Martin Bém

level33 founder martin bem

When Martin first arrived in Singapore in 1999, many people asked him why an Austrian who holds a PhD in Economics would want to work in F&B. “Because I prefer providing a great time over just dealing with cold, hard numbers”.

LeVeL33 is the world’s highest urban microbrewery, serving craft beers and rare wines on the 33rd floor of the Marina Bay Financial Center. When craft beer aficionado Martin took the big risk of building the brewery in this unique location he and his team were facing unseen challenges: “The components for the microbrewery including the custom-made kettle and tanks were just too big to fit in any service lift. Eventually we had to build a mobile crane and lift the items from the sidewalk up 156 metres to the 33rd floor.”

Most microbreweries are generally seen as casual, laidback spots with a live band and TV screens. But Martin envisioned an upmarket version with thoughtful and sleek design – cleverly highlighting the brewery where possible, without distracting from the amazing view – a place where freshly brewed craft beers, boutique wines and contembrewery food can be enjoyed in high-end surroundings and with elevated service.