Bhutan’s first and only microbrewery, Bumthang Brewery, is situated above the stunning Bumthang valley. A microbrewery is an individually owned brewery that produces modest quantities of beer, often much less than large-scale corporate breweries. A Swiss guy named Fritz Maurer founded the charming Bumthang Brewery and Yoser Lham Shop, a cheese shop selling Swiss goods. With the Pro Bhutan Foundation, Maurer relocated to Bumthang in the 1960s to advance agriculture in the area. The well-known “Red Panda Beer,” an unfiltered, additive-free beverage, is made by the Bumthang Brewery.
Bumthang Brewery is situated in the luxuriant country of lovely meadows, farther to the north of Bhutan. The brewery is notable for being the first and only microbrewery, but Frits Maurer, who owns it, also makes it special. Fritz Maurer made history when he became the first outsider to visit Bhutan at the king’s invitation. He encouraged the importation of brown Swiss cows, which led to a steady rise in milk output for the people of Bhutan. Despite having been born in Switzerland, he has the exceptional distinction of becoming a citizen of Bhutan.
After getting married to a local of Bumthang valley, he set up his own brewery, and at the present time, it is run by his son. At Bumthang Brewery only 3000 bottles of Red Panda Beer are produced per month and are recycled back in production. The beer is brewed in the old school way in small batches, and carefully observed every step of the way during cooking, cooling, and fermentation. Each bottle is individually filled, capped, and labeled. When you visit, for only five dollars you get both the brewery tour and your own bottle. Seeing the whole process in Bumthang Brewery can be quite a fascinating experience like seeing being in an episode of a food factory. The brewery is really small but the visit can be worth an astounding memory to cherish for a lifetime.
Witness the whole beer-making process while taking a few unfiltered and preservative-free local beer bottles as souvenirs. Bumthang Brewery with its luxuriant garden, where bees can be seen busily collecting pollen, along with the conjoined cheese shop, where one can find chilly free cheese, and local beer a must-visit place while unraveling the grandiose and mystical dzongs of Bumthang.
Apart from Sunday visitors can visit Bumthang Brewery any day of the week but they should keep the timing of brewery in mind. On Wednesday & Saturday the brewery stays open form 8am to 5pm, on Monday & Friday from 1:30pm to 5pm and on Tuesday & Thursday 4-5pm.
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