OnTap Magazine

ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2025 | 17 "E very time you said ‘Africa’, you could have replaced it with ‘the Philippines’ and every word you said would still make perfect sense.” So said a brewer from one of the Philippines’ 100-or-so craft breweries after a short seminar I gave at this year’s Brew Asia, discussing the challenges and trends across Africa’s craft beer scene. And his comment wasn’t the only one. Brewers from across the continent sawmany parallels between what’s happening in Africa and the state of Asia’s craft beer industry. BrewAsiaisanannualexpoandconference that attracts brewers, suppliers and beer lovers from around the continent. Founded by husband-and-wife team Charles Guerrier and Katherine Lee in 2015, the event was originally called SEA Brew, but was renamed in 2022 to reflect the expansion far beyond the borders of South East Asia. The conference began in the events room of a Singapore brewery, with 75 delegates discussing the local beer scene at a day- long event. A small trade fair was added the following year. Today Brew Asia rotates through different Asian countries with Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand and of course Singapore having hosted it in the past. This year, Bangkok welcomed more than 1000 brewing industry professionals – and one or two extreme enthusiasts who travelled from around the continent to learn about the latest trends and innovations in Asia’s beer market. AFRICAN PARALLELS Much about the Asian beer scene would be familiar to the African craft brewer. Markets are vastly dominated by big players, licensing laws seriously hinder expansion, cold chain distribution rarely exists, and issues such as power outages and high inflation affect some countries. But widely-speaking, the pan-Asian brewing scene is ahead of the pan-African craft beer market. One look around the expo’s 70-plus booths showed a much greater range of suppliers than we currently see across Africa, whether that’s for malt, hops, equipment or packaging. And the international nature of the expo’s attendees speaks to the accessibility of pan-Asian travel, compared to the prohibitive costs of flying within Africa. Beer trends are largely familiar: hazy IPAs of course abound, although they seem to be trumped, at least in Thailand, by the crisper, clearer and generally more bitter Cold IPA, a trend that failed to make much of a splash in the African market. Lagers are likewise popular, just as they reign in Africa. But interesting local styles are likewise plentiful, including beers flavoured with tea, beers brewed with rice, or beers that showcase local fruits and spices such as lychee, jackfruit, Szechuan peppercorns and dragon fruit. And there was beer aplenty at Brew Asia – from the lagers, hazies and cold IPAs rotating on the main expo bar (pouring from a converted tuk tuk), to the experimental and limited-edition beers brewed in collaboration with visiting malt, yeast and hop merchants to highlight their latest products. Conference talks featured local and international speakers leading seminars on marketing, brewing science, packaging innovations and various sensory sessions, culminating in a tasting of various types of sake. NIGHTTIME NETWORKING Once the expo ended each evening, delegates moved on to local microbreweries and craft beer bars to continue networking. A highlight was 12 Plato, site of the Brew Asia after party, and home to 12 taps of local and imported beer, including a cherry blossom gose, session-strength meads finished with New Zealand hops, and a jasmine rice lager from Bangkok-based Vana Brewing Co. And much like BeerEx Africa here, the grand finale of Brew Asia is the awards Some of the winners at the Asian Beer Championship celebrate on stage