D

espite Indonesia having the lowest beer consumption in Southeast Asia, micro brewing, like third-wave coffee in Jakarta, has become serious business.

Following suit from countries such as the United States, New Zealand and Japan, Jakarta’s craft beer market has been expanding among both locals and foreigners.

Indonesians consume an average of 0.6 liters of pure alcohol a year, compared to around 9.7 liters a year consumed by our neighbors in Australia.

For Ade Putri Paramadita, co-founder of the online community Beergembira, the mission is to educate Jakartans about how to enjoy craft beer in a responsible way.

“Our campaign is to know your limit,” Ade says, “The hashtag is #TahuBatasnya, so we’re actually helping the government to educate people about drinking.”

Ade created the website with her drinking buddy in 2015, with the idea to inform people about all things beer — “both the good things and the bad things,” she said.

“[Most] people don’t want to enjoy beer,” Ade says, “they just want to get drunk.”

Around 90 percent of Indonesia’s population practices Islam, with a growing conservative movement prohibiting the consumption of alcohol.

“Not just craft beer but beer itself is somehow considered taboo by certain people,” Ade said.

According to Ranjiv Vasandani from Brewerkz Jakarta, “there’s always been a strong beer tradition”.

Cheap lagers such as Bali Hai, Bintang and Anker are the most common drinks among Jakarta’s beer-drinking community.

But micro brewers hope this can change, with a growing middle class and people returning from studying or working abroad.

Beer is produced using fermented wheat, yeast or barley combined with water, although the true craft is how the flavour can be manipulated with hops. Different beers such as ales and stouts have recently seen a sharp spike in popularity.

In one case, Brewerkz’s food and beverage advisor Trevor Bilney released a sticky date pudding before Ramadan — accompanied by a smoky stout beer. One of their most popular side-dishes is a pork sausage wrapped in bacon, showing Indonesia’s open-mindedness to food and alcohol.

Ranjiv said last year’s rise of religious conservatism associated with former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s blasphemy conviction “didn’t affect alcohol consumption”, while the decision to ban alcohol in mini markets had been “better for us”.

The mission to educate people about beer is evident at Brewerkz.

“Although the government doesn’t require it, we do practice responsible service of alcohol,” Ranjiv said.

Meanwhile, Ade has collaborated with other microbrewers in the city, in search of the perfect craft beer.

“We sometimes work with the brewer Beervana to create workshops and masterclasses just to introduce craft beer to our people,” Ade said.

“The future is promising. It just depends on how we can educate people and show them the beauty of craft beer.”

— Tys Occhiuzzi, an intern at The Jakarta Post, wrote the article.