15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Uncle Tiger Ball' turns 25 years of beer nights into foil art
Patrick Lam has spent the past 25 years rolling foil from beer bottles into his famous 'beer ball'. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle)
AMPANG JAYA : His children said he was crazy. Others shot puzzled looks his way. But many secretly admired 68-year-old Patrick Lam for his creativity and sheer determination.
After all, it's not every day you meet someone who has spent nearly 25 years of his life building a really heavy ball – made entirely out of pieces of Tiger beer bottle foil.
Every night at 8pm, Lam can be found at Hoong Fok Kopitiam in Ampang Jaya. There, he knocks back a few beers with friends, entertains curious onlookers, and – armed with his trusty glue – patiently adds on to his growing collection of foil art.
'I cannot stay at home. I told my children, 'Don't ask daddy to look after the grandson'. Every night, I just want to go out, and enjoy my life with my beer buddies,' the father of four told FMT Lifestyle.
'All my children used to say 'Daddy, you are very crazy'. They called me a crazy man,' he added.
Lam says rolling the beer ball improves blood circulation. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle)
But now? They've come around. In fact, they're so proud of him, they've even made T-shirts featuring his iconic foil ball.
The ball, which weighs more than 10kg, took him more than two decades to complete. Lam, who's also a dog rescuer, has lost count of how many pieces of foil he has used.
But his dedication to his foil ball hasn't gone unnoticed – Tiger Beer recently surprised him with boxes of leftover tin foil (about 120,000 pieces) after they switched to using paper foil on their bottles.
So what started this unusual hobby? Lam, who's nicknamed Uncle Tiger Ball, credits a late friend who inspired him to start collecting foil years ago.
'He started making a very small ball. Then, he died at a very young age. I decided to continue it up till now,' he recalled fondly.
Every night, Lam drinks beer with his friends and spends at least three hours working on his foil creations. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle)
And while Lam, a farmer before he retired, insists he's not a 'crazy drinker', he does enjoy at least three beers a night. With each bottle, he carefully removes the foil, rolls it, and glues it onto his masterpiece.
'I roll it using my palms … to keep myself healthy. This improves blood circulation,' said the grandfather of four. Other regulars at the kopitiam happily pass him their pieces of foil too – eager to be part of the project.
'I have a lot of fans. They come to visit me because of my Tiger ball, not because of me! They will take a photograph with me to show off to their friends.'
And if you're expecting a paunchy old man hunched over his beer, think again. Lam is fit and full of energy. His arms are firm, his posture upright, and his face shows barely any wrinkles. His secret?
Besides the beer ball, Lam is also working on making foil bottles and cans. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle)
'I look after my food intake. I exercise daily. I don't eat much. I watch my diet. I'm addicted to exercise. Every day, I'm on the treadmill, just brisk walking for one and a half hours.
'The beer … I drink only moderately,' he shared. 'And I must have a good night's sleep. I sleep very easily. It's the secret,' he said.
And he's not stopping anytime soon. Now that the ball is done, Lam is crafting new foil sculptures in the shape of beer bottles and cans. With thousands of pieces of foil still in hand, he plans to keep going for another decade, right from his favourite kopitiam.
'The most important thing is, I'm interested in doing this. That's why I do it every night,' he concluded.
Follow Patrick Lam on Facebook.
