Although the 31-year-old Bidayuh from Kampung Tian Mawang in Serian grew up seeing his mother and great grandmother making tuak for celebrations as well as traditional and ritual ceremonies, he has never tried making it himself.
“I decided to produce my first batch of tuak for the 2017 Gawai celebration and received a lot of positive feedback. As demand grew I decided to set up Bad Cat Borneo in 2018, and now I am a full time tuak brewer,” he told FMT.
Tuak, he said, is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of grains (like rice), fruits or palm as well as sugar, water and ragi (yeast balls).
He said the fermentation process can take between two weeks to three months depending on the brewer.
“Some call it rice wine, others call it beer, but it actually falls somewhere in between in terms of its fermentation process.
“At Bad Cat Borneo we produce Bidayuh style tuak, however, instead of doing it following a purely traditional process, we try to utilise the modern understanding of fermentation.
“We seek to push the envelop with regards to tuak brewing, incorporating new and previously uncommon ingredients such as black pepper, coffee and roasted rice,” he said.
Maynard said hygiene was key in brewing quality tuak to avoid contamination from unwanted bacteria as it was the greatest enemy of the brewing process.
He said in general, tuak indu’ is sweet and mellow, while tuak laki’ is strong and dry. “Personally, my measure of a good tuak is that it looks clear, is mature, has layers of flavour and is balanced between the indu’ and laki’.”
Priced between RM25 and RM60, Maynard said they produced between 200 and 400 bottles per month. There are six flavours which include original, asap (roasted rice), apple, pineapple, roselle and black pepper.
“We work with small retailers and distributors as well as bars, restaurants and homestays in the state and in West Malaysia. We hope to expand into Sabah and explore more new flavours.
“Our biggest share of customers is the younger, urban market that is looking for alternative alcoholic beverages. The identity of tuak as a local cultural heritage appeals to a lot of people.
“Tuak is a cultural heritage with special significance to the indigenous communities of Borneo and Southeast Asia as a whole. While there are efforts to increase its visibility today, there isn’t much support or infrastructure to take on the international market.
“I hope to see tuak available at a bar someday, maybe in Barcelona, as it has the potential to be on par with European wines that have penetrated most markets globally,” he said.