Carlsberg Hong Kong has collaborated with renowned New York beer brewers, Brooklyn Brewery to create HK YAU, a pioneering craft beer designed to produce creative and vibrant beers in Hong Kong SAR for Hong Kong SAR. As one of the most dynamic melting pots of multiculturalism in the world, Hong Kong SAR is the perfect setting for this collaboration between two brewery experts, denoting an East-meets-West innovation. Currently, HK YAU offers a series of three flavourful beers, including wheat beer, a lager and a pale ale, all representing a fusion of the two cities – Hong Kong SAR and New York – to provide approachable craft brews to Hong Kong SAR and offering drinkers a gateway to the world of craft beer.

The naming of HK YAU comes from the Chinese character yau (友), which means more than just sharing the vibrant spirit of “friendship” – it is about the coming together of creative and like-minded individuals with a shared passion, just like the partnership between Carlsberg and Brooklyn Brewery. In a city where opportunity is treasured, HK YAU encourages like-minded people to cultivate craftsmanship and celebrate the true spirit of artisanship by introducing new local influences. 

“Since 1847, Carlsberg has always listened to consumers and sought to define new standards of quality with our groundbreaking beers,” said Peter Poon, Managing Director of Carlsberg Hong Kong & Taiwan. “Our collaboration with world-renowned craft brewer Brooklyn Brewery marks a remarkable milestone as we become the first professional brewer in Hong Kong SAR to include local Craft Beer in our portfolio. It demonstrates our commitment to bringing exciting, fresh and locally brewed craft beer to the local market and pays homage to the Carlsberg spirit, brewing for a better today and tomorrow.”

As a result of Carlsberg’s collaboration with internationally acclaimed craft brewer, Brooklyn Brewery, each of the beers has been carefully developed by Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver, ensuring its superior taste. Hong Kong SAR beer lovers will enjoy how HK YAU combines distinctive local flavors with unique recipes.

• HK YAU TIMES SQUARE (Lager) - Easy entry to craft for local drinkers 
  A vibrant, cold-fermented modern lager based on classical German roots, refreshed with brighter citrus-like hop aromatics. Snappy, lively and always a favorite at every local pub, it is a flavourful beer for first time craft beer drinkers.
• HK YAU NEW KONG (Wheat Beer) - Local ingredient infusion  
  A light, unfiltered beer recalling the Belgian Witbier style. Made from Chinese wheat and barley malt, and lightly aromatized with popular Chinese ingredients coriander and chénpí, the HK Yau New Kong adds fantastic variety to Hong Kong SAR’s booming beer scene.
• HK YAU UNDERGROUND (Pale Ale) - Developed to pair with local cuisine
  Appetizing bitterness plays against malts to create a beer that is great for all occasions. Dry-hopped with American and New Zealand hop varieties, this pale ale has an aroma reminiscent of citrus and tropical fruit, and is perfect when paired with Chinese cuisine.

With expertise from Brooklyn and inspiration from Hong Kong SAR, HK YAU will initially be exclusively available on tap but is expected to be made available by the bottle in the next phase. To kick off, HK YAU will be sold at six locations in Hong Kong SAR with a target of expanding to over 60 outlets by the end of 2017. A number of outlets are offering special menu pairings: At Garage Bar at the Cordis Hotel, drinkers can enjoy their HK YAU beers with three varieties of delicious pizza pockets including the Triple C Pizza Pocket of chicken, curry and cheese, best served with the pale ale. The wheat beer is best enjoyed with the B&B Cheese Pizza Pocket consisting of ground Wagyu beef, maple smoked bacon and aged cheddar while the lager is the perfect complement to the Char Siu Pizza Pocket, made of BBQ style pork check, Canadian maple syrup and a fried egg. Meanwhile, celebrity British chef Tom Aitkens will be serving HK Yau Underground Pale Ale with mouthwatering buttermilk chicken wings at The Pawn, and pairing it with Crispy pork fried mince at The Fat Pig.