The TwoBirds brewery is now open to the public, and with the soft opening of the bar at their facility at The Factory, its owners are calling on the capital’s craft beer lovers to join their “revolution”.

Having gained a loyal following through supplying Cambodia’s top bars, restaurants and hotels with authentic German beer, TwoBirds decided to open the doors of its event brewery earlier than planned after strong public demand.

“We brought forward the opening of the bar because we had people who have come to love our products constantly knocking on the door asking to come in for beers! They found out we have the brewery here, and everybody loves to drink in a tap room – where you can see the very pot your beer came from.

“We always intended to have this event space and tap room. This was always about bringing quality onto the market. This is a craft beer revolution – it is about bringing people into the brewery to see where the beer is made and how it is made – and we are proud of this.

“We plan to have four or five big events every month, and people can take brewery tours and even have a go at making beer themselves. We also plan to open a beer museum,” said Connor Kirsch, the TwoBirds chief marketing officer and general manager.

The world-renowned quality of German beer is reflected in the famous Reinheitsgebot purity laws, which state that only water, hops, malt and yeast can be used in its production.

“Quality is fundamental to what we do. Brewing beer is an ancient German craft, and after learning the art from renowned master brewers in Munich – and with countless years of brewing experience – we offer nothing less than pure handmade excellence.

“TwoBirds craft beer is a healthy mix of art and science. To stay true to our Bavarian heritage, we follow the German purity laws of 1516. All of our beverages are produced with the finest natural ingredients imported from German farmers. We guarantee perfection with our signature ‘German Engineered Quality’ in everything we do.

“The TwoBirds Craft Brewery is a true craft beer experience. We not only produce and sell craft beer, we are inviting everyone into our brewery to showcase what TwoBirds is all about – quality, community and fun,” said TwoBirds master brewer Bernd Kirsch, Connor’s father.

The TwoBirds story of entrepreneurship and passion for beer began more than 70 years ago.

“The Kirsch family has always worked with breweries and other food and beverage-related enterprises, and my father Willi began this when he first opened a bar. He loved to travel and see new cultures – and he always spoke of his passion for Southeast Asia.

“I followed in Willi’s footsteps. After working in a brewery bar as a young man and learning from the master brewers, I fell in love with the craft. So I decided to study it, earning a Masters in Brewing and Malting from the prestigious Doemens Academy in Munich.

“I opened a large restaurant and craft brewery soon after finishing my studies, before being involved in other brewing projects in Germany,” Bernd said.

He then began exporting his expertise all over world, building and managing brewery projects in such far-flung places as South Korea, South Africa and Namibia, to Denmark, Brazil and Samoa over the past 20 years, before setting up his BeerPro Import/Export Co, Ltd consultancy in Cambodia.

“We established TwoBirds after I joined the family business. We are now producing a variety of beverages under the brand name Two-Birds Craft Beer, and are selling them to bars, restaurants, hotels and events in Phnom Penh and beyond.

“We continue to expand, even into the provinces, into Kampot, Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, and Siem Reap,” Connor added.

Intrigued by travel after his experiences working across four continents and perhaps influenced by his father’s love of Southeast Asia, Bernd arrived in Cambodia to set up a brewery in the Kingdom in 2011, staying on when the project was complete. His son joined him in 2018.

A tale spanning three generations and thousands of miles, the opening of the brewery at TwoBirds – whose product range includes Colonial IPA, Timeless Lager, Mighty Stout and German Wheat, and even Mango Cider and Snake Bite – is a further boon for the Kingdom’s beer lovers.

“The story TwoBirds is one of a father and son who moved to Cambodia to pursue their dreams – just like two German birds migrating south to escape the cold winter months,” said Connor.