Posted by One of the many amusing comments that I get from people outside Indonesia about Indonesia is from Americans who have never been to Indo but hears and reads stuff from the internet or other news media. The comment was about how people will get killed by drinking or getting drunk in Indo. How hillarious does that sound?
Most of the restaurants or diners serve alcohol. All supermarkets sell all kinds of beer; starting from the famous local brand ‘Bintang’ to imported ones such as Carlsberg or Heineken. Bintang is known as ‘the beer with the taste of Bali‘. You can find Bintang anywhere from big supermarkets for expatriates to local small convenient stores. If you are looking for something heavier than beer, you will not be able to find it in local stores but will be able to find it somewhere else where expats usually go shopping for imported groceries.
You will easily find alcohol drinks in any bars and restaurants in Jakarta and other big cities in Indonesia. Although you are able to find beer and other alcoholic beverages in other cities, there are only a limited number of restaurants that serve them. The only reason for this is because smaller cities don’t exactly have the foreigners to buy their beer.
Surprisingly, locals in small cities do drink. But usually they buy local alcoholic beverages instead of the more expensive ones that foreigners drink such as vodka, whiskey or others. Locals have their own local brand called ‘Cap Orang Tua’ which is quite cheap and tasteful but is not exactly for everybody. But yes, pretty much everybody drinks here, even the Muslims.
So if you are a bule (boo-lay) or a westerner worried about drinking in Indo because of this Muslim atmosphere, don’t be. As Mike Dammann has experienced here with our friends, most of the Indos are moderate Muslims or ‘hippie Muslims’ as he puts it.
Happy drinking in Indo!
Mike Dammann and his Bintang beer
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Cheers to that. But I would also like to point out, Indonesia is not the type of country that condones excessive drinking (and subsequent problematic behaviours) either. Some places are more strict than others. One example is Aceh, where shariah law is enforced. You may be able to buy beer from a back door of a supermarket (or a small street side vendor) but drinking it in public is frowned upon. It’s wise to ask your local guide or friends/colleagues on whether or not drinking alcohol would be appropriate and how to do it (silently in the comfort of your own home only or also in public).
yeah! happy drinking! we indo youth sometimes drink fresh outside of circle k. if you notice theres always a bottle opener just on the outside wall of the store. sometimes you see kids with nothing to do drinking right in front of the store. i think in some prts yes, its frowned upon but in kemang you see drunk people on the street all the time. just make sure you are safe ad with a friend, you dont want to get mugged or anything.
I have never seen a drunk person in Jakarta yet, so I assumed Indos don’t do that and neither should i
I guess people do drinking in Indonesia, especially youth who are trying to be ‘cool’ ;p
but you do get people frown at you or even a bit mad if you are drunk in public area, so just carefully pick the place
hippie muslims, LOL