The elementary colors and common traces of Piet Mondrian seize the purity and ease of Singaporean craft beer brewery Brewlander’s aim: to make nice booze and do Asian craft beers proud. That is mirrored within the brewery’s “squared B” trademark.
Born out of its founder John Wei’s ardour for homebrewing in his personal residence, Brewlander is now one of many largest impartial craft breweries in Singapore, with a brewing capability of some 3,000 litres (to not be in contrast with giants like Tiger Beer or Heineken). Alongside its journey, Brewlander has breezily scooped up a number of awards and can also be regarded amongst beer fans as a number one brewer within the Singaporean craft beer scene.
In an fascinating interview, John admitted that advertising his merchandise was not his robust swimsuit; he was extra centered on beer manufacturing. And as we find out about Brewlander’s story, we are able to see how this real deal with flavour over revenue has yielded dividends for John and his crew.
Bear in mind, Singapore is the costliest metropolis in Asia to stay in. Lease and development prices are prohibitive. As a startup, Brewlander started its life as a “gypsy brewery,” which concerned John renting amenities from a Cambodian mega brewery to supply his beers. However after successful the effusive praises of critics and judges, John took a leap of religion in 2020 – in the course of the top of pandemic provide chain disruptions – to open a state-of-the-art brewery within the west of Singapore.
The brewery is absolutely automated and has the power to brew a lot larger ABV beers (as much as 10%) with relative ease. The tools additionally permits John’s crew to steep hops at any chosen temperature, permitting delicate hop aromas to be extracted with out an excessive amount of hop bitterness. Lastly, typical beers are filtered to make clear them and take away a thick cloudy suspension. Brewlander doesn’t filter its beers. As a substitute, a centrifuge is used to make clear the beer with out stripping away an excessive amount of flavour.
To a beer fanatic, all this fancy, costly tools make a significant distinction to beer high quality and flavour. In addition they enable Brewlander to develop a bigger vary of beer kinds for its viewers, reminiscent of a excessive ABV “triple IPA” a tough type to brew as a result of must steadiness maltiness, hops, and alcohol character with drinkability.
Since establishing their very own brewing facilites in Singapore, Brewlander has launched many extra uncommon kinds of beer, together with pastry stouts, fruited sours and British-style cask ales. Regardless of having achieved vital scale and recognition as a brewery, with John on the helm, plainly Brewlander nonetheless retains the homebrewer’s spirit of experimentation and simply having enjoyable with malt and hops.
Singapore has a vibrant cocktail bar, wine, and whisky scene. But on the craft beer entrance, Brewlander understands that they nonetheless have their work minimize out for them within the Southeast Asian markets. So, whereas John and his crew are very a lot beer purists, they take pains to persuade new drinkers to present craft beer a shot. Schooling and brewery excursions are a technique to begin the craft beer motion.
It additionally helps to brew extremely drinkable kinds of beers such because the fruit-juice-like New England IPAs (a massively fashionable type), bright-coloured smoothie sours, and different kinds that deviate from the Bavarian Beer Purity Regulation of 1516 (which states that solely water, malt, hops and yeast could also be used to brew beer).
One other one in all these extremely drinkable beers from Brewlander is the Mango Fever Wheat Beer, which I’ve the possibility to style as we speak.
This is available in at the usual 5% ABV and is specifically brewed with the addition of malted wheat and – of course- mangoes, chatting with the robust Southeast Asian heritage of the brewery. Its product description appears to vow a way of collective Singaporean nostalgia, what with the references to refreshing shaved ice and mango bits (“mango ice kachang”) and ice cream sandwiches from a conventional ice cream cart.
Let’s go in for a style.
Brewlander Mango Fever Wheat Beer – Overview
Retails in Singapore at US$5 a can.
Color: Marigold yellow, barely hazy.
On the nostril: Recent, clear, hoppy and floral. Mildly bitter hop-forward notes pour forth from the beer head (the frothy foam half), accompanied by notes of elderflowers. Because the aromas open up, we get richer notes of candy honey, lychees and citrusy calamansi. Not a lot mango at this level but!
Within the mouth: Lush, full-bodied and tropical. Ripe crimson mangoes are instantly obvious on first sip. Mildly candy and tangy, very similar to mango-coconut jelly toppings for boba teas. The thickness and viscosity can also be harking back to Nestle’s Mango-Peach flavoured Sjora. There’s a bit extra complexity to this and the sweetness doesn’t overstay its welcome (barely much less candy than a Kronenbourg Blanc). The candy palate is balanced out by mild tangy notes of lime and a barely bready be aware you get in sure wheat beers. Floral hop notes felt on the again palate additionally meld seamlessly into the ripe mangoes and citrus notes, punctuating the melody with some delicate dryness on the again. The end is pretty quick. The departure of vibrant candy tropical notes go away a evenly floral be aware of jasmine tea and hops that proceed to emanate from the again of the throat.
Conclusions
A drink for adults who’re younger at coronary heart. These with a candy tooth would benefit from the melange of candy and citrusy yellow fruits. For a drink like that, the balanced sweetness and hoppiness can also be a lot appreciated, it’s fruity sufficient to present you a real style of mangoes, however not so candy as to lose its identification as a beer.
Some craft beer drinkers could choose a stronger drink, or bolder notes of bitter hops. However I think about they wouldn’t have critical grievance in regards to the Mango Fever. The purpose of this drink is basically to introduce the craft beer class to a wider pool of latest beer drinkers, and get the craft beer motion actually going on this a part of the world. And for that, the Mango Fever is a high-quality endeavour by Brewlander.
Rating: 8/10
Lead picture courtesy of Brewlander.
