Little Island Brewing Co

The nearest MRT is a bus ride away. The nearest beer is 20 taps deep.

Little Island Brewing Co is the reason to stay in Changi Village past sunset, and a day out in its own right if you build the afternoon around it: a brewery with 20 copper taps, a smoker out back and room for a group. It suits a weekend crew with time and a bike. The compromise is the journey – there is no MRT nearby, so plan the bus or cab home before the third round – and it is closed on Mondays.

Changi Village has always felt like the edge of the map: bumboats to Pulau Ubin, nasi lemak queues, planes low overhead and the sea at the end of the road. The brewery joined the picture in 2015 and turned 11 this year. It is properly ulu, and that is the reason to go, not the excuse.

The beer is brewed on site. English brewmaster Steve Spinney is credited with the recipes, and the range runs through ales, porters and stouts, with cider for the non-converts and a draught list that rotates often. With 20 taps and a rotating list, a flight is the sensible first order.

The other half of the operation is the smoker. The house signature is a beef brisket smoked for 15 hours, alongside smoked pork belly and a menu of grilled meats, which is exactly what you want after an afternoon on the coast. Share the brisket; that is what it is for.

The space is big and warehouse-like – the brand describes its venue as around 10,000 square feet with roughly 400 seats – and it works in a way that cramped CBD taprooms can't: long tables, room for a group, and no one hovering for your seat. The mood is beach town rather than bar crawl.

Little Island has since spread to South Beach and Gillman Barracks, but Changi is the original and the one with the setting. How to do it well: cycle the coastal park connectors or take the bumboat over to Ubin and back, wander the village, then settle in for a late-afternoon pint as the light goes over the water. Reserve via TableCheck on the official site if you're bringing a crowd at the weekend.

It suits anyone who thinks the best beer is the one you've earned. Order a flight, share the brisket, and check the last bus before your third round.

Good to know Closed Mondays. Reserve via TableCheck on the official site. There's no MRT nearby: take a bus or cab to Changi Village, or cycle along the coastal park connectors.

Little Island Brewing Co | #01-01/02, 6 Changi Village Road, Singapore 509907