Thai brewing: Rebel microbreweries thirst for change in the law

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Bangkok, Thailand (CNN)The droning buzz saw of a motorized longtail boat cruising up Chao Phraya River drowns our conversation, so Wichit Saiklao stops mid-sentence, smiles, and raises a glass of his homebrewed weizen, a crisp, golden-hued ale that goes down easy on balmy afternoons like this one.

From Bangkok I've taken a train, then a bus, then a ferry, then a motorbike taxi to reach Koh Kret, a small island located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Thailand's capital city in Nonthaburi province.

It's where Saiklao -- friends call him P'Chit -- founded Chit Beer, his open-air, riverside microbrewery and the de facto home base of a growing resistance to long-standing laws prohibiting Thai people from brewing and distributing their own beer.

As outlined in the country's 1950 Liquors Act, those caught doing so face a nominal fine of 200 baht (about $5.50) for brewing, and another 5,000 baht ($140) and/or six months in jail for selling it.

'I want change'

Pheebok Beer, Sandport Beer, and the hundreds of other clandestine microbreweries operating across Thailand may not have to wait for homebrewing legalization, or turn to contract-brewing abroad, to legally distribute their brews to a wider audience.

In September P'Chit announced plans to crowdfund The Brewhouse of Friendship, which he envisions as a communal brewpub where qualified homebrewers, once they've met certain training and contribution criteria, can brew and market their beers.

In Thailand, brewing for commercial purposes within a licensed brewpub or restaurant is legal, though off-site distribution isn't permitted.

"This is the next chapter of going from illegal activities to providing the infrastructure for a brewing community and a place where we can all brew legally," he said.

"What will make this brewpub unique and special is that it'll include the Brewing Academy and have an 'open' concept: open to learn, open to brew, and open to sell inside."

And, of course, open for all to drink.

P'Chit hopes to open The Brewhouse of Friendship in early 2016.

Homebrewing classes at Chit Beer's Brewing Academy are available every Saturday by advance reservation only; 7,500 baht ($210) per group; two groups maximum per day. Visit chitbeer.com for more information.

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