Brem, sweet rice wine that is usually found in traditional markets or roadside stalls large Bintang beer bottles is one of three popular Balinese liquors – other are arak, and tuak. Like arak and tuak, brem is in addition of being a beverage, a necessity for matabuh (offering liquid for bhuta kala, evil spirit, demon, etc) in almost all religious ceremonies. Very large quantities of it are made and used for that purpose. This is usually low grade, homemade brem, and it is often mixed with water. It is a pat of custom in some areas in Bali to bring a bottle of brem or two as a present for the family that hold a religious ceremony or as an offering in a temple anniversary.

Brem is made from glutinous or “sticky” white rice, known as ketan in Balinese, and a smaller amount of Indonesian black rice, called injin in bali. Both ketan and injin are less commonly used in cooking than common white rice, baas. The sticky ketan is made into various Balinese traditional cookies for offering and other religious purpose. The black injin, is made into delicious traditional dessert (jaja injin) by cooking and serving with brown palm sugar and coconut milk. Since injin is rather expensive, only enough is used in brem to impart the desired final color.

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Arak, most popular Balinese traditional liquor is distilled tuak (palm beer), and such it has much higher alcohol content than tuak. Arak is clear and colorless, and has a very sharp, biting taste. Since there is no fermentation going on, it can be bottled – in beer bottles– capped, and sold in almost all stores that the Balinese patronize but the bottled arak that is sold freely is low quality arak, for ceremonial purpose only. Arak for consumption purpose is a high quality one and illegal, sold secretly in small roadside stalls, only buyers that are known by the sellers are served.

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