Is Malaysian Ready For Craft Beers?
Craft beer is beer produce by smaller brewery or microbrewery. Most craft beer are slowly entering to become commercial brand as well. So the term craft beer are refer to independent brewery that are not own by big commercial brand like AB InBev, Miller, Carlsberg, Heineken and etc.
Is Malaysian ready for craft beers?
For me the answer is yes. Many years back when Hoegaarden start selling in Malaysia, the pickup is slow as well, but today this beer has become many drinkers favourite. For most that don’t understand beer type and brands, they would have consider Hoegaarden as craft beer as market like Malaysia are only known for Anchor, Tiger, Carlsberg, Royal Stout and Guinness.
How come craft beers don’t grow fast in Malaysia?
Craft beers can’t grow fast in Malaysia for many reason, first thing – there is not enough outlet selling it. Therefore not many people know their existence. For those that really like them will drove all the way from Penang to KL to get those beers. For Johorean is easier to hope to Singapore to get those beer, compare to travel to KL to buy it.
Actually new brands that come to our market are not easy to sell as well. Not familiar beer brands will take time to grow, even commercial big brands are not hitting the market that easy. A lot of Advertising and Promotion (A&P) funds are spend to create the awareness. Hence, Malaysian are not well aware of craft beers.
Why do we need Craft Beers in Malaysia?
For beer lovers like me, I do want them as they have lot’s of different style of beer that hardly I can see in big commercial brands. Craft beers offering are more unique and have plenty of style and taste. For beginners that are not familiar with craft beers will always got the wrong idea of it, if outlet didn’t know their consumer profile and recommend the wrong beer to them, their craft beer experience will be spoil. Is not about choices but know what beer you are drinking.
Honestly I think, we need to have more brands and diversify of the products. The local commercial brands offering may have a lot of brands but most offer the same type of beers. Tiger, Carlsberg, Heineken, Anchor, Skol, Asahi and Tuborg is a lager/pilsner which have quite the same character. Then Paulaner, Erdinger, Konig Ludwig and Franziskaner are the basic Weissbier (of course in here you have the dunkel and blonde). These are the few major brands that we all quite familiar. So in a pub sometimes can have 6 draught that offering maybe only 3 different type of beers.
Craft beer have more variants that can give drinkers to choose their profile of taste. This will let consumer to know there are beer out there with different taste and character.
How come craft beers scene still so quiet?
They are not quiet, only people pay less interest to the thing they don’t understand. So craft beer market in Malaysia will hardly grow, but I do put the blame on the importers/supplier as they don’t do enough homework to sell the beer. They think by bringing craft beers consumer will just flock in and buy it because it’s unique. All this thing take time to build, without proper knowledge of the product is not easy to flair the market.
Just like the Brewfest 2012 that happen in May, the turn out was a failure, organiser are greedy and charge a high price for entry. Beer booth people are not well educated enough on this kind of event. After been there for one day, you won’t walk in for the next day as the event is boring. Marketing was bad to promote the event, ground staff are quite confuse and many more.
Will craft beers grow in this few years?
Hell, I do wish so. As many part of the world, the demand of craft beers are increasing and the microbreweries also have grown in size. More new independent brewery are setup daily around the world. Our market will never ready for craft beer if supplier don’t bring them in. Beer education in this country are bad, alcohol knowledge are almost flat. The drinking scene are lack a lot of passion, drinkers also not sure why they hang out at certain place. In all criteria, CHEAP is always what consumer are looking at.
Why is Craft Beer expensive?
Firstly anything import to Malaysia is expensive because of the high excise duty and import tax. Secondly as they are mostly independent brewery, they buy small amount of ingredients which are higher in price to make their beer. Thirdly most small breweries depend a lot on man power, this are time consuming and eat up a lot of profit.
But is it expensive? I don’t really thing so as the taste justify the price, not all craft beers worth their price but most craft beer are much more value then existing beer we have. Expensive and cheap is all on consumer hand. For me Craft Beer are reasonably price here in Malaysia.
How can Craft Beers grow in Malaysia?
It does not take 1 hand to clap. All segment have to have same mentality only can make this work. Sad to say so, is really hard as outlet normally won’t carry Craft Beers as is not easy to sell and the price are more pricey. Supplier have to bring in the right stuff for the consumer and not the other way round. Education from each end to end is important, as supplier can teach the outlet about the beer and outlet can tell what consumer are looking for beside CHEAP. Everyone have a role to play, if they are serious in bringing Craft Beers to the next level.
Conclusion
Craft Beers market in Malaysia still got long way to go before they hit 1% of the market. I can blame many things why Craft Beers are not successful in Malaysia but that is not important. The important thing is for importer to understand the market. Selling the beer and earn money are two different thing, having passion doing it is another. If can combine all these will be good.
As for consumer, is not that consumers are not smart for not choosing Craft Beers, is just that consumer don’t really know what is Craft Beers. To grow this market is not only selling, need passion to educate the consumer, need time to create marketing, need other method to do events, need to convert more people to love beer.
I hope in this few years, Craft Beers in Malaysia will grow. I bet many reader here will not agree to what I just written, this is just my opinion. Long Live Craft Beers! Cheers!