Make Time For A Holiday with Sentosa and Brewerkz!

---

 As part of Sentosa’s “Make Time For a Holiday” campaign, the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) has joined hands with Brewerkz to launch the new Islander Brew, offering a series of four exciting flavours: Siloso Beach (refreshing gose brewed with sea salt and kaffir lime), Tanjong Rimau ( wheat beer with hints of nutmeg, coriander and a citrusy yuzu aroma), Fort Siloso (English-styled porter with velvety texture, rich chocolatey flavour, and hints of coffee and vanilla notes), and Bukit Manis (Jasmine Kolsch brew that's crisp, sparkling and slightly fruity with the aromatic hint of jasmine.). We speak with Tan Wee Tuck, co-owner and executive director of Brewerkz, to discuss this collaboration and how this started.


How did this collaboration with Sentosa come along? Why was beer used as the medium of collaboration?

The idea for this collaboration came about during Sentosa GrillFest 2019, when we brewed our first-ever, event-exclusive beer, the Siloso Saison Blanc. The beer was brewed to be refreshing, light, and easy to drink.  On Sentosa’s sunny beaches, it was well-received by event-goers. This generated substantial buzz and excitement, and we were on the lookout for similar opportunities. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our shores, we saw the industry struggling, and we wanted to do our part by working with brands to promote local businesses and products. Furthermore, beer is a social lubricant – there is no product more perfect for people to bond, unwind, and escape momentarily from the world.

Prior to this collaboration, Brewerkz’s collaborations had mostly focused on one-off events, like Singapore Airshow, Singapore Food Festival, and more – so it was a natural next step to create Singapore’s first leisure-destination inspired beers.  For Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), it was a novel way to promote local holidays and engage audiences beyond the physical island – especially with growing consumer interest in craft beer.
 

How did you choose the flavours to represent the different areas of Sentosa? 

The beer flavours were inspired by plants found in Sentosa.  The first thing we did was to tour the island guided by SDC’s Environment Management team to understand what plants were on the island and which ones we could use to brew our beers.   After identifying various combinations of plants and ingredients, we went on to experiment which would work and ultimately landed on the final recipes you see in stores now.

While we worked on the flavours, we also had to make sure the final product would fit into the four themes under Sentosa’s Make Time for a Holiday campaign: Island Life, Nature Adventure, Heritage Discovery, and Wellness Escape. These themes had to sit well with the beer names that we have chosen – Siloso Beach, Tanjong Rimau, Fort Siloso and Bukit Manis.

 
Were there any challenges that you had to overcome to work with this collaboration? 

The biggest challenge was the scale and complexity of the project. Conceptualising four beers simultaneously called for being extremely meticulous in creating varying flavour profiles,  developing product positioning, and production at large volumes. Most importantly, we had to ensure that the distribution would proceed seamlessly.
 
This has been our most massive project to date and took us almost a year from conception to launch. This involved our brewing team, our marketing department and distribution at the same time. Thankfully, the SDC team also provided significant firepower on marketing and sustainability to the collaboration.
 
Overall we are very pleased that the months of hard work has been very well received by the market. We love seeing the public enjoy our beers and experience the full holiday spirit.
 

What is your favourite of the beers released so far? 

All the beers have been equally well received as they each appeal to different palettes and drinkers.  As we wanted the beers to reach a broader segment of consumers, we decided that they have to be easy drinking, light and bear interesting flavours.
 
The Fort Siloso Chocolate Vanilla Porter took us by surprise! It’s a dark beer, looks like a stout and has a narrow appeal. Despite this, people who’ve tasted the beer are surprised by the complex flavours and truly enjoy the drink, especially amongst the ladies.  Personally, I love to enjoy this beer with an indulgent dessert.
 

Where can we find these beers for sale at the moment?

The Islander Brew beers are distributed at supermarket chains such as Cold Storage, and progressively at NTUC Finest and Xtras outlets and Cheers convenience stores.  They are also available online on Redmart, Shopee and Krisshop as well as participating Sentosa food and beverage establishments at Sentosa Golf Club, Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, One Faber Group, Harry’s, and Trapizza, among others. The detailed list can be seen on www.sentosa.com.sg

The beers are of course also available at all Brewerkz outlets and our e-store.