The local beer industry in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

began in the early 1930s with the formation of Malayan Breweries Limited (MBL) in 1931 (which went on to produce Tiger Beer) and later Archipelago Brewery in 1933 (which went on to produce Anchor Beer).

Commercial breweries

In April 1931 the first commercial brewery in Singapore, MBL, was formed as a joint venture between local soft drinks producer,

Fraser & Neave Fraser and Neave, Limited (F&N) is a Singaporean food and beverage, publishing and former brewing and property industries conglomerate. It is owned by Thai Chinese billionaire business magnate Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi. Listed in Singapore, t ...

, and Dutch brewer,

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Feb ...

. The company's first brewery, located at Alexandra Road, became operational in October 1932, with the production of Tiger Beer. In July 1931 the Archipel Brouweriji Compagnie ( Archipelago Brewery Co.) was formed in Batavia (now known as

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...

), by German brewer, Beck's, constructing breweries in both Singapore and Batavia. In November 1933 the Archipelago Brewery commenced operations from its brewery, also located on Alexandra Road, producing Anchor Beer. With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the British annexed the Archipelago Brewery in 1939, under the provisions of the Trading with the Enemy Act 1939 – deeming it enemy territory for its German ties – vesting its control with the

Custodian of Enemy Property The Custodian of Enemy Property is an institution that handles property claims created by war. In wartime, civilian property may be left behind or taken by the occupying state. In ancient times, such property was considered war loot, and the le ...

. In January 1941 a new company, the Archipelago Brewery Company (1941) Limited, was formed by Malayan Breweries to purchase the brewery. Operations at both breweries ceased with the capture of Singapore by the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

in February 1942. The Japanese subsequently expropriated all the production facilities and ordered Dai-Nippon Breweries to produce beer from the breweries. Immediately following the liberation of Singapore in September 1945 by the Allied forces, operations at Malayan Breweries recommenced. In 1990, it was renamed

Asia Pacific Breweries Heineken Asia Pacific, formerly Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) is a Singaporean brewery company. Founded in 1931 as a joint venture between Heineken International and Fraser and Neave, it was renamed Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) in 1989 and given i ...

(APB). In 2013, APB merged with Heineken Asia Pacific and was renamed Heineken Asia Pacific to reflect its role as Heineken's regional hub. The most popular domestic beer brands in Singapore are Tiger Beer and Anchor. APB also brews

Lager Beer under a license from its

parent company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

, while Carlsberg is also a popular beverage with wide distribution around the island. Other notable brands Baron's Strong Brew and ABC Extra Stout.

Local microbreweries

Since the mid 2000s a number of smaller

microbreweries Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

have been established throughout Singapore. There are now over fifteen microbreweries in the country, including Brewerkz Microbrewery and Restaurants (established in 1997), Archipelago Brewery (re-commissioned 2006), RedDot Brewhouse (2007), LeVel33 (2010), AdstraGold Microbrewery (2010), Paulaner Bräuhaus, Starker Fresh Beer, The 1925 Microbrewery & Restaurant, Little Island Brewing Company (2015) OnTap (2015), Innocence (2016), & Hospoda (2016).

Craft beers

Singapore is home to a lively craft beer scene with hundreds of craft beer brands imported from around the world and well-represented in the island. Since the mid 2010s, craft beers are more available throughout bars, restaurants and hotels as well as retail outlets from supermarket to independent craft beer stores, both offline and online. Although

craft beer Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

sales only account for less than 2 per cent of Singapore's beer market, it is fast growing as consumer appetites and the trend of premiumisation converts more people into drinking craft beers.

Beer festivals

An annual beer festival
Beerfest Asia
is held in Singapore in June each year. It was first held in 2008 and attracts over 30,000 beer lovers. The festival features over 500 beers and ciders from over 35 exhibitors around the world. Th
Asia Beer Awards
were established in 2008 and ran in conjunction with Beerfest Asia until 2013. The awards recommenced in 2016. The Asia Beer Awards are the largest beer awards held in Asia, with 160 beers competing across 15 categories.

References

{{beers of the world Alcohol in Singapore Singaporean alcoholic drinks