to sit alone at the bar and nurse that one beer as one tends to do in local dive bars. If you are looking for that kind of an experience, TAP is not for you.
I had the following ales that really made my day and my trip to Hong Kong:
Lion Rock. Signature. Pale Ale.
Lion Rock. Grand Maestro. IPA. I remember calling this a leather-​bound dominatrix of an IPA or something along those lines… I was sooooo happy.
Young Master. 1842 Island. Imperial IPA. A very well-​provisioned and thoughtfully put together brew with a degree of consistency that reflects deep expertise and most importantly love.
Young Master. Hong Kong Black. Porter. Winter Seasonal. Oh so very very rich and full of Christmas cheer.
The ales I had this visit made me want to come back again… very soon. I am sure that even though these are rotating taps, every iteration will make you feel just as welcome and the sense of loss will just as deep when you leave TAP.

Great little American style microbrewery in a less congested part of HK. We tried a few different beers on tap here, we liked all of them and especially loved the ambiance and service here. You’re sure to find a lot of expats here, and it’s a great atmosphere to meet some new folks.

A great find in a very busy area! Great craft beer and great food. A definite stop if you are on the area!

Of course the beer here is good, it’s an artisanal microbrew pub. Great selection, great tasting beers.
The surprise is the truly excellent sandwiches. They even have a Cubano which is, while not exactly authentic, at least delicious and worthy of the name.

I thought I have grown up from my MK days, but here I am, back in Mong Kok, amid knock off handbags, badly sewn fashions, ugly souvenirs, jostling crowds… all for the sake of a glass of good beer.
It’s great TAP exists, to provide a place for nice craft beers besides Central. As it’s related to the Young Master brewery, their beers dominate the local beer tap list, with a few guest taps from Nine Dragons, Moonzen, Black Kite and the like. They also have a nice selection of import drafts from all over the world, such as Brewdog from Scotland, Founders from the U.S., 8 Wired from New Zealand, Nøgne Ø from Norway.
I also like how you can order the beer in different sizes: 0.2L, 0.4L and 2L, perfect for someone like me who enjoys a beer but can’t quite finish a giant beer boot. You can also get growlers to go. They serve food too, though I’ve never tried it. There are just way too many street food in the neighborhood for me to ever go hungry.

A spot where you can speak English with great food and good beer. I just looked this up on Unilocal and found this place. We ordered the Retired superman which was a with all the works kind of sandwhich.
We also ordered the Corned beef happiness sandwhich that was a grilled cheeses sandwhich with bits of Corned beef and egg in it. It was the most perfectly cooked grilled cheese sandwhich I have ever eaten. The cheese was soft and warm and the bread was buttery and crunchy on the outside and light in the inside. The crust had a hard crunch too. I’ll be dreaming about that sandwhich.
Since I wanted to taste all the beers from hk, I ordered the sampler and all the young master beers were pretty good. I like the Festbeer the best which is their take on October fest beer. Beers a little pricy but hip cool spot.

Had one of the best times in Hong Kong while at TAP! Beijing Brew Co. had a takeover and it was majestic. If you’re ever in the area: Drink, chat, and have a great time! Don’t forget to get a shirt.

We went to TAP on a Saturday night and found this bar with the help of Unilocal,which I had no idea even existed in Hong Kong. When we arrived it was busy but we found two seats on the side and sat down. We were quickly greeted by an awesome young lady who refers to herself as «Fish» because it is easier than her given name she explained. She is incredibly friendly and warm and even gave us suggestions of beers to try because she could see that we were enthusiasts. I stuck with the Classic Pale Ale because I really enjoyed it but did try the other beers that we ordered and they were all incredibly flavorful and brewed to perfection. «Fish» asked us how we found the place because it is on a very quiet street a little ways away from where most tourists might be sight seeing so I told her. She was impressed and engaged us in friendly conversation and even offered us advice and gave us some insight into things we should do while visiting Hong Kong. When the bar was about to close and activity quieted down a bit, she even wrote down the name of a street for us to give to the taxi driver for easier communication for the next night. She suggested we go to The Peak, which we did, and are glad that we did. This bar not only has superb locally crafted beer but the service is top notch. I wish this bar a huge amount of success and would suggest it to anyone who enjoys a satisfying pint.

Wait, wait, wait… CRAFT BEER exists in Hong Kong?!
Damn. I am already sold.
Being in a region of tea lovers, I was surprised to hear that craft beer places were starting to pop up in HK. During our last visit, our friends took us to TAP: The Ale Project for drinks and appetizers, and it certainly did not disappoint.
Upon rolling up, we could see how packed it was even on a Sunday evening. We were told to wait if we wanted a table inside the small restaurant, but they were able to accommodate us outside with the standing barrels. Despite being pretty busy, servers were still friendly and checked up on us. To no surprise, their English here is spot on, so don’t worry if your Cantonese is not up to par.
Now… the SELECTION here was fantastic. Coming in at all different sizes and origins, I was shocked to find they had so many beers on draft. We ordered a round of drinks as well as wings and fries. The food itself was pretty standard for bar fair, but the beer here is the real winner.
I’m so glad we got to check this spot out, and is for sure on my list to return to the next time HK rolls around. Cheers!

Growler — check
Local brew — check
Beer on tap — check
No longer need to go to Soho or Central for Craft beer! This place is pretty chillax in the busy streets of Mongkok that in itself is a perk. The place is kinda small, but cozy. People are friendly with passion and experience in the craft beer business. They do have import and are aware of the different breweries (type, product, characteristics) from around the world. It’s so good that I almost want to keep it hush hush. Best part is that it’s a proper beer drinking place without the pushy beer gals forcing you to play games and committing in combat drinking.
Pretty awesome place!