Malai Kitchen is Now Brewing Its Own Beer In-House

Braden and Yasmin Wages' Thai-Vietnamese West Village spot Malai Kitchen recently began producing its own coconut milk in-house, and now it's taking things a step further by brewing its own beer.

The duo announced about six months ago that they were applying for a brewpub license with hopes of producing a style of beer called bia hoi that's rarely found outside of North Vietnam. Now the brewing operation is up and running, pushing out two rather different styles of beer.

The aforementioned Vietnamese-style bia hoi is a very light lager made with rice and barley, and would make a more interesting alternative for folks who typically stick to American beers like Bud or Miller Lite (it's also priced just right at a mere $3 for a draft).

The "ThaiPA" is brewed with kaffir lime, lemongrass and galangal that give it a sweetly exotic aroma; despite being an IPA it's light enough on the hops that even non-hopheads should find it drinkable. It's available on draft for $6.

· Malai Kitchen Will Soon Brew Its Own Beer In-House [-EDFW-]
· Malai Kitchen's Braden Wages on Lessons From Vietnam [-EDFW-]

[Photo: Claire McCormack]