History of Beer in Indonesia
The industrial revolution still had not reached the Tropics and the production of beers, particularly for lager beers, was not possible. Due to the climate ice or mechanical refrigeration were not enough , during the months of the beer maturation, to reach the temperature just above freezing level.
But, since there a lot of beer was drunk in the East Indies thirsty climate, so the beers had to be imported. In order to keep the beer well, in any case, it had to be pasteurized. But the pasteurization in the vessels was technically very difficult. Thus, almost all the beers were supplied in bottles.
The major Dutch breweries such as Heineken, Amstel, Zuid-Hollandsche Bierbrouwerij, Van Vollenhoven and Phoenix filled the bottles for export. This is clearly seen in the advertising materials in the period from about 1900 to 1940, often bottles or labels appeared in the newspapers or magazinesof Batavia.
The competition was fierce. Not only Dutch brewerie exported to the Dutch East Indies, German breweries such as Beck & Co. (Bremen) with the brands Koentji (the brand with a key) and Kloster Beer. Were also represented British, American and Japanese breweries.
Today large bottles (now 620 ml) are still called 'Bremer' in Indonesia.
By the long journey, the beer in the Dutch East Indies was very expensive and the quality left much to be desired as a result of careless handling.
A beer hall in a brewery branch at the begin of 20° century in Soerabaya.
The first brewery in Indonesia is dated 1885, the Nederlandsh-Indische Bierbrouwerij "De Kroon", when a four horsepower steam engine, was used to produce ice. On January 1886 the brewery was able to brew beer. The brewery began production on May 6, 1886. The capacity was 3,000 bottles per day. It was able to deliver the beers for half the price of the imported beers. The first types brought on the market were Princesse, Indian Ale and Extra Stout. This brewery has been in...