Ugly Half Beer

Ugly Half Beer (in Chinese, You Gui Pi Jiu) was founded in 2019 by Max Gilbert, from Wellington, New Zealand, and his American wife Harn Sun, with a team of New Zealand, American and Taiwanese brewers and designers. It brews in a former factory at No. 9, Lane 116, Wugong 3rd Road, Wugu District, New Taipei, as breweries cannot operate inside Taipei city limits. The name plays on the Chinese character for ugly, and the beers draw on Taiwanese daily life, from TOASTea Lager, brewed with leftover toast crusts from a neighbouring breakfast shop and Assam tea, to labels inspired by street flyers and glove-puppet theatre. Its Oyster Stout won gold at the Australian International Beer Awards in 2021, and Jumbo Sour won gold there in 2022.

The beers

• Sui Beer, pilsner, 4.5%
• Through the Mist I See the Fairyland, hazy IPA, 6.5%
• TOASTea Lager, amber lager with tea, 5.2%
• Guava Gose, fruited gose, 5.2%
• Oyster Stout, oyster stout, 8%
• Hoppy Apple Cider, hopped cider, 5.3%

A numbered R&D series of small-batch beers runs alongside the core range, sold on draught and in bottles and cans, and the brewery exports to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Where to drink it

Ugly Half has no taproom listed here, so look for it at Taiwan's craft beer bars. In Taipei it is poured at Floating Taipei and Learn Bar, in Taichung at ChangeX Beer South Garden, and in Tainan at Piao-Lounge. All of these are listed below.