Every day between 4 and 7 p.m., tall drafts are 190 baht ($5.41 USD) at Bangkok’s 3 BeaRs Craft Brewery. That doesn’t sound like the world’s greatest deal—until you consider the fact that most craft beers cost $7 and up in this hops-starved city. Per Thailand’s draconian liquor laws, everything at 3 BeaRs is brewed in Taiwan and shipped back to its Khlong Toei taproom. In order to legally brew beer in the Kingdom, brewmasters must have 10 million-plus baht in the bank and pump out more than 100,000 liters a year—making it next to impossible for small brands to compete with the Changs and Leos of the world. Bangkok’s young entrepreneurs don’t have that kind of cash-money or equipment, so they outsource their formula for pale ales, pilsners, and stouts to factories in Australia (Lamzing), Cambodia (Stone Head), and Vietnam (Goldencoins), and then pay sky-high import taxes to import the product. When it comes to 3 BeaRs, we recommend the smooth, complex Jackal Pale Ale and Gorilla Stout. If you’re meeting friends, order the three-hour “beer buffet” for 990 THB ($28) with a selection of filling bar food such as deep-fried pork knuckle with sauerkraut and truffle mashed potatoes or crispy fish & chips battered with 3 BeaRs’ IPA.

1154 Soi Setthi Thawi Sap, Khlong Toei, Bangkok, Thailand; +095-456-8298.

Additional photo by Cartogramme