AsiaLIFE

Beer enthusiasts in the Penh have long been waiting for a bar with beers for all palates and occasions. Brauhaus finally brings us the beer we crave. Craig Gerard chats with Lay Song Heng and Jay Bacer to find out what’s on tap.

With close to sixty distinct brews representing two-dozen countries, Brauhaus is sure to capture the attention of beer drinkers across the city.  This cosy pub and restaurant on Street 130, a block from the river, has a beer for every palate. “We even have sweet beer for the ladies,” claims Jay Bacer, herself not a proclaimed beer drinker despite four years with the Brauhaus restaurant in Singapore.  Here to help train the new Cambodian staff, Jay knows the menu inside and out and carefully teaches presentation and serving techniques to her protégées.  The sweet beer she refers to is made by Floris, a Belgian brewery, which makes a cornucopia of flavours: honey, chocolate, mango, raspberry, passion fruit, all available at Brauhaus. It is enough to make the authors of the Reinheitsgebot beer purity laws of 1516 roll in their graves.

Beer purists can rest assured, with 19 different German beers (all of which follow those strict 16th century rules) you are sure to find a colour and flavour to meet your liking. Bar manager Lay Song Heng prefers the German made Schneiderweiss Hefe, a light wheat beer with wisps of citrus on the nose and a clean finish. Heng came to the Brauhaus by way of the Lobby Bar at the Intercontinental Hotel.

The original Brauhaus was Singapore’s first German restaurant, and has been serving up hard-to-find pints since 1989. Twenty years later, the owner teamed up with a Cambodian business partner, and brought their rare selection of brews to Cambodia.

Brauhaus popped onto the Phnom Penh scene last month, a good one for all things German and all things beer, and Brauhaus has both. With a wide selection of reasonably priced German cuisine, the menu offers more than just barley pops.  Roasted pork knuckle is their best-selling chef recommendation at US$8 per plate.  For the more adventurous, the pork tongue stew only sets you back US$5, or you can settle in for the comfortable wiener schnitzel (beef US$9 or pork US$6). Of course, this is Asia, so there are plenty of Cambodian favourites on the Asian menu.  The Amok (US$5) is among only a few items that separate the Phnom Penh menu from that of the parent restaurant in Singapore.

While the food is fabulous, it is the vast beer selection that will draw crowds. Beers range from US$2 for local brews to US$12 for the 14%ABV Samiclaus from Switzerland. There are beers from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. There are plenty of light lagers in the group, and a handful of German or Belgian ales, but the menu is surprisingly short on stouts or porters. Also missing are any of the hop-heavy beers from the northwest coast of the United States. As a matter of fact, the only two beers listed from North America are Budweiser (brewed in Vietnam) and a US$10 Chilli Beer (hecho en Mexico). “We hope to continue to expand the beer menu,” insists Jay, noting that it takes about one month to get a shipment in from Singapore.  Heng adds that customers can make suggestions of brews they would like to sample, and the restaurant will do their best to acquire that beverage.

Heng notes their location a block from the River Front is ideal for attracting tourist clientele, saying “I love to meet all of the tourists who pop their head in to see what we are all about.” However, they also hope their wide selection of beers will attract Phnom Penh’s expat community. “If you want beers from around the world, great German food and the best Pork Knuckle in the city, come to Brauhaus,” he boasts.  If you keep ‘em cold Heng, we’ll keep coming.

Brauhaus is located at 34 Street 130, Tel: 099-311-188.