Black Sand Brewery

Black Sand Brewery grew out of backyard homebrewing with friends in 2018 and opened in Canggu in early 2019, a few months before the pandemic. It was co-founded by Mattia Di Bitonto, a Milan-born surfer raised in Bali, who set out with his father to build one of the island's first craft breweries. New Zealand brewer Duane Morton, formerly of Heart of Darkness in Saigon, joined as head brewer in 2021. The beer is brewed in-house on the steel tanks behind the bar, and the team later added a sister production brewery and cannery, Island Brewing, whose pilsner and pale ales also pour at the brewpub.

The beers

• Kolsch, German-style ale, 4.2%
• IPA, 6.3%
• Rice Lager, 4.7%
• Cherry Sour, 4.2%

The house range is unfiltered and unpasteurised, with a Belgian Blonde, an apple cider and small-batch seasonals alongside. The brewery says its IPA has won a silver medal at the Asia Beer Championship.

Where to drink it

The home of the beer is the Black Sand Brewery brewpub itself on Jl. Pantai Batu Bolong, open daily from noon to midnight, with a big semi-outdoor beer garden, weekly food nights and a beer cave of cans to take away. Elsewhere in Bali, The Bench in Canggu keeps a Black Sand line among its six craft taps. In Jakarta, look for it at Brew and Barrel in Senayan City and for the Kolsch on the local taps at Beer Garden+ in SCBD Park.