New local craft beer hits the market |07 October 2019

Mr Mein interacting with patrons at the launch ceremony

A new local craft beer has hit the market in Seychelles.

The ‘Seychelles Blonde’ was unveiled in a launch event held at the Beach Shak (Bar) at Beau Vallon on Thursday evening.

This is the first time that craft beer is sold in a bottle locally.

The fully flavoured handmade beer is the creation of Christian Mein, who said he was inspired to brew the beer due to lack of craft beer in Seychelles.

Seychelles Blonde is infused with an essence of the tropics with unique flavours propelling it to a whole new level of sophistication. It is deliciously crisp and delightfully fruity with a hint of biscuity sweetness. It has an alcohol content of 4.5% and served in 355ml brown glass bottles. Seychelles Blonde is being sold at a set price of R80 by Beach Shak.

A microbrewery or craft brewery is a brewery that produces small amounts of beer, typically much smaller than large-scale corporate breweries, and is independently owned.

“Having left Seychelles for further studies, I remember going for a drink and being struck by the variety of beers and flavours available. On one occasion, I got talking to the bartender and was instantly impressed by the vast amount of knowledge and passion they had for the various beers on sale. They were able to tell you almost everything about the beer; the types of grains used, the tasting notes available and the inspiration behind the recipe,” said Mr Mein.

“When I moved back to Seychelles I realised that I missed the craft beer scene and saw this as an opportunity to share my experience with Seychelles as we only have a few beers available, and of these most are commercially brewed. I wanted the Seychelles people to have the opportunity to experience the flavours I’ve tried but also people visiting our islands to experience a truly unique tasting beer made for Seychelles in Seychelles by someone from the Seychelles. I want to get people here to know what craft beer is all about,” Mr Mein said.

He noted the tourists here are limited to only what is mostly available as choices to them back home, except for the local lager beer produced by Seychelles Breweries LTD.

The people who were at Beach Shak and who tasted the beer all had positive comments. They described the beer as being good, light and with a fruity flavour.

“I don’t have the capacity to produce on a large scale which is why I am focusing on getting my beer into bars, restaurants and hotels where there are a mix of locals and tourists alike. The owners of Beach Shak, Jill and Eddie, have been hugely supportive of the beer launch. People love the Beach Shak atmosphere and the idea of the beer being enjoyed there while watching the sunset will only add to that experience,” Mr Mein added.

The entrepreneur said that to brew the beer, he places more emphasis on quality and on his brewing technique while playing around with the ingredients for the most unique flavour.

He said that around the world, craft beer is very well known and appreciated and he hopes that this will be likewise in Seychelles.