Kura Kura Beer

Kura Kura Beer was founded by father and son Putu and Kadek Wiranatha, who are Balinese-born and well travelled, and the brand describes itself as 100% Balinese-owned. It launched in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, with the simple aim of brewing fresh, sessionable beer on the island. The brewery sits on a 3-hectare plot in Plaga, in the Badung highlands about 45km north of Denpasar, where the cooler weather and mountain spring water suit brewing. The beers are free of preservatives and additives, made only from malt, hops, yeast and water. The name means turtle in Indonesian, a nod to the Balinese folk tale that the island rests on a turtle's back.

The beers

• Lager, pilsner, 4.9%
• Island Ale, pale ale, 4.9%
• Easy Ale, Kolsch-style ale, 4.1%
• Session Hazy, session IPA, 4.9%
• IPA, IPA, 7.1%

The core range is sold in cans and on draught. Kura Kura also releases limited beers, including an artist series of cans designed with Balinese creatives, and has brewed a collaboration with Gage Roads of Western Australia, the Vaycay XPA. The brewery runs tours at Plaga, and its beer is also found in Lombok, the Gili Islands, Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya.

Where to drink it

There is no Kura Kura taproom in the city, but the beer is easy to find on tap. In Bali, Shotgun Social in Sanur pours it on its rotating taps, as does Lola's Taproom on Jl. Danau Tamblingan. Luna Beer Garden in Tabanan keeps the Lager, Session Hazy and IPA on its taps, and South+East Brewing Co. in Kerobokan often has a Kura Kura line among its 24 Indonesian taps. In Jakarta, look for it at Beer Belly and COBE JKT in Kebayoran Baru, and for Island Ale at Beer Garden+ in SCBD Park. All of these are listed below.