If you think it is tough to get a craft beer on tap in a Sydney pub, try being a craft brewer in Malaysia. Paperkite Beer makes very good craft beer that has won medals at international craft beer awards, but trying to track it down in Kuala Lumpur is hard.
In the end I had to traipse out to the northern suburbs of KL to a posh complex of restaurants in its own grassy enclave called Bamboo Hills. One of the 10 restaurants is the large and light-filled Tap Room KL, which features five PaperKite beers on its 12 taps. The other taps would appear to be for cocktails and wines.
They’ve dropped a fair amount of coin on a large pizza oven, an even larger kitchen, a mega TV screen and a mezzanine level that contains many beer tanks, which may or may not actually be connected.
If I was to return to KL, I’d definitely come back to Tap Room KL. The menu does look very, very good and the pizza varieties look quite unique. Plus PaperKite beer is also very good. Since launching in 2022, they’ve brewed eight different beers (according to @Untappd anyway). Four of them form the core range – Oatmeal Stout, IPA, Pale Ale and the award winning Copper Ale.
All of the core four are solid beers. For mine the Pale Ale was the standout. A lovely floral beer, light and refreshing and perfect for the steamy KL climate if you are sitting outside. The Copper Ale looks absolutely fabulous and is a real malt bomb.
The seasonal Hoppy Lager was also pretty good with some hoppiness that elevates it above most crisp lagers. The beer is not brewed onsite. Beer glasses are available for purchase, which suits me as I’m trying to avoid beer t-shirts for a while.
It turns out that you can get PaperKite Beer at KL airport. The very funky MAXTransit Hotel KLIA 2 has a bar that includes a special on PaperKite Beer. It is a nice way to finish a stay in Kuala Lumpur.
back of the ferry 