Kingdom Breweries has launched a dark beer and is set to introduce a Kingdom Pilsner draught to the market next week, said CEO Peter Brongers.

Although sales figures were not revealed, the brewery, which began operations in October last year, is experiencing growing support for its current products, Brongers said.

“Figures show a strong increase due to more people enjoying our beer. We started out with a long-term plan that we have continually managed to outperform.”

He added that while the figures are positive, it takes time for markets to accommodate new brands.

“We have received a lot of support from many outlets that appreciate a locally made Cambodian premium product and we are now present in around 600 locations in Phnom Penh.”

The brewery, which began operations in October last year, now offers a bottled pilsner. However, the introduction of their latest beer is just the start of expansion plans, Brewmaster Peter Haupenthal said.

“In the future, we plan to launch a stout and possibly a lighter lager. We did bring out a bitter, but it was not received well by the Cambodian public.”   

He added that to capacitate potential expansions, the brewery is capable of holding a further 14 tanks.

While some customers believe the price to be quite steep, Kingdom does not intend to compete with established brands, such as Anchor and Angkor, and instead promotes its products in the same bracket as premium lagers, such as Tiger and Heineken, Brongers said.

Phnom Penh bar owners expressed support for the beer yesterday.

“Dark beers and stouts are becoming increasingly popular with the ex-pat community, and Kingdom’s new product is certainly up there with its competitors,” Paddy Rice Bar Manager Chris Hayward said.