Lion Brewery Co offers a brewery tour in the heart of town

Like all things craft, things can get a bit hairy if you're starting out on your craft beer journey without the webpage or pint miles under your belt.

But one option – a more direct one – is to check out Lion Brewery Co's Brewery Tour at Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse, located at 36 Club Street, formerly home to Little Creatures.

Despite its modest size, Lion Brewery has the capacity to carry out contact brewing i.e. commissioned brew orders from other establishments.

Couple this with the fact that the brewers have a culture of experimenting with new recipes, and as such, the Brewlab Brewery Tour is as good as any a place to pick the brains and experience of the craftsmen; be it about the basics of brewing to evaluating the plausibility of crazy recipe ideas you have in mind.

Or if you're already acquainted with some of the beers at Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse, you can learn how they came about.

At $80 per person, the brewery tour costs $80 per head, and you need to make a booking.

The package includes:

• Brewlab tour where you can learn and ask questions
• Tasting flight of six refreshing craft beers
• 10 per cent off all full-priced food items on the Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse menu
• 1 x Brewlab Pi Glass (each) to bring home
• 1 x Lion Brewery Co Trucker Cap (each)

The flight of six craft beers are Island Lager, Straits Pale Ale, Something Something APA Pale Ale, The Boss IPA, Blackened Earth (Nitro) and New England Session IPA.

The one thing somewhat universal is that they are all 'easy' to drink – even the Blackened Earth stout – so newcomers can get acquainted with different styles of beers without being overwhelmed.

Island Lager (Pilsner / German / 4.7 per cent ABV) is a veritable thirst quencher.

Unpasteurised, it's dry-hopped with Halletau Blanc, contributing to a faint elderflower and pine aroma.

You'll quaff plenty of this on a hot day.

Straits Pale Ale (Pale Ale / American / 4.5 per cent ABV) is a light pale ale that kind of feels like an alternative to the Pilsner if you want a thirst quencher.

Citra hopped at both stages for refreshing citrus notes and is very 'sessionable'.

Something Something APA (Pale Ale / American / 5.5 per cent ABV) is an experimental brew that became a staple owing to its popularity.

Made with predominantly Citra and Simcoe hops with a touch of Cascade.

What really sets this apart is the unusual transition from a citrus and pine party to a malty finish.

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The Boss IPA (IPA / American / 5.9 per cent ABV) is single-hopped with Mosaic and brewed with Voss Kveik super yeast.

Aside from the usual citrus notes, The Boss is most distinct for its berry aromas, but the ensemble is balanced.

Blackened Earth (Stout / American / 4.5 per cent ABV) is an Earth Day brew made without carbon dioxide.

This stout is light-bodied and with a trace of low hop bitterness.

Pretty accessible and will appeal to those who love Guinness.

New England Session IPA (IPA / New England / 4.8 per cent ABV) is made with a blended base of rolled oats, flaked wheat and malted barley, and dry-hopped with Mosaic and Amarillo hops.

Juicy and refreshingly light.

This article was first published in Potions.sg.