07/12/2023

Tiger Beer since 1932

Tiger Beer

Tiger Beer is a Singapore brand of beer first launched in 1932. It is currently produced by Heineken Asia Pacific, formerly known as Asia Pacific Breweries. The company is a joint-venture between Heineken N.V. and Singaporean multinational food and beverage company Fraser and Neave.

The Tiger Brewery Tour is a tourist attraction located at the Tuas district of the country, which offers guided visits as to how the beer is brewed. According to a Brand Finance report, Tiger is amongst Singapore's top 10 most valuable brands.

Launched in 1932, Tiger beer became Singapore's first locally brewed beer. It is a 5% abv bottled pale lager. Heineken Asia Pacific's flagship brand, it is available in more than 60 countries worldwide.


Tiger Beer maker retrenches workers in restructuring exercise
Asia Pacific Breweries Spore confirmed that 33 workers were affected by the latest restructuring FOTO:JASON QUAH

Tiger Beer maker Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS) has retrenched 33 workers in its latest restructuring exercise.

According to a retrenched employee who contacted The Straits Times, the laid-off workers were told on Nov 23. They were also asked to pack up and leave the company premises on the same day. 
In the letter of termination sent out to affected employees and seen by ST, the last day of employment for affected employees was stated as Dec 31.

When contacted, APBS confirmed that 33 workers were affected by the latest restructuring. A spokesman said in an e-mail to ST: “In line with changing market realities in Singapore, APBS has made some changes to our operations to step up productivity... Unfortunately, a number of roles were impacted through this restructuring process.”


Singapore's Tiger Beer wants to keep reinventing beer, even as it turns 90
“We are very passionate about making beer interesting and adding variety,” says Mr Andy Hewson, managing director of Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore which produces Tiger Beer

Breweries the world over celebrated as people began to leave the pandemic days behind them. But after nearly three years of COVID-19, drinkers were looking for something different. For homegrown brand Tiger Beer, its customers now wanted sweeter and less boozy beer.

The brand, which turns 90 this year, has been jazzing up its product line to cater to these changing tastes. “We are very passionate about making beer interesting and adding variety,” said Mr Andy Hewson, managing director of Heineken-owned Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore which makes Tiger Beer. “The big trends like sweet-flavoured beer, sessionable beer, low and no-alcohol beer – these are all areas that we are super passionate about.”

The brand – best known for its signature lager brewed with malt, hops and yeast in a process that takes more than 500 hours – has been moving beyond a single-product brand. “People now want more variety … and we are in the business of appealing to people of all ages,” Mr Hewson told CNA in an interview at his office in Tuas Brewery where Tiger Beer is made and exported to more than 50 countries. “For 80 years, we’ve had one product but now we have a portfolio of Tiger. That trend of innovating in the last few years is where we are heading.”


Tiger Beer: Everything You Wanted to Know

Tiger beer is well-loved in the UK. It is synonymous with Chinese restaurants, despite the fact that it is actually a Singaporean beer. But how many calories are there in tiger beer? What is the alcohol percentage? Is Tiger beer gluten-free? Or vegan? What beer is similar to Tiger beer?

There are 139 calories in a 330ml bottle of Tiger beer. It is 5% abv globally, but just 4.7% abv in the UK. Tiger beer is not gluten-free as it uses malted barley. However, it does contain surprisingly low levels compared to many beers. Tiger beer is vegan.

There is 4.7% alcohol in Tiger beer in the UK, but if you were to buy Tiger beer in Singapore (or most other countries) it would be 5%. Sadly, this seems to be a common occurrence with beer that is brewed in the UK on behalf of international companies. We’ve seen this with Fosters and Sol.


Tiger Beer

Tiger beer was first brewed by Malayan Breweries Ltd. at Alexandra Road in 1932, renamed Asia Pacific Breweries in 1990 and in 2013 merged with Heineken Asia Pacific. The brewery relocated to a larger site at Tuas and runs regular factory tours. Highlight of the tour is a final stop at the Tiger Tavern decorated in dark wood and leather displaying shields presented by departing military units, vintage advertisement posters and the tiger beer testimonials.

In 1956 Tiger beer gained literary recognition with the publication of Anthony Burgess’ first novel – ‘Time for a Tiger’ borrowing the beer’s advertising slogan for its title. Tiger beer celebrated their silver jubilee in 1957, the same year Malaya gained independence from Britain in a ceremony at Kuala Lumpur’s Merdeka square. In 1968 Britain announced the total withdrawal of troops from Malaysia and Singapore by 1971 which was a shock to Singapore whose gross national product relied heavily on British military bases.

By then Tiger beer’s market share was enough to survive the loss of such loyal customers and Singapore’s rapid economic development saw it join Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea as one of the four Asian tigers. Throughout Chinese history the tiger has been revered as a symbol of strength and courage ranking third in the twelve-year cycle of Chinese zodiac signs.


Tiger Beer

Born in Singapore in 1932, our bold with a bite Tiger Beer is a full bodied lager that’s enjoyed in more than 50 countries. Tiger Beer uses only the finest quality ingredients and undergoes a strict brewing process to create the ultimate brew.


Time for a Tiger

Guinness stout 'Ang Ji Gao' since 1759
Guinness has been brewed in Ireland since 1759

Guinness was founded when Arthur Guinness bought a small brewery in Dublin in 1759. At first the brewery produced a variety of ales and beers, but in 1799 it was decided to concentrate exclusively on porter, a dark beer with a rich head. The beer, later known as stout, prospered and came to be regarded as the national beer of Ireland. Guinness died in 1803, and his son Arthur took over the family business and greatly expanded sales to Great Britain. By 1833 Guinness was the largest brewery in Ireland.

In 1855 Arthur’s son Benjamin Lee Guinness took over the company upon his father’s death. The beer had long had a strong following in the British Isles, and Benjamin spread its fame overseas. Guinness’s stout gained a reputation for its nutritional and invigorating properties, and by 1883 the company was the world’s largest brewery. A brewery opened at Park Royal in London in 1936 was soon outproducing the Dublin site. In the 1950s the company began producing Harp lager to fill demand for lighter brews.

In 1985 the firm acquired Arthur Bell & Sons PLC, a distiller of Scotch whisky, and in 1986 it bought The Distillers Co. PLC, which was the largest Scotch distiller in the world. Guinness’s use of clandestine and apparently illegal stock transactions in acquiring Distillers created a major corporate scandal when these acts became known to the public. Guinness’s merger in 1997 with food and beverage company Grand Metropolitan PLC resulted in a company, Diageo, that was the world’s biggest seller of spirits. In 1955 the company began publishing The Guinness Book of Records, originally conceived to help settle trivia disputes in pubs; the property was sold in 2001.


5 epic things you didn’t know about Ang Ji Gao

Guinness stout, the Irish alcoholic drink also known as ‘Ang Ji Gao’ locally, celebrates its 256th birthday yesterday.

How did Guinness – as ang moh as a name can possibly be – end up with a badass Hokkien moniker in Singapore?

We investigate. Here are five things about stout in Singapore. Cheers.
  • The origins behind its ‘red tongued dog’ nickname
  • It is over 5 times older than Singapore
  • This Commercial - He's a real Guinness drinker
  • It sieves out those that can’t take a little hardship
  • It’s like peanut butter


Anchor Beer since 1933
ANCHOR SMOOTH DRAUGHT – REAL BEER FOR REAL MOMENTS

I remember growing up seeing my dad and uncles drinking Anchor Beer, one of the leading choices of beer from one generation to another that has blazing through 84 years of heritage in Malaysia.

Brewed locally with several methods that have evolved with time, ranging from the traditional German pilsner brewing method to the latest advancements in brewing technology, one thing still remains unchanged – the same traditional European recipe for an authentic smooth taste without compromising its quality. “Our commitment to continue offering an unchanging taste that is smooth and refreshing has made Anchor the fastest growing brand with a double digit growth in 2016. This success is a result of the team constantly ensuring the quality remains at its most original form as our brewing methods evolve over the years, while staying connected to our loyal consumers,” said Jessie Chuah, Marketing Manager of Anchor.

Anchor has stayed true to its identity and original taste since it was first introduced and is widely known as “Malaysian favourite since 1933”. In the same light of being real and genuine, the brand will embark on a new campaign called ‘Real Beer for Real Moments’ that is set to inspire Malaysians to celebrate realness with their friends and families.