Brewing Craft Beer in Malta

Huskie Craft Beer Company: Malta in a Bottle! Craft beer…isn’t it grand? What makes craft beer different from a more commercial beer brand? Generally speaking, craft beers use a higher quality of ingredients, offer more varieties in terms of flavours and craft beer tends to be more unique. This is often why the price point tends to be higher than a commercially produced beer. So many different varieties of craft beer to choose from around the world. Yet, not too many from Malta, specifically. This happens to be an avenue that very few become successful at turning their brewing dreams into a reality.

Allow me to introduce the co-founders of the Huskie Craft Beer Company, Jean Bickle and Miguel Camilleri. They are one of the few radiant success stories behind brewing high-quality craft beer who managed to turn it into a thriving and successful local business! What I was looking for when I began my search for local beer, I wanted to find a brewing brand that was brewed locally in Malta. What I found out in this interview is how extensive the process is; especially since nothing except the water itself is found locally (due to the extreme heat and wind it is not possible to grow wheat, hops or barley here). Every part of their process must be imported except for the water. Even the water must be boiled and concentrated to get to the desired Ph levels they need in order to maintain the quality and freshness of the products. Finding the best ingredients and being able to get them to Malta requires precision and dedication to put it all together and make it work.

Huskie Craft Beer Company was created out of a demand for the island’s craft beer connoisseurs and required the minds of these two brilliant scientists. That was precisely their key to making that happen. Jean and Miguel met in Leeds, UK while both working as Nuclear Medicine Physicists. After work, they would join up and enjoy the wide selection of craft beers in the UK. Once they were both back living in Malta, they realised quickly that the demand for fine craft beer in Malta might be something they may want to join together to bring to the island. All while keeping their day jobs. They began in the garage with a few stainless-steel tanks and proceeded to experiment. Ultimately, it was the science of brewing and flavouring that attracted them to make craft beers that would excite the senses and foster the highest quality ingredients. They wanted to create something that they could be proud of. If there is one thing I have learned through these interviews with the local farmers and food growers is that the Maltese take very seriously feeding friends and families with the very best that the island can offer.

Jean and Miguel began working on creating Huskie Beer in 2017 and it has only really grown into a major distribution of locally brewed beers in the years post-Covid. To date, you can find Huskie Beer in over 120 stores or restaurants around Malta and Gozo!