Taiwan is an island that has a reasonably developed craft beer scene. My previous experience with Taiwan had only been a long-weekend trip to Taipei back in 2013, but I recently took a 4-day trip to southern Taiwan and it was in the unassuming town of Hengchun that my wife and I would stumble across a pleasant surprise for the craft beer lover.......3000 Brewseum.

From Hong Kong it was merely a 1 hour flight to Kaohsiung, followed by a 2.5 hour bus-ride down to the seaside town of Kenting. Since it was raining upon our arrival, however, we decided to trek back to the neighbouring town of Hengchun where TripAdvisor claimed to have a popular new landmark with this craft-beer-taproom-slash-beer-museum. It was an easy choice for us to give it a go.

It was approximately a 15-minute drive from Kenting (we took an Uber for a reasonable price and without the need for Mandarin translation) to this industrial area off-of the main road where there was a massive, two-story, sheet-metal hangar that was newly renovated with an industrial theme.

Upon entering, we couldn't read the sign as we smiled at the staff and hoped to figure out how we could see the museum and drink some beer. It turns out that the museum is up the stairs immediately upon entering and there is no fee for entry. We started there and used a translation app to make it through the exhibit of beer and brewing artifacts that are apparently all from the owner's private collection. I was very impressed by the collection of old drinking vessels, documents, and artwork all related to beer. It was clear that the proprietor just had a passion and hobby that he wanted to share with the world - I could definitely relate.

Back downstairs we found that only the man behind the bar spoke English and that he was also the owner. He used to be a brewer and now he just built the place and handles all of the operations with another brewer that he hired. Considering the surroundings of this Brewseum, we were delightfully impressed by the selection of beers on tap - all brewed on the premises in a 10 barrel system.

We ordered a tasting flight that was reasonably priced with generous pours and enjoyed full pours of the Golden Ale and the Belgian Blond. The main sitting area has ambitious seating, a massive pixelated mural of Mona Lisa using mini squares of various beer labels, as well as the 3,000 glasses mounted on the adjacent wall serving as the 3000 Brewseum namesake.

All in all if you find yourself in southern Taiwan you really should take the time to stop by and see this dude's collection. His beers are decent and you can take some home in cans if you like. The prices are very reasonable and the whole thing is just too strange to miss. The owner admitted that while craft beer in Taipei has taken off, the locals in southern Taiwan still prefer their flagship "Taiwan Beer" (light, adjunct lager). I hope that he is able to keep the place going whether it's by tourists or locals. You've got to appreciate the lengths that some people go through to share craft beer with the world.

-- Mr. Jackson