Coming home

However, in recent months the brewery decided to close its taproom — now using it exclusively for events — due to a lack of attendance. It’s not the only one. Redpoint and Taihu report similar events in recent months. “I mean, yes we’re in the industrial zone, but we’re not that far out of town,” Max says. “It’s ten minutes on a bus to the centre of the city. In the UK, that would probably be nothing, but here, people aren’t willing to travel that far for beer.”

He shrugs. The Ugly Half team is taking it all in their stride; they’re playing the long game, and with that view in mind, nothing has to be permanent. This is just a pull, and soon there will be a push. For us, the taproom closure means getting Max, and head brewer Mark Tung all to ourselves for an intimate tasting. 

Where so many breweries have hidden backstories behind the beer itself, Ugly Half wears its heart on its sleeve, telling the brewery’s story, sharing its dreams and influences in the details and decisions that make their way into the beer. Our tasting begins with Ugly Half’s fabled Toastea lager. The last time Mark and I caught up, long before we visited Taiwan, he told me about this beer, and in doing so piqued my interest in Taiwanese breakfast culture. Brewed using crusts collected from a local factory that makes the little crustless-sandwiches served in local breakfast shops, this beer is an homage to Taiwanese breakfast.

However, tasting the beer in person reveals a much more detailed story. Toastea, as you might have inferred, is also brewed using tea — another pillar of Taiwanese breakfast — which is added to the boil when it reaches about 80°C, and allowed to steep for ten minutes or so. It sounds obvious to point out that the tea is prepared in such a way that its most desirable qualities are accentuated, but from this perspective, the wort is a platform for the tea, as opposed to the tea just being a component of the beer. It’s a subtle reframing, but speaks volumes about Ugly Half’s approach to both brewing and storytelling.

Even Toastea’s label has something to say, being made of an unusually coarse paper. “This mimics the paper cover for the sandwich,” says Mark, clearly in his element. “For the illustration we wanted to include the Nanny you usually see running the breakfast shop early in the morning. She’s always friendly.” A welcome ray of positivity, I’m sure, given most breakfast shops' early opening times make them an ideal final destination after a night out. “It’s perfect if you’re hungover,” Mark assures me. 

While Ugly Half keeps a fairly narrow core range, freeing up as much time and space as possible for specials and experimentation, another stalwart of its offering is a guava sour. “In Taiwan we sometimes eat guava with plum powder,” says Mark. “I couldn’t tell you why, but the taste is really pleasant. We made this gose, but were aware that some people here might not expect beer to be sour, so we serve every can with a little packet of plum powder. If drinkers think it’s too sour, they can just add the powder and still enjoy the drink. Enjoy it like a shot, like a beer, put the powder on the rim of the glass and it’s nice to sip.”

I can’t think of the last time I encountered a beer so cleverly brewed, but also so effective at meeting drinkers where they are, offering them impressive flexibility while introducing them to something new. The plum powder not only sweetens the beer, but somehow softens it, changing its mouthfeel while still delivering a delightful, mouthwatering shock to the tastebuds. On its own, the plum powder is sweet and fruity, but also has a creamy, biscuity quality to it. 

Having previously brewed at Deya, in Cheltenham, before returning home to Taiwan, Mark is well positioned to observe similarities and differences between the Taiwanese and UK craft beer market. “UK breweries don’t have to work as hard on storytelling,” he begins. “They don’t have to say much for people to still drink their beers. Here, there’s so much more competition. Consumers are thinking ‘should I drink this beer?’, ‘should I drink this cocktail?’, ‘should I drink this wine?’ You go to a corner store and there’s so much more on the shelves, so you really need to use every detail to tell your story.” 

Ugly Half is brewing beer by and for Taiwan, but it's also doing so in a way that makes the potential of craft beer in this country glaringly obvious. ‘Local influence’ here is complex, nuanced and multidimensional, it’s loud, colourful, and fiercely unique. Ugly Half beer feels at home in Taiwan, and while the prevalence and popularity of craft is slow to grow and blossom here, I feel sure that it won’t be long before the taproom fills back up, and Taiwan claims Ugly Half as its own.