So anyone who knows me well knows that I love a good brew, especially craft, and even home brews! But to be honest what Aussie bloke doesn’t like a good beer? So checking out this cool craft brewery in Canggu was high on my list of things to do – (i.e. go and get a brew in Canggu!)
When you visit Bali you invariably think that you’re going to be eating at a few restaurants, that you’ll get a massage or two, walk along the beach and get pursued by street hawkers and be able to enjoy luxury at an affordable price, but what you may not have expected from Bali is… craft BEER! And what sort of beer are we talking about? I hear the banging together of beer kegs, and the moving of full beer cans along a metal surface, and I immediately know… this is a beer brewery in South East Asian Paradise… and I’ve arrived at the Black Sand Brewery – aptly titled after the Indonesian archipelagos famous reputation for volcanology, and its resulting crunchy surface on beaches as basalt and ‘black’ sand from years, and years and years of volcanic lava flows.
The Black Sand Brewery is located in the cool Balinese (South Coast) neighbourhood of Canggu. Enter this area and you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to dining, and drinking too. The brewery is a great hangout if you’re after following British inspired traditions of spending all-day Saturday, or all day Sunday (or any day, if you’re on holiday!) and having a ‘Sunday sesh’ with your mates at the pub, or if you’re after a few quiet brews before then heading to a restaurant (yes Gents, it’s not ALL about you, and you MUST take the ladies to dinner, lunch or breakfast too!) But maybe don’t stay up all night on the tinnies, and then go to breakfast… that wouldn’t be a good look, eh?
So, beer in hand… and I’m sitting inside because it’s far too hot to sit out in the Black Sand beer garden – even though it looks very inviting… I didn’t come in a Bintang singlet (whoops!) and I sure as hell am not taking off my shirt, to drink beers in the sun… It seems there’s not a pool in sight, and no watering holes to dip your toes, or to cool your spurs. The hydration station is the BEER, baby – and if you want to swim, go someplace else, as the beer here is the core focus.
I seem to recall eating some kind of empanadas off the ‘bar snack menu’, and didn’t have anything distinctly Balinese after that… was it just a liquid dinner? (tell the truth!) perhaps, perhaps, perhaps… In terms of culture, this beer bar has a bit more of an urban, almost industrial feel to it… but there aren’t too many hints of Indonesian, or Balinese culture. Yes, there are things which give it a distinctly Balinese and Indonesian name, and the logo has a Balinese mask, but in terms of what makes Indonesia’s craft beer scene unique… it’s somewhat lacking. There is a story to tell (I’m sure), but I’m just not getting it served up to me in the glass, or in the pub decor.
The beers however are good, and are quite easy to drink. I’m not getting beers with big flavours, or big statements of sour, or hops or distinctly lagery beers, rather beers that are easy to drink, and are going down quite well on this very hot and humid Balinese day.
So what exactly does Balinese beer have to offer? For starters it’s inspired by many of the typical flavours that you’d get anywhere else on the planet, but it’s very much informed with flavours that point to the tropically goodness that is quintessentially Bali.
- Black Sand Kolsch – as the name suggests this German-inspired brew has something that I can’t put my finger on… is it sweet? A little… is it clean? Very, and it is easy to drink? Somewhat… it is a German beer, so it has bit more complexity, but at the same time it’s refreshing at 4.2%.
- Black Sand Amber Ale – a very easy to drink beer at 4.8%, and it’s golden colour is highlighted in the feature photo, the top right-hand corner photo to be precise. It’s balanced, and has a slightly sweet sticky taste on the pallet (hinting at caramel, and toffee), with little hints of flowers (hello hibiscus!), and a more bitter finish and aftertaste.
- Black Sand Pilsener – this beer was the easiest of them all to drink. It was dry, and crispy-ish, with a slight maltiness. Easiest to drink at only 4.1%.
- Black Sand Big Hazy – lookout Mt Agung! For this is the biggest BANG of them all! At 8%, you can bet you’ll get getting a lil tipsy if you have one, and definitely tipsy if you have two or more. A refreshing lager that’s good if you’re after a paced-out session.
