'A microbrew by definition is beer from a small brewery that can only produce a certain volume of output,' says Rhys Adams, marketing director for El Grande Holdings, which operates multiple microbrew-centric pubs throughout Hong Kong. 'The general assumption is that beers made in microbrews taste better but require a whole lot more work.'

Hong Kong Beer's brewmaster Ferdie Pingol draws from his chemical engineering background to update his techniques, and tastes his brews from their eighth day of fermentation. Like winemakers, Pingol talks about the nose, mouth feel and flavour of the beer, noting the 'terroir' of ingredients sourced from different regions.

'Beer is simply malt, hops, water and yeast,' Pingol says. 'But subtle changes here and there, such as the temperature, the sequence in which you add in the ingredients and the time you let it steep, all affect the final taste.'

The process of beer making from start to finish takes Pingol four weeks at his 3,500 square foot brewery in Aberdeen. It is the oldest microbrewery in Hong Kong, and was the only one until Typhoon came along. Founded in 1998, the business was acquired by investment firm Harmony Asset's in 2003. 'We saw it as an opportunity to support a local business,' says Amy Yeung Ngar-yee, Harmony Asset's project director.

Betting on microbrews is a smart move, Adams says. 'In the past three years there's been increased traction in Hong Kong for microbrews.'

El Grande opened up its first microbrew-focused pub, East End Brewery, in 1997, in Quarry Bay. Two years later, the company opened a second pub in Causeway Bay and, in 2004, El Grande introduced the Hong Kong Beer House in Lan Kwai Fong. Today, microbrews outsell the volume of standard beers in their outlets by more than double.

On East End Brewery's drink menus, there are more than 45 labels listed in a section titled 'Exciting Microbrews'; only six brands are listed under 'Boring Beers'. 'It takes some pushing and education to get people adapted to microbrews,' says Adams, who admits microbrews have not penetrated substantially into the Hong Kong mass market.

For beginners, Adams recommends an English brew midway between a lager and ale called 'Fuller's Discovery'.

'It can be difficult to jump from the familiar flavours of a Carlsberg or Heineken into the distinctive and more intense flavours of a microbrew,' he says.

Individual preferences for beer run the gamut from lighter lagers to stronger Belgian-style brews. 'Different nationalities tend to stick to the style of beers they're used to. The Brits like the English beers, Americans like American brands. Hong Kong being a melting pot, we have to cater to the entire spectrum,' says Lan Kwai Fong Group beverage agent Refael Barel. His company's newest outlet, the Lan Kwai Fong Beer Bar, which opened in August, has more than 100 beers on its menu.

Barel has high hopes for the expansion of the company's private-label lager, Lan Kwai Fong Beer, launched in 2005. Sales of the locally brewed beer have almost tripled in the past four years, and it recently won first place at the Hong Kong Beer Festival. Barel says their goal was to create a beer more suited to local and mainland Chinese tastes. As mainlanders account for 60 to 70 per cent of their customers, Barel says tastes skew towards beers lower in alcohol, lighter in flavour and served less chilled or even at room temperature.

In addition to Hong Kong Beer's eponymous flagship label, the brewery offers a pilsner called Too Soo and an English-style India pale ale called Aldrich Bay, which is tailored to the British palate and accounts for more than half of sales.

Cadoret's Typhoon 8 also appeals more to Western tastes. His real ale goes through a secondary fermentation in a 'cask', in this case a polyurethane container.

'The resulting ale is darker than lager, and not as gassy. The foam on top is softer, like a mousse or soft peak meringue,' he says. 'There's a bit more flavour as well - like adding an extra tea bag to the pot.'

Toby Cooper, owner of the Globe Cafe and Bar, currently the exclusive carrier of Typhoon 8, has supported Cadoret's venture since the beginning. But Cooper has had to cope with the hassles of working with a smaller brewer, including rearranging the bar to accommodate the large ice bins that contain the polyurethane bags of beer. The bins must be returned to the brewery when emptied, adding further costs.

The bar must also install a special electric spout that pumps out the beer. This is because draught Typhoon beer is unfiltered, and the sediment should not be disturbed during the pouring process. Once opened, the shelf life of the beer is less than a week.

'Microbrews are well worth the extra effort,' says Cooper, who carries more than 100 microbrews, still mostly imports due to Hong Kong's lack of local breweries. 'Artisanal brewing is a natural contrast to what's available on the fully automated mass market. Large producers can't create the kind of targeted flavours boutique shops can.'

Indeed, Typhoon has plans to offer more innovative seasonal beers, starting with a Christmas stout infused with cinnamon, cloves and oranges. Lan Kwai Fong Beer Bar has developed a line of novelty beer cocktails. And Adams says fruit beers, such as St Peter's Grapefruit, have great potential to be paired with foods. This can open up beer to being more than just a 'happy hour' beverage.

The ultimate verdict for microbrews in Hong Kong will depend on more than just taste, says Hong Kong Beer's factory manager Dicky Tsui Siu-keun.

'It is still a game about branding,' he says. 'Large industrial companies have the time to invest in building up their image, with big customer incentives packages and beautiful advertisements. They are the key players in the market. We are just doing business silently and struggling with word-of-mouth recommendations.'

'Microbrews can often be sold at a 30 per cent mark up compared to large manufacturers,' says Cadoret.

Adams notes that microbrews also don't follow standardised sizes, so it is hard to compare pricing between brands.

But the future for microbrewing in Hong Kong appears bright. 'We get letters and long-distance telephone calls from fans asking to get Hong Kong Beer,' Tsui says. 'One man came to visit our brewery from Germany and had a booklet with 1,000 pages filled with beer labels. With devout microbrew-lovers like him, it doesn't take much shouting to get your name heard across the world.'

True brews

East End Brewery

23-27 Tong Chong St, Quarry Bay, tel: 2811 1907

Sunning Plaza, 10 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, tel: 2577 9119

Recommended beers: London Pride, Brooklyn Lager, Chimay Blue

The Globe

B/F Garley Building, 45-53 Graham St, Central, tel: 2543 1941

Recommended beers: Typhoon 8, Jennings Sneck Liften

Hong Kong Brew House

LG/F LKF Tower, 44 Wyndham St, Central, tel: 2522 5559

Recommended beers: London Pride, Brooklyn Lager, Chimay Blue

Lan Kwai Fong Beer Bar

G/F California Tower, 30-32 D'Aguilar St, Lan Kwai Fong tel: 2521 1345

Recommended beer: Lan Kwai Fong

Slim's 1 Wing Fung St, Wan Chai, tel: 2528 1661

Recommended beers: Too Soo, Aldrich Bay Pale Ale