A new taproom and brewery on Saipan is hoping to set a new trend and bring back draft beer options to the island community.

Invitingly with island hospitality, AP Group Partner Michael Sheu told KUAM News, "Welcome to our tap room and brewery!" He and Perry Inos are tapping into the island's potential with their new business, Tapped Out.

"We are hoping the community is thirsty for it," Sheu said. "Currently, we only have brews from Guam and the U.S. mainland, but in the very near future…we are hoping to offer our own locally hand crafted brew by people who live here."

He says there have not been a lot of draft beer options available post-COVID - and they want to change that. "It really grew out of the want of better options as a consumer and an idea snowballed into an avalanche…We got on a flight to go to South Korea to attend the beer and liquor convention," he shared.

It’s there that they learned more about the possibilities and why they want to grow the industry in the CNMI. Inos said, "With the workforce issues that we are having here, I think what we have learned is to break the cycle instead of bringing them in we hire locally and then bring in the experts temporarily to upscale our staff."

Their location, in Gaparan, is near a public park, restaurants, and hotels. And they hope to see more people raise a glass. "We do not have to be the only ones to do this. We want to see if we can start a trend that everyone else can do it ,too," said Inos.

They want to put Saipan on the map and be known for its beer. After their soft opening in December, they’re also focused on giving back and donating some proceeds to charitable organizations every month.

The AP Group also houses its other businesses, including consulting, technology, property management, and investments.