Brewing tradition: Shaun Chang on fusing modernity and heritage with sparkling tuak

“We decided to home-brew tuak during the pandemic,” Chang says. A family recipe, upheld for generations, was passed onto him by his mother when she began teaching him the craft of tuak-making. The pair sent test batches to friends and family to further develop the recipe into what would soon become Endu, the world’s first sparkling tuak. 

A product of pandemic ennui eventually became a legitimate business when Chang met his mentor, a renowned brewer in the gin, wine, and beer industries. “He loved my tuak and showed me how to naturally carbonate it to make it sparkling and preserve the carbonation produced through fermentation. We believed this process could elevate tuak as a whole. Something new on the market no one’s done before.”

“How we ferment our product, it’s unique. It’s a trade secret,” he says before disclosing that Endu exists in multiplicity. Collaboration lends the sparkling tuak its distinctiveness, blending innovation derived from experience in the brewing industry with Chang’s time-honoured family recipe. It also symbolises both familial and cultural connections. 

“Endu is a testament to the enduring legacy of tuak. I want my traditions to live on, to bring forth and promote my heritage to the world,” Chang tells me. With Endu being his mother’s nickname and the word for woman in Iban, it is clear that Endu’s roots are steeped in sentimentality and history. Traditionally, tuak-brewing was a matriarchal custom. Women were the craft’s spearheads, “even when it came to making the yeast,” a nuance Chang does not want to be obscured by time. 

“My aunty is a tuak-maker as well. We (Chang and his mother) learnt a lot from her and my grandma,” Chang recalls, reflecting on his beginnings as a home-brewer. “It brought me and my family closer. I learnt so much about my mum, and she learnt so much about me.” 

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Despite having tried tuak before, I was unaware of the drinks’ intricacies. The culinary practices of minority communities—especially of Indigenous origin—are detrimentally overlooked. Chang aims to change that with Endu, telling me of the superstitions he continues to honour while commercially brewing tuak: “Lime can’t be anywhere near tuak during the brewing process, or it can become sour and unpleasant.” 

“So lime-flavoured tuak can’t exist?” I question him. He responds with a firm no, crossing his arms in vehement denial. “Something that stuck with me,” he says, “is my mum insisting you have to brew tuak in a good mood. If you’re in a bad mood, the tuak will follow suit and turn out bad. Ever since then, I’ve looked to the brighter side of things. I’m very hopeful about the future of my brand and the future of tuak.” 

Thirsty Craftsmen Asia currently offers two flavours, neither of which contain lime—Endu Classic and Endu Roselle. The first retains tuak’s defining subtle sweetness but is refreshingly bubbly, a welcome take on the traditional rice wine. The latter is infused with roselle buds, resulting in a bright magenta beverage accented with floral and earthy undertones. 

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Proliferating a pillar of heritage cuisine into the mainstream is no easy feat, which pushed Chang to supplant a 100-litre home-brew set up with a 1000-litre tank in a factory. “Tuak isn’t as well known as, let’s say, champagne, which can only be produced in a certain region of France. Via Endu, I want to promote tuak to the world and export it around the globe,” he says. As of now, bottles of Endu can be found online, at Eat and Cook, Brewmaster, and The Borneo Hotel. 

Commercialising tuak and repositioning it as a luxury item is more than a market-disrupting business venture to Chang. It is about making this aspect of Dayak heritage cuisine as familiar and internationally recognised as sake or champagne. Ultimately, Thirsty Craftsmen Asia aims to do this with all hyperlocal Borneon ferments, imagining, “Hopefully, one day, we can have that trademark. That tuak belongs to us.” 

Looking to the future, he envisions a world well-versed in the brew, “I hope that maybe one day when I fly to Spain or France, I’ll get to see bottles of tuak on the shelf.” 

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