Macsta

I note from previous postings that a lot of forum members like the "occasional" tipple

Where I currently live alcohol is illegal but of course that does not stop its availability.

I know alcohol is freely available in MY but in a recent post regarding a visit to Forrest City I saw mention of a "monthly quota" of alcohol which was news to me.

Can one of you esteemed members shed further light on this restriction and also is it legal in MY to brew your own?

I note alcohol is very expensive in MY and I have never tried home brewing but it might be fun to try

SushiFan

The "monthly quota" you refer to is when you want to buy alcohol duty free. This applies for example in Langkawi, and apparently also in Forest City.

RedApe

Homebrewing is illegal in Malaysia...at least the importation of brewing equipment. This seems odd because the drinking of alcohol is legal, and there are state licensed brewers, and indeed beer is imported. My suspicion is this is more an issue of trying to prevent competition from emerging for a monopolistic and taxed brewing industry.

And hard alcohol of considerable potency is brewed in Sarawak and Sabah...palm and rice wines.

BTW An indigenous variety of barley is available in Sarawak.

https://mysarawak.files.wordpress.co...7653.jpg?w=510

RedApe

I should be more specific. Brewing equipment isn't entirely banned...but one does need a special permit.

"The importations of goods specified below are prohibited except under an import licence or permit from relevant authorities:......

Apparatus/equipment for the brewing of beer in the home."

Ironic since there really doesn't need to be any special apparatus...home brewing can be accomplished using items generally available in hardware stores. What you need is the yeast, malted barley, and hops.

Macsta

OK thanks for the advice SushiFan.

Many thanks RedApe for the full picture on this question. People I know who have home brewed wine always emphasised the sterilisation aspect of the process as being very important but other than that it just seemed trail & error to get the desired finished result.

RedApe

Most people use glass or plastic or stainless steel apparatus nowadays. Distilling is potentially much more dangerous as it involves heat and copper and higher grades of alcohol. Of course, people once foolishly used lead piping. Winemaking and beer making are not nearly as dangerous and improper bacteria usually dies, though it can turn wine into vinegar and produce really foul-tasting beer. That's why vintners and brewers keep everything sterile.

merlinman

I have been home brewing in Aus for 20-odd years initially because I couldn't stand the mass-produced, sterilised, artificially-carbonated stuff they were selling here at the time. The interest waned as more & more "boutique" breweries sprang up but if there are enough like-minded souls in Penang we could perhaps start a "club" to investigate local production.

bakedbean

Marginally off topic but I was in Muslim Java recently and very nice island by the way, and fab people, and we were having dinner in a hotel and I enquired about a glass of wine (as you do) and was offered Local wine. Made in Bali so not quite local. It was a little strange. And bloody expensive once they had sneaked in the government taxes which the waitress failed to mention