Continuing our tour of beers across the globe with our stop in Bali. Indonesia is one of those “one national beer” countries – in this case the brand is Bintang. You can generally find Heineken at most places (as with most of the world) and there is a small but growing craft beer movement in the country, but in general the options are either a small Bintang or a large Bintang most of the time. Obviously you’ll most often want to go with the large.
There is another Indonesian brand called Singaraja you can sometimes find, but this is more available at convenience/grocery stores and not usually seen in restaurants. Fancier/more westernized places will often have a few local craft beers on tap too – usually something from Kura Kura or Black Sand breweries. But seriously, its almost all Bintang. So much so, they even sell Bintang tank tops to tourists – such as this one ($3.75 USD after haggling):
Luckily, one place we stayed was fairly close to the Black Sands Brewery location, so we made a visit. Generally I think warm climates have difficulty with craft beer (at least personally, I don’t really feel like a hoppy IPA when its 93 degrees) but I’m starting to learn it’s more a matter of what you choose to brew. The IPA you’ll find at Black Sands is on the lighter side, and they definitely focus on “Island” ales and Pilsners, which taste great ice cold. Beyond the beer, the place has a great interior and food menu as well.
You might think the lack of variety/competition would bring down the quality of a Bintang, but you’d be wrong. Especially if you like pilsners, this is a perfect beer for Indonesia’s climate – great for the beach, the pool, the jungle, or the city. Below is a selection of Bintangs in their natural environment throughout Bali – enjoy!
