Back in 2012, when South Jakarta's establishment Coffeebeerian started serving home-brewed India Pale Ale (IPA)-styled beer, the customers' response was less than encouraging. Many "didn't like the taste" and found it "bitter and tasted like jamu [Indonesian traditional herbal medicine]”. It's hardly surprising since, for decades, Indonesian beer drinkers have been accustomed to the more common lager-style beer from big brands such as Bintang, Anker and Bali Hai, among others. 

These days, beer enthusiasts would be able to find craft beer in most alcohol-serving establishments in the country. While many remain imported from Japan, the United States and Australia, local breweries have started to join the party, giving local beer enthusiasts more options to quench their thirst. 

Getting into craft beer in his formative years in Australia, half Irish-half Balinese Putu Wiranatha didn't find many beer options every time he returned to Bali. So, he decided to start his brewery to produce locally-made, high-quality beer. In the midst of 2020, his brand, Kura Kura, was established. 

Initially only served on tap at dozens of venues in Bali, Kura Kura saw a lot of growth when it started selling its products in cans. While not disclosing the numbers, Putu said their sales had gone up 400 percent compared to when it began. Their Island Ale, in particular, became the brand's best-seller. 

"It's technically an American pale ale, but it's our interpretation of what a perfect beer to drink in Bali is like," Putu explains, "It's light, has a good amount of bitterness and a lot of tropical aromas." 

Quality local brew: Half Irish-Half Balinese Putu Wiranatha starts his own brewery in Bali, Kura Kura, with the goal of producing locally-made, high-quality beer. (Courtesy of Kura Kura) (Courtesy of Kura Kura/Courtesy of Kura Kura)

Another new player in the Indonesian craft beer scene, Islands of Imagination (IOI), took it further by creating unique flavors inspired by Indonesia's rich culture and local produce. For example, their debut creation Brut Lager uses jeruk limau as an ingredient as opposed to the more common jeruk nipis (lime).

"Limau is uniquely Indonesian. You can't find jeruk limau lager in the world, which is craft beer's essence. It's about being innovative and creating a new beer that people haven't tasted yet," IOI's CEO Laura Bangun Prinsloo says. 

IOI's Salacia Wheat Beer was created when many salak (snake fruit) farmers around the company's brewery in Bali could not sell their produce due to the pandemic. 

"We tried pairing salak with wheat beer and it tasted beautiful," she recalls. 

Indonesia's current craft beer scene is buzzing, but the seeds were not only sown last night. It's unclear how it started or who started it. Still, Bali's microbrewery Storm Beer already existed before 2010 but is currently no longer operating, while Stark—founded in 2011—is claimed to be Indonesia's first craft beer. 

What's clear is that the growth of Indonesia's craft beer community for the past decade owes a lot to Coffeebeerian. Established initially in 2012 as a hangout space that sells both coffee and beer, Coffeebeerian later became the community hub for local brewers and beer enthusiasts. 

"We've always been showcasing local brewers' beer, which we curate based on the standard of Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) since we're serving them to the public," owner Laki Gushary explains. 

While the interest was there, the growth was painfully slow in the beginning, Laki recalls. 

In 2014, Laki received a phone call from someone seeking craft beer. The customer ended up bringing an overseas friend who happened to be Aaron Grieser, the founder of Beervana, a Southeast-Asia based craft beer supplier. Two years later, Beervana set up its operation in Indonesia, which became the turning point in the industry. 

"Now that there's a distributor, you can find wide varieties of craft beer everywhere and the market became aware of these products," Laki says. "People with access to alcohol production became incentivized to start their craft breweries." 

“Although the Indonesian brewers' community keeps growing in numbers, obtaining a production license is almost impossible,” Laki added. 

"There's no such thing as license production for microbreweries in Indonesia. Even licenses for big, commercial breweries are strictly restricted," Laki explains. "The government stopped issuing new ones a while ago, which means the only way is to work with other small breweries who already have a license or buy them out." 

IOI's Laura admits that she went all over Indonesia to find a license before starting their brewery. 

"I went to Manado, Surabaya, Medan and finally found one in Bali," she continues. 

The craft beer community pushed for a law change as part of the 2020 Job Creation Law. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo even signed the October 2021 Presidential Decree, which was supposed to open the local alcohol industry to domestic and foreign investment. However, following an outcry from major religious groups in the country, the President was forced to rescind his decision within just a few days. 

Mix of both world: Established initially in 2012 as a hangout space selling both coffee and beer, Coffeebeerian becomes the community hub for local brewers and beer enthusiasts. (Courtesy of Coffeebeerian) (Courtesy of Coffeebeerian/Courtesy of Coffeebeerian)

Ade Putri Paramadita of Beergembira—an Indonesian beer media and community—wishes that things will change in the future, especially considering the industry's economic potential.

"Rather than prohibiting it, why not regulate it? It has a lot of potential, branding-wise. Indonesia can produce a lot of interesting products because we have so many different ingredients to work with," Ade says. 

"I love beers that are different from the norm—like sour beer—that uses this or that fruit as an ingredient. It allows me to educate the market and break stereotypes such as beer tastes bitter or that it's a man's drink," Ade says. "And that's always fun." 

Although still very small market-wise, Indonesia's craft beer is here to stay as more local breweries are churning out exciting new products. Kura Kura is set to announce its new lines of beers shortly, and Coffeebeerian's owner, Laki, is about to launch his brewery called Kultur Ale, making it the first craft beer based in Jakarta. 

"I hope one day I can just go down to a mini market near where I live and just be puzzled by the beer selections, 'Hmm, which one do I want to try today?'" Laki says.