Bintang

Bintang means "star" in Indonesian, and there it is on the label — a red one, above the word Pilsener. This is Indonesia's national lager, brewed since 1929, and for millions of visitors it is the taste of a Bali beach at sunset.

The beer started in Surabaya in 1929, in the Dutch colonial era, which explains the family resemblance you may have noticed: green bottle, red star, an unmistakable echo of Heineken. It is no accident — brewer PT Multi Bintang Indonesia is majority-controlled by Heineken today, plugging a proudly local badge into one of the world's biggest brewing networks.

Inside Indonesia, a majority-Muslim country where beer keeps a low profile, Bintang's real kingdom is the tourism economy: beach bars, warungs, surf towns. The singlet with the star logo has become a backpacker souvenir in its own right — which must make Bintang one of the few beers more often worn than drunk by the people who carry it home.

A light-bodied pilsener the color of pale straw, with soft grainy sweetness up front, a whisper of floral hops, and lively carbonation. Bitterness is minimal; this beer is engineered for heat and humidity, and it shows. Serve it as cold as the fridge allows and it does exactly what a beach asks of it.