Craft beer brewers had to cancel their recently scheduled public talk and share their thoughts via Facebook live instead as the police showed concern that the old building they were meeting in could not accommodate so many attendees.
After the arrest of a young craft beer brewer recently sparked debate about the law, which does not support independent brewers, a group called Thai Craft Beer Liberation decided to raise the conversation to another level and planned a public talk about the situation of the Thai craft beer community. The talk was to be held yesterday at The Mystic Rooftop Bar near BTS Saphan Kwai.
However, the day before the talk, Thai Craft Beer Liberation announced via Facebook live that the event was canceled.
“We were contacted by some officials who worried about the stability of the building,” said a member of the group. As the building where The Mystic Rooftop Bar is located is old, the police were concerned that it could not handle the number of people who said they were going to attend.
Thai Craft Beer Liberation is a fellowship of Thai microbrewers who want Thai drinkers to have choices beyond the limited mega-brands from giant Thai breweries or they pricey imported craft ales in the current market. The group explains in their Facebook post that they aim to fight against unjust law and raise “drinking awareness.”
Because of the legal restriction, their craft beers have to be bottled outside Thailand and then imported. The group offers advice to new homebrewers on how to start their business, in hopes that one day the increased number of craft beer start-ups will help change society’s perception and regulation of beer, as well as provide more choice and liberty for drinkers.
