Over the last few years, the craft beer industry has been steadily growing. From a group of enthusiasts talking about hops and experimenting with their own home brews, to becoming business owners actually daring to take the risk and enter the market, Singapore’s craft beer scene has since flourished. Now, with plenty of brands becoming household names, and enough fans that take an interest in importing or travelling just for a taste of something new, there’s no better time than to have an entire festival dedicated to craft beer.

Riding on the success of its inaugural edition in 2023, homegrown craft beer brand Brewlander is back this year for the second round of their beloved Brewnanza Fest, now in a new indoor venue at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, and more beers than ever before. Featuring over 100 unique craft beers from top local and international breweries, Brewnanza Fest looks set to be this year’s must-attend event for beer enthusiasts across Asia and beyond. Speaking to Brewlander founder John Wei, we found out more about Brewlander’s plans for the year, and what we can expect from the brand as it continues to develop.

“The guiding principle for Brewlander came from a time when I had a comfortable job, and I had to decide whether to go back to what I was comfortable with or give homebrewing a chance,” says John, on Brewlander’s origins. “What drove the switch was traveling around and seeing a lot of local beers from various countries popping up, like Heart of Darkness, Pasteur Street, and Young Master – wherever you go, there is local representation. In Singapore, all we had was still commercial beers. But instead of complaining, I decided to make a difference and change things.”

“All we had was Tiger, and in the early days, I thought, “Beers could taste better than this.” So I set my sights on creating a brand that’s iconic, like Tiger, but to make Brewlander an iconic local craft beer, similar to how London has beers like Beavertown and BrewDog,” he adds. “We started out in a good handful of craft beer bars, and we grew by putting ourselves in more bars around Singapore. But there was also a ceiling for that – there are maybe 50 outlets that stock craft beer, but that’s probably the limit locally. Then people see what we do and think it’s easy, then they contract brews and flood the market with beer, creating a saturation point with craft beer bars.”

Which is how that led to Brewnanza Fest, as a new platform and avenue for Brewlander to find new fans from all over. “Eighteen months ago, I realized we couldn’t keep focusing on a niche market,” says John, on Brewnanza Fest’s origins. “We wanted the beer to be enjoyed by more people in Singapore, so we needed to grow outward. We’ve worked very hard on that, with more self-belief. We’re already a leading craft beer brand, but we wanted to take it a step further and introduce more people to craft beer.”

With Brewnanza Fest, Brewlander is going above and beyond just being a space to sell their own beer, uplifting the craft beer industry as a whole, and allowing networking between brewers and beer aficionados, to become an accessible and easygoing space to introduce newbies to the world of craft beer, and for opportunities to deepen and appreciate the understanding of craft beer. “We were very certain we wanted to do a second round; everyone who came last year enjoyed it, and the only feedback was that 10:30 pm was too early to close,” says John. “With the indoor space, rain or shine, the event can go on, and we have till 11.:59pm this time. The best thing about it being indoors is the air conditioning, and while capturing the same vibe indoors can be challenging, we aim to avoid the trade fair atmosphere and make it more of an indoor party with the lighting, design, and peripheral activities.”

“What I remember from last year is how people came, spent time, and enjoyed themselves, which made me happy. Other vendors also made money and want to return this year. Planning this year, we wanted to take it further, with offerings of food, music, and especially beer. Big names from last year are also coming back, and some of them can’t even be bought in their own country,” he adds. “Some people say, “Why pay money to attend?” But to drink all these beers, you’d otherwise need to travel to at least 30 different cities, some of which run out so fast you don’t even get a chance to drink them. If you’re not in the US, you can’t drink these US beers, and I’d even go so far as to say that some of these beers are as hot as Taylor Swift tickets.”

Beyond the returning favourites from last year, Brewnanza Fest 2024 will also be featuring the debuts of local brewers Hello Ren Min and international favourites like Sudden Death Brewing (Germany), Salama Brewing Co (Finland), Garage Project (New Zealand), Gorilla Brewing and Seoul Brewery (South Korea), alongside Uchu Brewing (Japan). “We really want to give people the chance to drink these beers outside of needing an air ticket – and so many of them are still being sold at face value. What adds to the cost is also the entertainment. We knock on doors and inject funds to make sure people are paid what they deserve, including musicians,” says John. “It’s not just a platform for beers but also for musicians who struggled through COVID. We pay them what they’re worth, and they’re happy to come and perform well. As a whole, Brewnanza Fest really is all about ensuring quality and appreciating people, so we all do better, and really forge that sense of community.”

As for what Brewlander themselves are offering, all guests will be able to try their new welcome beer, slated to be a 4.3% flavourful session pale ale with a good amount of hops. “Our special festival beer is very tropical, very clean and crisp,” says John. “There are 13 beers from Brewlander, where our core beers will be there, along with some fan favourites. We’re also brewing a cold IPA specifically for this event. It has the same malt profile base but with classic old-world American hops, like those from the ’90s and early 2000s. It’s more bitter and firm, with more citrus and pine notes. It’s a more modern variation, with more Mosaic hops, and New Zealand hops that are more citrusy with mango and passionfruit notes.”

“A lot of credit goes to Edwin, our brewing manager, who has a lot of ideas. But most importantly of all, we know what we’re good at, and our strength is consistency—how do we make the same beer again and again, consistently? We do it well, do it clean, and make sure no one does it better than us,” he adds. “We have fresh batches of Psychedelic, and we’ve subconsciously moved away from hazys. Basically, we don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. Especially with our brand where it is now, we know what works for us and we stay in our lane.”

And if anything, it’s a method that seems to have worked for Brewlander – despite the many options at the festival, their own booth still ended up doing the best last year. “In the past, no restaurant wanted to put in local beer because they weren’t sure of the quality or if people wanted to pay for it. Imported beers were preferred. But then they tasted our beer and were scared they might have to go to the hospital, only to go, “Wow, you made this?” Their eyes opened wide, and the beer did the talking. They asked how much it cost, and it was only slightly cheaper than imported beer,” says John. “Some people fight over 10 cents per can, but I stand by it. The beer is fresher and nicer than some imported beers. We’ve established a price point for good craft beer. Anyone can sell beer cheap, but we wanted to build an ecosystem. Everyone joked, “Aiyah, I can’t afford Brewlander; it’s too expensive.” But now, it’s definitely not too expensive.”

Brewlander has clearly struck while the iron is hot, and have now established themselves as leaders in the industry, thanks to key decisions, as well as still having a big heart. “I was a trader before, and one piece of advice I got from an older guy was very stock market-oriented. He always said, “You don’t need to make all the money in the world. Wait for the right opportunity.” The ones who lose money every day feel the need to trade constantly. But you should only act when it’s the right season, or the right style or method of trading,” says John. “The goal isn’t to open my own beer place just yet – I’m not an F&B person, and I need the right skillset and partner; otherwise, it could shut down quickly. We’re still focusing on growing the brand and getting into more established places. If we do open a place, it won’t be to get into the F&B game but more like creating an Apple Store to showcase the range. We have taps now, some on draft, for example, there’s Supply and Demand at the Esplanade.”

“But with Brewnanza Fest, we’ve created something that really shines a light on craft beer in Singapore, a platform for ourselves and our peers. Friends ask why we’re doing this to market our “competitors.” Tiger wouldn’t do this for Carlsberg, and Carlsberg wouldn’t do it for Tiger. But we’re not in competition with others,” he concludes. “We want to be the gateway brand to bring people in. The jump might be big if you’re not even a beer drinker, especially for the new generation. We want to be the bridge that links people together, and inevitably, as this event becomes annual, we know we’re going make an impact and convert people into craft beer drinkers, and be the catalyst to kickstart that.”

Photos Courtesy of Brewlander, from Brewnanza Fest 2023

Brewnanza Fest 2024 runs from 22nd to 25th August 2024, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Hall E. For more tickets and information about Brewnanza Fest 2024, visit their website.