Hair of the Dog – An Incredible Craft Beer Experience!

It’s no secret that I love good food. But one thing that I love just as much as good food is a good craft beer. There are many bars in Bangkok that focus on offering a bevy of craft beers (some with seemingly endless rows of taps). But Hair of the Dog (official website)  focuses on offering the best craft beer experience in Bangkok. It’s why they’ve won Ratebeer’s Best Bar in Thailand every year since opening 2015, 2016, and 2017.

When I discovered they also serve up an interesting food menu, this seemed like the perfect place to take my two blogger buddies, BKK JUNK and The Roaming Cook, for a “brotastic” collaborative review of the beer and chow!

As it’s a craft beer bar, let’s start with the suds!

Hair of the Dog – Curating the best beers in Bangkok!

I’m not writing about each and every beer I tried because they frequently rotate their selection of brews. I’d hate for you to be disappointed if they don’t have a particular beer I mention when you visit. Instead I will tell you a little bit about their beers that’s going to make you thirsty for one!

Hair of the Dog offers 15 rotating taps (with more to come) of the best craft beers available. It’s not  the “what’s on sale” beer pushed by distributors.  The owners try the beers before they buy the beers. They are very knowledgable about craft beer and very selective with what they serve.

They proudly feel they are “curating the best“. As a result you can’t go wrong getting a beer there.Prices range accordingly, and there is a “tap of the month” served up in a large glass offered as low as 200 baht..

The tap beers are usually poured in bottle sized amounts (12 oz) so that you can get a fair sampling of beers. Unless you’re Andre the Giant, you don’t want a pint sized glass of 15% ABV brew. The bar staff are very knowledgable and will enthusiastically make recommendations based on your tastes and offer samples to make sure you get exactly what you want.

What about bottled beer?

Maybe you’re missing a particular bottled brew from home. Maybe you want to have a label to look at while you’re enjoying your beer. Hair of the Dog offers between 150-200 bottled beers from around the world. The prices range from the budget friendly Moosehead (100 baht) to a 750 ml bottle of very rare, barrel aged 15% brew (1,500 baht). The average bottle range is 260 baht (and there’s a 20% discount for takeaways). You’re certain to find a good bottle in your price range!

Let’s talk food!

One thing that attracted me to reviewing Hair of the Dog was their food menu. Don’t expect a large restaurant sized menu. This is a bar. But each dish on the menu is certainly meant to be enjoyed with a good beer or after a few beers. Let me show you what I mean…

Note: the food menu at the Hair of the Dog  Phrom Phong branch (in this review) differs from what’s available at their Phloen Chit branch.

Cheesy Larb Balls that fire up your thirst!

If you’re a traditional Thai cuisine enthusiast then you will be horrified by this dish. However, if you want to fire up your taste buds and prime your mouth for more beer consumption, these spicy Cheesy Larb Balls (200 baht) will do the trick! These meatballs are made with spicy pork with a melty cheese curd in the center and is served with homemade coleslaw.

Finger licking good!

These Buffalo Chicken Tenders (220 baht) are so pretty they deserved to be on this article cover. They’re made with fried lightly battered boneless chicken breasts smothered in spicy buffalo wing sauce with blue cheese dressing drizzled over it. This is some great beer snack here!

What’s a “poutine”?

I’d never heard of this dish before, nor realized how serious it is to my friends north of the USA. Poutine originates from Canada’s Quebec province and is basically French fries, cheese curds, and a brown gravy sauce. This Classic Canadian Poutine (220 baht) was given an enthusiastic approval by my buddy, BKK JUNK, a native of Quebec!

The cheese curds are legit, and the gravy is rich and flavorful. The very south of the border twist with the jalapeños is unusual but it works. It’s also served in a styrofoam takeaway package so this could be a great dish to order on your way out when you’ve had a few beers under your belt!

Finally! Carb-loading done right….

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve had a few nights in my life where I’ve walked out of a the bar when all food places are closed.  This is Bangkok…it’s not unusual. On my way home I’d picture in mind the perfect sandwich I planned to make before hopping into bed.  Maybe it looked like this picture.

But this isn’t what I made. What I made came out a little burned (okay a lot) and had me knocking blaring smoke detectors off my ceilings (there are 4 floors in my shophouse and smoke seems to rise).

If something similar has happened to you, let Hair of the Dog save you from burning your house down. Save yourself the trouble of airing out your house and and get a good night sleep after your night of imbibing. This Grilled Mac n Cheese (280 baht) is the thing to get if you’ve had a few!

A chat with the owners…

I was able to coordinate the visit with the owners of Hair of the Dog, Mike and Pete. They both met while building up the Mikkeller Bangkok branch. They worked well together and decided to build their own brand and take the craft beer experience to a new direction. Their goals: elevate the craft beer experience, and educate the next generation of craft beer enthusiasts.

The Hair of the Dog bar was designed with these goals in mind. To create a unique social vibe there are no low seating chairs and no roaming service staff. This encourages customers to mingle at the bar. Additionally, the 80’s, 90’s, alternative and hip hop music is kept to an acceptable level in which folks can hold a conversation. It is a place for making connections, and loners will easily find others to socially bond over drinks with.

Their first Hair of the Dog branch opened in the Phloen Chit area in July, 2015 and based on that success the new branch opened in Phrom Phong. They wanted both locations to be in places that were easily accessible for Bangkok workers to get to (both near BTS stations) after a long day’s work so that they could continue to cultivate a good following of regulars.

Beer kept cold from the brewer to the bar tap!

Mike and Pete try before they buy. They seek out the craft beers that are not just good, but also interesting and a good value. Both are very active in the craft beer community. Staying current on craft beer trends is important to them as they want to “curate the best” for their customers.

Curating the best means buying the best craft beer and handling and serving it the way it’s meant to be served. When designing the bar the most expensive thing installed was the tap system. Both are passionate about maintaining the “cold chain” from the brewer to bar tap. Even the lines leading from the keg to the tap are chilled. You will always get a cold beer here.

They are equally passionate about educating their customers. There are no “beer sample flights” on the menu. They are not needed. If you want to try something the bar staff are happy to pour a small sample. Additionally all of the bar staff are very knowledgeable about craft beer and what they have in their inventory. You’ll find them quite eager to find the right beer for you.

Video time!

Here’s a video from our day enjoying some fine craft beers and solid bar food. The filming and editing is a la BKK JUNK who really had his work cut out for him!

I’m thirsty and hungry! Where is it?

The Hair of the Dog Phrom Phong branch is located an easy walking distance from the Phrom Phong BTS station on the Villa Market Alley that connects to Sukhumvit Soi 33/1. This is a great place to come alone or with friends. Non-beer drinking friends will also feel welcome here as they have a solid cocktail menu ranging from 200-300 baht from their cocktail bar “The Clinic” located on their mezzanine.

They are open from 5pm to midnight Monday through Friday, and 11am to midnight on weekends. For a real “Hair of the Dog” experience, roll in before 4pm on the weekend so that you can visit the Breakfast Story on their second floor and have a beer with your eggs and bacon!

The below map is to their Phrom Pong location (which was reviewed). Their other location, the Hair of the Dog Phloen Chit branch is located here.