Kingdom Beer - A Cambodian International Prize Winning Beer

The hottest beer news in Cambodia right now is that Kingdom Beer has won the Le Monde Selection Gold medal from an international organisation in Belgium. Okay some of these awards have pretty lax process but I am happy to give some positive coverage to an Asian brewery that has really gone beyond the regional mass market beer making standards.

Most people either love it or hate it but their is no doubt that a lot of hard work has been put into making this beer, something the rest of the industry could take a lesson from.

Anyway here is the press blurb provided to you courtesy of the Kampuchean Associated Press (though I am sure they have just taken the original press release verbatim):

Phnom Penh April 25, 2011 AKP –
Kingdom Breweries (Cambodia) Ltd. has announced recently that “Kingdom Beer” won a gold medal from the International Institute for Quality Selection, Le Monde Selection, in Brussels, Belgium.

The announcement was made by Mr. Peter Brongers, CEO of Kingdom Breweries (Cambodia) Ltd., during a press conference held here last Friday.

It is the first time for Cambodia’s brewery to get such a prestige and award, he said, adding that the excited achievement is not only for Kingdom Breweries (Cambodia) Ltd, which has just started its business in the country six months ago, but for the entire Cambodian people.
People know that Cambodia is one of the best world’s tourist destinations, but they have never heard about Cambodia’s products and trademark, he said, stressing that this reward will reflect that Cambodian products and trademark can compete with other good products over the world.

The Awards Ceremony will be held in Brussels on May 24 in the presence of various ambassadors and many distinguished guests.
“Kingdom Beer” was among 100 different beers to join the international competition held in Brussels to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Independence Committee of the International Institute for Quality Selection.
Le Monde Selection was founded in 1961. Its mission is to test consumer products – beers, wines, soft drink, etc; – and grant them a bronze, silver, gold or grand gold quality award. –AKP

Beer Asia Comment Policy

Recently this blog has been receiving a growing number of comments that come in from people all around the world which is pretty cool so I wanted to state our policy for publishing comments since they all have to be authorized before being shown to avoid lots of spam and it goes something like this:

• Everybody's opinions about beer are welcome and the more info and feedback you have the better!

• If you disagree with a beer article then that is okay and we will publish whatever you want to say and I will try to reply back and let you know where I was coming from when I made the original blog post (unless I was too drunk to remember or I have a major hangover).

• Keep in mind that some of these posts and reviews were made over 5 years ago so what might have been a good or bad beer experience then might well be the complete opposite now or it may be we just have a difference in taste. I enjoy beer and sometimes at the end of a hot tropical Asian working day nearly any ice cold brew can taste like heaven whatever the brand maybe so your mileage may vary considerably!

• We get a lot of spam for million dollar Nigerian presidents Viagra penile enlargement lottery winners - we delete those...

• We also get some genuine comments in Asian languages that I can't read or translate so please post in English only as it would be nice to understand what you are saying, unless it falls into the Nigerian Viagra billion dollar sweepstakes area of spam.

• There are also requests to send beer bottles, cans, labels etc. but I work an 80 hour week and travel a lot in the region for business so it is not feasible for me to do this as I will have left the country long before I get a chance to publish a blog post about the nation's beer so sorry I cannot assist for this type of thing though I can try and give you more info or advice if you ask for it but as I mentioned I am busy working (and drinking beer) so it might take me 6 months to reply.

• And we often get angry comments (threats?) from individuals who I guess work for some of the beer brands that received negative reviews and we are happy to publish those but really if some of you guys focused more on the beer making and less on the PR and advertising then you wouldn't be getting bad reviews.

I hope this post clarifies things and as I write this I have quite a backlog of comments that I will try and work through one by one. It may take some time but I will get to your comments eventually. In the meantime just sit back and crack open a fresh one :)

Kingdom Breweries and their Clouded Leopard Pilsener - A Beer of Rare Quality

Kingdom Breweries is the newest beer producer in Cambodia and is certainly an interesting addition to the market. Backed by an international hedge fund and under the direction of German brewmaster Peter Haupenthal and management of CEO Peter Brongers this is a very professional attempt at establishing a boutique brewery on the banks of the on tonle sap.

They launched their first offering to the Cambodian market at the beginning of October 2010 with Clouded Leopard Pilsener which naturally uses only the best German and Czech hops, premium German malt and top-quality water and so far the beer has been received well amongst the more discerning foreign residents and well-to-do tourists who are willing to pay more for a distinct tipple that stands out from the fierce competition of average "premium quality" lager beers.

While their capacity is miniscule compared to local giants such as CamBrew (Angkor, Bayon) and CBL (Anchor, Crown, ABC) Kingdom Breweries seems determined to stand out based on its consistency rather than volume with gradual expansion expected only as long as quality can be assured.

What the brewery says:

Though its naturally crisp finish does wonders for a bone-dry mouth and a sun-baked body, Kingdom’s Clouded Leopard Pilsener is infinitely more than an exceptional thirst quencher. Think of it as part of your essential travelling kit-its clean, zesty flavor refreshing every corner of your mind and body as you navigate an afternoon in the notorious Cambodian heat.

What I say:

This is a very exciting beer for expats who are so used to consistently average lagers or poor quality soapy piss. While maybe not exactly designed for local tastes I find the crisp, dry and slightly bitter taste most refreshing and it is enjoyable to drink a beer that you know people have dedicated their time and energy to making it just right.

Even Time Magazine was impressed enough to write a glowing article about the brewery: http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,2020970,00.html#ixzz15psoSp1c

Asahi Black – Munich Type Beer from Japan

Black beers made in Asia have a well deserved reputation for tasting terrible and having alcohol levels so high that even Chang drinkers think twice before opening a can.

But Asahi Black is an exception and for once the description on the can is very accurate: “Asahi’s original brew” has a “rich and smooth taste” that is “fine taste beer” for you to “relax and enjoy”!

Brewed in Osaka by Asahi Breweries Limited it is an original Munich-type beer brewed using their pure cultured yeast and Asahi’s advanced brewing techniques that have made their other beers so popular in Japan and many overseas markets.

Asahi Black is a highly drinkable beer. It truly is a rich and smooth brew and at 5% it’s one of the few black beers in Asia with an alcohol level that doesn’t overpower the taste (or the drinker).

This beer is well recommended.

Carlsberg Chill somewhere over China

On a recent flight with China Southern airlines I discovered that in fact they have a range of beers available and not just the drinkable Beijing Yang Jing brand.

When asked what I would like to drink I simply said beer and was surprised to be offered the alternative option of Carlsberg Chill.

This is a beer that is all about branding and image from the name to the design to the text on the can. The brew is promoted as “Scandinavian Inspiration” and the “Perfect Ultimate Refreshment”.

They even claim to be the “Perfect taste for the new generation”!

The beer was drinkable but not up to the standards of Malaysian or European variants of Carlsberg.

It has 4.0% alcohol which is above average for most Chinese brewed beers and also benefited from its oversized 355ml can.

I never find it easy to review beer when it is given to me for free but I have to say size matters and I would always prefer a 355ml can over a 330ml as long it doesn’t taste like soapy piss.

Beijing Yan Jing Beer flying over China

Business has been busy so beer blog updates have been slow in recent months but thanks to my travels I managed to sample some new Asian brews.

Flying God awful economy somewhere over southern China the air stewardess asked the usual question (what would you like to drink?) and I gave the usual answer (Beer! Beer! Beer!).

I soon found out the only brew available on China Southern airlines is Beijing Yan Jing beer and over the course of several flights I managed to drink about half a case thanks to my finely honed patter with the cabin crew.

Q) Would you like anything else sir?
A) Yes! Beer! Beijing Yan Jing Beer!

The noticeably blue can claimed a quality grade of excellent and certified the brew as a “Green Food” i.e. environmentally friendly. At 4.0% a couple of cans per flight were enough to keep me entertained and taste wise it was okay considering the beer was served warm.

Apparently the Beijing Yanjing Beer Group Corporation is one of the biggest breweries in China with 20,000 employees and an impressive production capacity of 3.11 million tons of beer a year, a significant increase on their first few thousand bottles brewed when they set up in 1980.

Yanjing is actually the ancient name of Beijing and the brew has an 85% share of local market and is also the official beer of all government banquets.

Warm beer rarely hits the spot but it can be a real giveaway about the quality of the brew. If it is a chemi-brew then it would taste revolting above 10 Celsius but I can say that Yan Jing beer managed to pass the “doesn’t taste like chemical piss when served warm test” with flying colors.

Phuket Brewery - proof Thailand can make good beer

Phuket finally has a decent source of beer since the opening of Phuket Brewery near Tesco Lotus in Kathu and according to Jaimie Monk the beer is good:


So, what's Phuket Brewery all about? Well, for me, number one - (the word Brewery is a hint) - BEER! The microbrewery makes 3 different beers, a dark beer, a lager and a weizenbier (wheat beer). It looks good, it tastes great. Normal price 130 Baht for half liter, but only 75 Baht during happy hour. There are also 0.3 liter glasses and huge beer towers containing 3 or 5 liters - good for large parties.


http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com/2009/03/phuket-brewery.html


Phuket Brewery has a good website with lots of photos and information on their brewing process:

http://www.phuketbrewery.net/en/index.php

I am very impressed and if I get a chance to visit Phuket again then this will be the first place I visit.

Anchor Beer: Thailand versus Cambodia

Cambodian expats have been abuzz about the origins of their much favoured tipple, Anchor.

Since late 2008 there have been several versions of the beer available in Cambodia: one version is the "original brew" and made in Kien Svay, another made by a Cambodian company by the name of HBL and a third, decidedly inferior, version made in Thailand.

Comments on a local expat site chart this most annoying of alcoholic inconveniences:

"Some shops are selling dodgy Anchor Beer made in Thailand and tastes nowhere near as good as the Cambodian made stuff"

"Domestic demand for Anchor exceeds the brewery's ability to supply - thus the excess is being sourced from Thai brewers until they can increase capacity. The Thai stuff is lower quality and you can tell by the can - make sure you buy the stuff marked made in Kandal province..."

"Locally produced beer gets shafted on taxes while the crap smuggled over the border manages to evade a lot of that so I figure there is economic incentive too"

Eventually somebody in the know posted some good news:

"The imported, Thai made, version is no longer in the market and was stopped as a supplier several months ago now"


http://www.expat-advisory.com/forums/topic7595.html

http://www.expat-advisory.com/forums/topic7602.html

Chang Beer Wins Gold Medal at 2008 World Beer Championships

http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20090109/bs_prweb/prweb1841854

The distinguished tasting panel described Chang as: "Bright golden color. Honeyed raisin toast aromas with a hint of lychee follow through on a crisp, smooth entry to a dryish medium body with a hint of apple, nut, and a solid roasted grain character. Finishes with a crisp, balanced earthy hop and pizza dough fade. A very nice food beer."


Now it is true that Chang tastes okay for a Thai beer and if you are willing to ignore the accompanying God awful "Changover" then it is feasible for the beer to win an award.

But how the hell did they come up with that taste description?

Makes you wonder about the effects formaldehyde can have on the brain...

Chang, Budweiser, Heineken, Stella Beer Joke

After the Great Britain Beer Festival, in London, all the brewery presidents decided to go out for a beer.

The guy from Chang sits down and says, "Hey bartender, I would like the world's best beer, a Chang." The bartender dusts off a bottle from the shelf and gives it to him.

The guy from Budweiser says, "I'd like the best beer in the world, give me 'The King Of Beers', a Budweiser." The bartender gives him
one.

The guy from Heineken says, "I'd like the only beer made with fresh spring water, give me a Heineken" He gets it.

The guy from Stella sits down and says, "Give me a Coke." The bartender is a little taken aback, but gives him what he ordered.

The other brewery presidents look over at him and ask "Why aren't you drinking a Stella" and the Stella president replies, "Well, I figured if you guys aren't drinking beer, neither would I."

Phnom Penh Beer – Brewed & Canned in Cambodia

Phnom Penh has its first homegrown beer according to Cambodian blogger Vuthasurf. Strangely enough it is brewed and canned in Kampong Chhnang province, not Phnom Penh:

http://www.vuthasurf.com/2008/12/18/new-brand-of-phnom-penh-beer/

Yesterday, I went to visit the One Product One Province Expo at Modial Center in Phnom Penh, I then spotted the new brand of beer brewed in Cambodia, bearing the name “Phnom Penh Beer”.

This kind of beer just has been brewed at the early of this month in Kompong Chhnang province. I tasted it but I could not yet compare it with Angkor Beer. By the way, the Phnom Penh Beer will be able to enter the market to compete with the other beers.

BeerAsia 2009 New Year Resolutions

2008 was a year packed full of beer drinking and my body is really showing it so while my New Year resolutions for 2009 are still beer related they focus on quality rather than quantity:

1. Visit Vietnam and some of their renowned micro breweries
2. Continue my boycott of crappy Thai beer
3. Continue my avoidance of Johnnie Walker (or only drink Gold or Blue label if forced
4. Try to reduce the size of my beer belly

BeerAsia 2008 Resolutions Update

I actually managed to lived up to most of last year’s resolutions:

1. I drank very little Johnnie Walker
2. I enjoyed lots and lots of Beer Lao
3. I visited the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos and smuggled lots of beer back with me
4. I continued my campaign against crappy Thai beer
5. But I was unable to encourage freedom and democracy in Burma as a means of international availability of Beer Myanmar.

I really hope the Burmese people find a way out of their troubles sometime soon!

Black Beer Stout – Premium Beer from Hite Breweries

The Koreans have a cunning export strategy of sending their crappy bubblegum pop stars to perform concerts in developing countries around the globe and gauging the reaction.

If positive they immediately start sending containers full of equally crappy consumer goods, crappy cars, crappy construction projects and eventually crappy beer.

Black Beer Stout is a “black beer” made by Hite Breweries in Seoul, Korea and sold in various countries around the Asia-Pacific region inline with the above mentioned Korean export strategy.

This is one of the beers that sits in the back of a fridge until an apprehensive drinker finally runs out of his preferred tipple, which is exactly what happened to me last Tuesday night.

Back in the western world I was a big fan of stouts but in Asia I normally cannot stand them due to their insane 7 or 8% alcohol content that turns them into syrup.

At 5% Black Beer Stout has more going for it than Guinness Export or ABC Stout. I drank the entire can without gagging and would have cracked open a fresh can had one been available.

Myanmar Beer in a Can

In my previous visits to Myanmar I have only ever encountered Myanmar Beer in 640ml bottles but thanks to a recent export drive cans of the brew are now making their way across the continent to friendly markets such as Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

The beer is just as good in a can and is well-suited to the Southeast Asian climate with a dry yet balanced full-bodied taste with a healthy level of carbonation.

Despite international sanctions from America and Europe most Asian countries could not care less about Myanmar’s domestic shenanigans and are more than happy to trade with the country.

Myanmar Brewery Limited is now an established corporate entity and also brews a number of international beers under license including Tiger Beer, ABC Stout and Anchor Beer.

This remains a very good Asian beer.

Andaman Gold – Proudly brewed and canned by Myanmar Brewery Ltd.

This is an interesting one.

Brewed by the same company as Myanmar Beer Andaman Gold appears to have been created as an export product that is less identifiable as a beer from Myanmar when given only a cursory glance.

Unusually for an Asian beer it had an entire tome on the back of its can explaining:

Far off in the exotic Andaman Sea lies an Archipelago of untouched emerald islands.

Wrapped in white sandy beaches and surrounded by pristine blue waters and luminous coral reefs, the islands beckon the intrepid adventurer.

So if you go exploring now there is Andaman Gold – a smooth well-balanced golden lager beer with a crisp satisfying taste that is the perfect refreshment after a hard day off-the-beaten-track.

Andaman Gold – be the first, satisfy your thirst for adventure.

The first sniff of the brew after cracking open the can was not that appealing and despite its relation to the quite good Myanmar Beer my taste buds indicated quite clearly that it was an inferior tipple.

Less body, less flavour - it tasted like it came from a Thai brewery!

Gold Bear – It tastes exactly the same as Heineken!

This is a beer that not only looks like a bottle of Heineken it also tastes exactly the same.

Now anywhere else in the world that would be an insult but in Southeast Asia it is a quite favourable comment.

The bottle makes some reference to Singapore but my theory is that one of the many licensed Heineken breweries in the region is pulling a fast one and selling off some of the beer with a new label.

I would guess Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia but who knows, maybe someone stole the secret recipe!

2008 Myanmar Beer Calendar Girls

For more Myanmar Beer Calendar Girls check out:

http://pawthwut.googlepages.com/myanmarbeercalendargirls

You Beer – Special Lager

You Beer is a special beer.

I know this because it says so on the can!

The beer certainly is special in its own way, like many other chemi-brews it stands out thanks largely to the noxious fumes that are released upon cracking open the can.

The aftertaste can also be described as special – not quite soapish nor completely chemical, it is uniquely disgusting.

From what I gather this beer is made in Vietnam and exported to any country that will take it.

You Beer is especially bad.

Bud Light – Genuine

They say:

Brewed with the finest ingredients for a refreshingly smooth taste

I say:

Tastes like regular Budweiser but with much less flavour (yes it is possible)

At the end of the day normal Bud is relatively tasteless so the name Bud Light kind of gives the game away in advance.

This one was an import from the States and the can comes with a born on date that was within the 110 day period that provides the “Freshest Taste”.

It was fresh but I could not determine much taste.

Pacifico Clara – Imported Beer from Mexico

This is a well traveled beer that is imported from Mexico into the USA, where it has a popular following, then gets sent around the world to random places in Asia.

Considering the beer knocks up more air miles than I do it still manages to hold its own when compared to other Mexican imports such as Corona.

Pacifico Clara has more character than your average lightweight Mexican brew and its bottle boasts a distinctive yellow label that helps it stand out on the shelf and in the bar.

It is a pilsner that has been made at the Cerveceria del Pacifico brewery in Mazatlan, Mexico since 1900 when three Germans launched the beer.

The brewery is now owned by brewing giant Grupo Modelo which in turn is part owned by another giant, Anheuser-Busch.

In terms of taste and quality Pacifico Clara compares favourably with local beers but with only a trickle of supply and such a long delivery route there is no chance of it ever competing with Asia’s beer oligarchs.

Pearl River Lager Beer – Since 1985

This brew is a typical German style lager so commonly found in China, although this one comes with a 1980’s style ring pull.

Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery launched Pearl River in 1985 and has achieved continuing popularity with China’s beer drinkers.

As with everything else in China this beer is now being exported across the region but has yet to make any significant impact in the alcoholic global consciousness.

Pearl River is fairly drinkable and I can find no reason to speak ill of it, although given a choice I would definitely prefer a Tsingtao.

Blue Girl Lager Beer – Another Hong Konger…

This is another one of the brews I sampled during my recent Hong Kong jaunt.

I have to honest and say that I only drank one bottle of the stuff and I was already hammered.

I can't recollect what it tasted like.

It wasn’t foul or vomit inducing but after I finished the bottle I moved straight onto Tsingtao and never looked back.

From what I could tell it is a beer that enjoys a popular local following, I assume with more with the lower economic segment but I could be wrong.

A bit of googling revealed an interesting history with the beer first being brewed in Bremen, Germany back in the 18th Century and was imported to China to quench the thirst of some German troops in the region.

An importer, Jebsen & Co., Ltd, acquired the rights to Blue Girl Beer in 1906 and were responsible for introducing it to Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.

According to their website they still continue to adhere to strict German brewing techniques.

Gold Benthanh – Indulge the success, enjoy the quality

I am a bit annoyed at having to write this beer review.

It is not the beer’s fault but I had previously done a write up only to find later that a virus had wiped away all of my alcoholic musings.

Gold Benthanh is a Vietnamese beer that is not appallingly dreadful nor much to write home about.

It is a beer that has a “by the numbers” feel to it as if the brewers concentrated more on the spreadsheet and sales projections than the actual brew.

The website is a hoot and is packed full of English transliterations that make for a fun read.

Apparently Gold Benthanh is “Best use after freezing” and the stated ingredients are “Water, 100% wheat, houbon, alcohol 4.7%”.

I do often wonder whether Asian beers ever enter into the brewing process and can’t help thinking that most breweries prefer just to add a bucket of anti-freeze into the mix instead….

The expat beer lover's question of life - bottle or can?

A recent comment was made about cans of imported Carlsberg tasting bad, raising an ever important question - bottle or can?

In all fairness most expats in Asia don't have a lot of choice thanks to national beer monopolies, excessive import taxes and poor distribution systems.

As a rule domestic brews are always the freshest but it is always necessary to ask yourself a number of questions when buying a beer:

- Is the bar, shop or restaurant busy enough to ensure a regular turnover of their stock?

- If not, then which beer appears the most popular or reasonably priced?

- What brew are the locals drinking?

- Are the locals poor, alcholic peasants or rich urbanite?

- Are you a poor, drunk backpacker or an microbrew swigging jetsetter?

You have to weigh up the information and figure out what will work out best for you.

Country to country and beer to beer quality varies wildly but I would have to say that bottles are best if the selection is very fresh, if more than a few months then cans are a better option if good storage has been maintained.

Anything more than a few months old and you are pretty much screwed either way.

Prime Max - The bastard cousin of Hite

I have never been to South Korea and if the beer is anything to go by I never intend to.

Prime Max is another brew from the Hite Brewery in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul who amazingly enough manage to have a majority share of the domestic beer market.

I can only imagine how appaling the competitor's beer must be!

Prime Max is meant to be a more premium beer than Hite and charges a slightly higher price while claiming to have a more complex flavour.

I couldn't notice much difference.

Neither beer is very nice, even when properly chilled.

When both beers start to warm up they taste pretty bad.

The slogan is the real clincher proclaiming loudly that the brew is a "delicious idea".

A nice idea more like....

Tsingtao - Proud sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympics

The Tsingtao in Hong Kong was really, really fresh.

An absolute pleasure to drink.

It is available in every bar, restaurant and minimart as the defacto beer of choice.

I drank it out of cans, bottles and draft (I think did anyway) and it was by far the best I have ever had when compared to the Tsingtao I have consumed in other countries.

As far as the Olympics go the athletes of the world should be more than catered for alcoholically either in their celebrations or commiserations.

Roll on Beijing!

Mini Sapporo Beer in Hong Kong

This mini can of Sapporo is something I picked up from a 7-11 near to the hotel I was staying at in Hong Kong.

In the photo the Carlsberg is a normal 330ml and the Sapporo was tiny in comparison, although the pricing was quite similar.

Sapporo tastes good whether in bottle or can and the 7-11's in Hong Kong really have their fridges turned up to full power so the beer was icy cold and ready to drink.

I finished it in one gulp.

Very nice indeed.

Temporarily out of action

A combination of an evil computer virus and the early onset of the monsoon has laid me and several blog post temporarily out of action.

Luckily my computer guy is on it and has only taken 1 week to feedback to me that "Your computer have problem!"...........

There will be more beer blogging to come soon I drunkenly promise!

Thailand’s Newest Premium Beer “Federbräu”

ThaiBev, creators of Chang and Sangsom, have launched a new premium beer called Federbrau.

It allegedly adheres to German Brewing laws and rocks in at 4.7%.

The launch is going to be massive but I am outside of Thailand for the moment and wonder if it will still be around when I return...

For the full scoop go to: http://absolutelybangkok.com/?p=519

Beer Lao Draft on the Mekong

“Bia Sot” and “Nam Kawn” (“Fresh Beer” and “Ice”) are the two things you have to be able to say if you are to enjoy a trip in the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos.

It is only in this tiny and remote Communist country that you can drink Beerlao fresh from a beer tap.

When I arrived in Vientiane the first thing I did after checking into my hotel was go out and order a pitcher of this golden nectar at a nearby bar overlooking the Mekong.

The taste of Beerlao Draft renders any notion of canned or bottled beer completely obsolete.

The beer tastes amazingly pure and fresh thanks to the close proximity of the Beerlao brewery.

The picture says it all really…

Tiger Beer roars and pours in Laos

My first Laotian beer update is not about the national brew but the new foreign arrival from Singapore.

Last month Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) announced that their domestic operations in the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic would be brewing Tiger Beer before the end of the year.

While Tiger has been available as a high-end, premium import in the country for over a decade APB decided that the market was now mature enough to support a brewery that competes with the excellent, but somewhat monopolistic, Beerlao.

APB prefers to brew domestically rather than rely on imports and now has operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and China as well as many other countries around the globe.

Good Morning Vientiane

My long awaited reconnaissance mission to Laos took place recently and has provided me with enough Communist beer related stories to fill this blog for at least a month.

More to come shortly…

Korean expats are right - Hite can be shite

Lambasted by Korean based English teachers since the dawn of time I can now confirm that beer originating in the land of the morning calm can be accurately described as shite.

I recently bought a bottle of 4.5% Hite lager from a Korean mini-mart and with much trepidation and refrigeration I cracked it upon and took a few long swigs without experiencing any immediate nausea or discomfort.

In fact it tasted alright.

There was certainly nothing special about the brew but nor could I detect any hint of chemicals, dirt or piss.

The label on the bottle was seemingly being truthful where it stated that Hite was made, “From naturally fresh water” and utilised a “Fresh Taste Keeping System.”

With about ¾ of the still icy cold bottle finished I went to have a quick shower.

About five minutes later I returned to a luke warm beer from which I took a big gulp.

At this point I realised that all those Korean based English teachers were not exaggerating about how bad that country’s beer can be.

It was apparent that my ice cold fridge had conspired with the beer and helped to disguise a nasty chemi-brew aftertaste.

Hite is definitely not a keeper, however my liver is undaunted and next on the list is Cass Red…

Asian Whisky A Go Go

It is hard to say what is worse; the general lack of decent beer in Asia or the native population’s taste for crap whisky.

Due to a holiday season extended by endless work related parties that revolved around massive consumption of Johnnie Walker I did not have much capacity for beer or anything else in most of January.

Chinese New Year combined with an astonishing number of wedding and birthday parties led to an alcohol sodden start to February and even more Johnnie Walker.

Recovery is now underway and I hope to continue my regular sampling of the good, the bad and the ugly beers that Asia has to offer.

Why I do drink – Part 2

As of 2007 and 2008 I have begun to party a fair bit less than my London years but continue to enjoy a tipple or two on a regular basis.

I don’t drink everyday and limit my consumption to weekends and Mondays.

I avoid my previous drink of choice (large bottles of vodka) and prefer to sup on beer and wine nowadays.

So why do I drink?

For me it is not a social thing.

I have never much cared for big gatherings or endless work parties and while I regularly endure both with a drink in hand they are not the main cause for my drinking.

For me the optimum combination is good booze, fine food and an excellent backdrop.

Garden barbeques with a bottle of beer, gin and tonics with Satays at a beach bar and champagne with fresh seafood on a friend’s yacht are among the best examples.

I drink because it is enjoyable and intend to continue doing so in the best of surroundings and most favourable of situations.

Other people are free to do as they like and who am I to judge?

Korean beer comments (hint - it sucks)

The teachers over at the Dave ESL Korean forum have been ruminating over the arsepit that is the Korean brewing industry (http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=111690&sid=2a9497f4a90994ae820fa644264cf169)

Comments of note include:

Korean beer is truly the worst beer in the world.

I think that the cASS s-HITE and OB all taste pretty much the same, bad.

Korean beer is the worst in Asia.

Korean beer is one small step up from cold urine.

Korean beer IS proper tramp sweat.

Can Korean beer really be that bad?

Is it possible that a country can make worse beer than Thailand?

I need to track down some of this Cass beer and do a taste test.....

Cheers Beer on TV

Cheers Beer has launched a TV campaign to support its piss influenced, spawn of Satan brew.

The TV adverts are great but the beer remains the same (i.e. shite)

http://www.snotr.com/video/823

Why I do drink – Part 1

A comment was recently left by the writer of the Stories from Thailand blog.

He asked a reasonable enough question (why don’t you stop drinking?) which I pondered upon whilst browsing through the posts on his site.

Before replying to his initial comment I stumbled across a post of his (http://storiesfromthailand.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-i-dont-drink.html) which explained why he doesn’t drink and invited those who do to state their case.

Here is my reply:

“It’s a waste of money.”

This is subjective. Alcohol is a luxury purchase but no more a waste of money than other items of pleasure such as art, music, film, fine cuisine, holidays etc.

“It gets you intoxicated and when people are drunk they do stupid things”

Not everybody drinks to excess. Sometimes I get more pleasure out of one drink than ten and while I have done stupid things when drunk I find there is a fair balance between my sober and non-sober acts of stupidity.

“Do you drink?”

Yup.

“Everyday?”

Not currently but I have done in the past.

“Then, you’re a loser! Convince me you’re not!”

I disagree entirely.

Elsewhere in the post the writer argues that time spent sober allows him to increase his teaching qualifications and therefore his earning capacity.

Considering that most farang teachers earn an absolute pittance I find it laughable that one should bring their peanut based salary into the equation.

I balance a busy work life alongside my penchant for beer and earn many times more than some of best paid teachers and lecturers in Thailand.

In financial terms I am certainly not a loser.

BeerAsia 2008 New Year Resolutions

Late as ever my beer related New Year resolutions for 2008 are as follows:

1. Avoid Johnnie Walker like the plague.
2. Continue regular consumption of all kinds of Beer Lao.
3. Follow through on plans to visit the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos and make sure to leave with as much Beer Lao Dark in my suitcase and carry on as physically possible.
4. Encourage the masses to rise up and boycott the Thai beer monopoly.
5. Promote freedom and democracy for Burma as a means of increasing international availability of Beer Myanmar.

BeerAsia 2007 Resolutions Update

Last year I made 5 resolutions - some I managed to keep and others I failed miserably at:

1. I tried my best to stop drinking spirits in favour of beer but sadly work related duties caused an increase in my consumption of Johnnie Walker and a variety of other crap whiskies.
2. Thanks to a number of trips via Bangkok I managed to get my hands on a decent amount of Beer Lao Dark and have carefully laid plans for a 2008 reconnaissance mission to the beer’s country of origin.
3. I have successfully avoided drinking nearly every Thai brewed beer available including Chang, Singha and Cheers Beer.
4. Japanese beers, especially Yebisu, have maintained a constant presence in my refrigerator.
5. Beer Myanmar has not been available in regular supply anywhere outside of the beer’s borders due to continued international sanctions and the military junta’s mass oppression of tens of thousands of monks and innocent civilians.

Bali Hai Beer – A Javanese Gem

Sneaky bugger that I am this month I managed to lay my hands upon a case of freshly brewed Bali Hai Beer - it had been recommended highly to me and for good reason as I found out.

The can states it is brewed in Bekasi, West Java so I guess that this Balinese beer does not originate directly from the famed holiday island, although it is said to be widely available there and has a strong following amongst foreign visitors and residents.

Available as a regional export in Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Cambodia, I also hear that many Indonesian restaurants in America and Europe also stock the beer.

The brew’s stats are the familiar 5% alcohol lager that is available in the standard 330ml can and bottle but Bali Hai proves to be more satisfactory than many other regional beers.

Promoted as a “Classic brew of chosen malts, hops, obtainable for satin smooth distinctive character,” this beer immodestly invites drinkers to, “Experience Perfection.”

Not a bad tasting lager it is slightly dry and has some taste and body of note, unlike many other Asian brews.

It has a tropical feel and goes well as an accompaniment to spicy food or on its own but I have the feeling that the beer would be best enjoyed on a beach in Bali.

Iceberg Lager Beer – Why oh why do I drink beer made in Thailand?

Brewed and canned for World & Tobacco PTE Singapore, but actually made in Thailand by San Miguel (formally Thai Amarit), Iceberg Lager Beer has recently made its debut.

The can offers the usual boast of “Premium Quality” and notes an alcohol content of 5.2% but gives few other details about the beer.

My first instinct upon closer inspection was that it was yet another brew by numbers, with quality and taste coming second to market price and positioning.

The taste, smell and churning in my stomach confirmed my instinct to be correct within half a sip. I braved about a quarter of a can before giving up and cracking open an ice cold bottle of Beerlao to take away the foul taste in my mouth.

I am sure that most Thai breweries simply churn out these production jobs with exactly the same chemi-beers each time, only stopping to change the name and can from time to time.

The problem with most Asian beer is.....

• It is mostly crap
• Mass market focus by breweries and retailers
• Emphasis on low cost and low quality
• Presence of large amounts of hangover inducing chemicals
• Over-branding, over-marketing and over-selling
• Premium beers are normally either imports or just overpriced swill
• Lack of decent black beers - ABC, Guinness and Black Panther are all way too strong to be regular tipples
• Protectionist governments who set high tariffs on import of drinkable beer in order to protect monopolistic domestic brewers (COUGH Thailand COUGH)

Isaan Beer is here!

Courtesy of the Nation newspaper:

Singha plunges into cheap-beer market

BANGKOK: -- Singha Corp expects its new Isaan beer to be a hit with medium-to-low-income drinkers, especially in the countryside.

The company says it will fill a gap not fully reached by its Singha and Leo brands.

The brewer and beverage producer said the new, 4.7-per-cent-alcohol beer could capture a 3-per-cent slice of the Bt100-billion-a-year market.

Company marketing manager Chatchai Viratyosin said yesterday Singha was a favourite in Bangkok and other cities, while Leo was drunk by lower-income consumers in cities and in rural towns.

He said the new beer would entrench the company among all low-income drinkers, including those at the grass roots.

It goes on sale tomorrow and will cost Bt100 for three bottles. This is still more than its main competitor, Archa, from Thai Beverage. Archa has been selling for three years and costs Bt100 for five bottles. It is heavily promoted.

Chatchai said Isaan would not offer price promotions, because that could contravene marketing laws.

But he was confident Isaan could "certainly catch the attention of grass-roots drinkers in the Northeast". The name will grab brand loyalty, he added.

He said Northeast drinkers would want to try it at least once.

"Northeastern people are patriots. We've done surveys throughout the region and found that they are very proud of their dialect, culture and food, so we've applied that to beer. It's made in the Northeast for northeasterners," he said.

The beer is brewed at the company's Khon Kaen plant, and production capacity is 800 million litres per year. Chatchai said the company would soon increase that to one billion litres.

He said Singha was the only company with a brewery in the region and that this saved on costs. Tax revenue will also be poured back into the area, he said - another selling point.

Isaan is expected to boost total Singha sales in the Northeast by 3 per cent, reaching 30 per cent of total sales.

Initially, the brew will be sold in the Northeast only, but because Isaan people are resident all over the country, distribution will be expanded later.

Chatchai said Singha was the first brewer to introduce a purely regional brand, but he expected more to follow.

He said European brewers were extremely provincial, especially in Germany.

2007-11-10

Bye Bye Big Mango Bar

One of the best places on Sukhumvit to enjoy a Beerlao in a hassle free environment that offers good food and great views has sadly had to close due to issues surrounding an expensive new lease.

Karl Marx was right, property is theft and landlords are all bastards.

The Big Mango Bar was a good joint for all and sundry; from those who fancied a pre-session tipple to people that wanted to meet up with mates to me who simply wanted to get hammered on a limitless supply of reasonably priced Beerlao.

There are plans to reopen in a new location but this is all very recent and nothing is yet planned.

Mercifully my other favourite place to swill Beerlao in Bangkok remains open – thank God for Oh My Cod!

For Big Mango Bar updates you can check their website: http://www.bigmangobar.com/

Beer Lao Dark AKA Beer Lao Dum

As soon as I heard that Beer Lao Dum had arrived in the bars of Bangkok I revised travels plans I had to allow me a day (and night) in the City of Angels so I could try the darker, stronger sister of Beer Lao.

Time was limited so instead of going to my favourite Asian Fish and Chip Shop, Oh My Cod near Khao San Road, I headed to the Big Mango Bar in Nana Plaza and started downing the stuff as quick as I could.

The taste is similar to regular Beer Lao but the body offers a much fuller, darker hit and the brew rocks in at 6.5% - enough to knock me for six after just a few bottles.

The waitress at the bar told me that the beer had been quite popular with regulars and tourists alike.

She also pointed out that farang get drunk much quicker on Beer Lao Dum but that it was okay as this meant that they normally ended up leaving bigger tips.

As I stumbled out I also found myself leaving a larger than normal tip, having enjoyed the beer and the conversation greatly.

Brahma – a Brazilian beer in London

This is the last of my beer reviews/highlights from my UK trip and strangely enough it is for Brahma, a popular Brazilian beer.

I picked up a bottle of the brew at the Yates pub in Leicester Square and found it to be a relatively indistinct pale lager somewhat similar to Corona.

Brahma is marketed as an easy-to-drink beer and this label is quite accurate, it is easy to drink but I also found it to be quite a forgettable beer.

It has been brewed since 1888 and due mainly to the colossal size of the Brazilian beer market Brahma is now one of the world’s best selling beers, sitting comfortably in the global top ten where it hovers between 7th and 8th position.

As part of a nationwide export push in Brazil the beer is being shipped all across the world and is now available in 15 countries including the UK, US, Canada, Russia, France, Australia and New Zealand.

By far the most unique aspect of Brahma is its interestingly shaped bottle, the relatively bland brew is nothing much to write home about but for a beer to become a global bestseller it is the branding and advertising that are the key drivers for growth with such beers tending towards the lowest common denominators in regards to taste.

Courage Directors Bitter

This is another one of the brews of note that I supped on whilst in England recently.

It is a decent enough cask bitter but I found it to be a tad too bitter for my tastes, perhaps all this Asian beer has led to my taste buds becoming over-sensitized from lack of use.

There are a range of beers which are part of the Courage family including Courage Bitter, Courage Best Bitter, Courage Directors Winter Warmer, John Courage, John Courage Amber and John Courage Export Lager.

Courage is quite a large brewery that dates back to 1787 and is now a part of the Scottish & Newcastle brewing empire that is also responsible for brewing Beamish, McEwan's, Newcastle Brown Ale, John Smith's and Websters as well as acting as license holders for Foster's, Holstein, Kronenbourg and Miller Pilsener.

Although I managed to get through three or four pints of Courage Directors Bitter during a pub lunch, I do not think this beer will be at the top of the list during my next trip to the UK

Spitfire Beer and the Battle of Britain

To honour the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 1990 and to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund Shepherd Neame's, Britain’s oldest brewery, decided to create a commemorative ale and launched Spitfire Beer with an initial brewing volume of 500 barrels per month.

Within three months high demand led to the capacity being doubled and the brew soon became Shepherd Neame’s best selling cask conditioned ale.

It is a Kentish Ale that is brewed using pure spring water from the brewery’s artesian well and the highest quality English malt and Kentish hops. It has strength of 4.5% and really does manage to capture a certain “blitz” spirit with its excellent packaging matching that complements the high quality of the beer.

The brew is not short of fans and was recognised at the Brewing Industry International Awards as one of Britain's fastest–growing premium ales, duly being awarded a Gold Medal for being “The Best Strong Cask–Conditioned Beer in the World”.

One beer reviewer, Andrew Jefford, summed up the beer far better than I could explaining that, "Deep amber in colour, generous aromas of tangy malt..spicy hops follow through to provide a complex finish"

Spitfire has to be the most patriotic beer available in Britain and has a well deserved following.

Greene King IPA – A fine English brew

A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure.

One of the most widely available cask ales in the UK is the Greene King IPA.

With a brewing history dating back nearly a thousand years it originates from the market town of Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk.

This brew is an enjoyable tipple and at 3.6% a refreshing change from the 5% plus lagers I am used to drinking in Asia.

Available straight from the casks in pubs around the UK it is a beer with a clean finish, distinctively hoppy and with an impressionable bite to it.

It is an award winning brew (mind you so is Chang…..) and won the Gold award at the 2004 Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Great British Beer Festival and was also a runner up in the Champion Beer Of Britain category.

The parent company, Greene King, is the largest British owned brewery in the UK and is also responsible for Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen.

Monopolistic takeover and acquisition policies have led some to refer to the company as Greedy King but nether-the-less the beers they produce are some of the best brews available on the mass market in the UK.

Bad news for Beer Lao

Shamefully unreported by this blog here is a belated round up on the halting of Beer Lao's expansion into Thailand:

Lao Brewery Co's plans to flood Thailand with its popular Beer Lao next year have been put on hold until 2011, a senior executive said Thursday.

But the government of Laos and Thailand recently decided that beer was too sensitive a product to be tariff-free in their respective markets.

"Both governments decided to keep the tariffs on beer until 2011," said Sounthone Phommachak, senior deputy managing director of the Lao Brewery Co. "Each country is still trying to protect their own beer market."

Bugger.................

More can be found at the following sites:

http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/09/20/business/business_30049676.php
http://whatismatt.com/beer-lao-not-coming-to-thailand/
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/230699/Beer_Lao_delays_export_plans

British Boozers

A recent sojourn to England gave me the chance to alcoholically indulge giving myself access to a near endless stream of finely brewed, fresh, draft beer.

Two and a half years in Asia have provided me with a very high degree of respect for the institution that is the pub.

Strolling through the incredibly overpopulated and overstressed city of London I found a number of old haunts all of which to boasted seemingly infinite arrays of brews, both domestic and international.

But it was in the West Country and Southern Coast that I encountered the most enjoyable beer purveyors with pubs giving prominence to local and regional beers that are actually brewed rather than mass-manufactured in some chemical factory as so often is the case in Asia.

The British pub experience goes beyond beer with surroundings going a long way to enhance and create atmosphere - there is something amazingly pleasurable about supping on a pint of bitter in a beer garden on a summer’s day or bringing in the New Year with a pub full of your beshtest friends.

Arriving in Bangkok on business a week after leaving the UK I found myself popping into a British themed bar on Sukhumvit for the sake of comparison.

While the beer on offer could not even come close to the real thing I have to admit that the atmosphere was great and the bar was packed with all the usual suspects, characters, criminals, oddballs and alcoholics that you would find in your local boozer in the UK.

Guinness in England

This is a photo of one of my favourite beers in the world, a brew that is best enjoyed as physically close to Ireland as possible.

In this case I was on the southern coast of England but compared to the imported kegs available in Asia the difference in taste and quality is really noticeable.

Nothing makes me happier than to be able to walk into a pub and have the choice of two types of draft Guinness – regular and extra cold.

I found myself going with extra cold each time and savoured every last drop of every pint I consumed.

In the UK there are no year old imported cans or the super strong bottles of Malaysian brewed Foreign Extra on offer - just good, fresh Guinness on draft.

I sometimes consider moving back to the UK on the basis of the beer alone but memories of the insane levels of taxation, traffic, laws, regulations and all the other crap always manage to bring me back to my senses.

I do miss the beer though…………..

Bangkok's Best Beer

AbsolutelyBangkok.com has rounded up the city's best beers and the article gives a good overview of what is available - they were also kind enough to give this blog a mention : )

http://absolutelybangkok.com/?p=10

Pint - Glass or Plastic?

This is the question that should never be asked in any self-respecting pub or bar anywhere. But I found it to be the standard in a lot of pubs I visited in the UK recently.

If it was a weekend night or if you were sitting outside in the beer garden then you were given no choice but to drink your brew from a plastic pint “glass”.

A glass pint has a major benefit over the plastic equivalent – it keeps the beer cool.

Admittedly it also can be used as a dangerous weapon ala “Trainspotting” but most people that drink Best Bitter or Guinness would not risk wasting any of their beer just to glass somebody – such time would be much better spent going to the bar and ordering another brew.

Beer served in a plastic pint just feels wrong.

Oettinger – Original German Beer

At last I have managed to find an “Original German Beer” in Asia. No longer must I degrade my stomach and liver with Park Lager or Mittweida for I can now consume the ever so slightly better tasting Oettinger.

Rocking in at 5.4% the beer is drinkable enough but ultimately fails the “Do I care enough to ever buy another can test”.

For once I actually believe this to be a genuine German brew but I have always preferred the alcoholic offerings of Belgium or Britain and never thought Deutsche Uber Alles was ever on the beer table in Europe, Asia or anywhere else.

Mittweida – The Thai-German-Philipino Brew

Like many people I have often found myself wondering what a German style beer brewed in Thailand by a Philipino beer monopoly would taste like?

It turns out the answer is that such a beer tastes as bad as it sounds.

Mittweida is certainly one step up from the similarly “German” branded one sip wonder that is Park Lager but it fails to impress on any much greater substantially higher level of taste, although I did manage to finish an entire can of the beer.

Made by San Miguel in it’s Thai brewery this is a hard beer to come across and seems to have a small production and distribution base that is largely concentrated in random parts of Thailand, Cambodia and wherever the hell else they can offload the stuff.

The can claims Mittweida beer was established in 1874.

Maybe it was but I do not think any beer lover would be bothered enough to challenge this historical factoid – this time would be much better spent finding a Beer Lao to wash away any memory of this strangest of brews.

Park Lager – Another one sip wonder

With some beers in Asia you can tell by the first whiff that they are no good.

Even with the open can some way from my nose I could smell that things were not right with Park Lager.

Promoted on the can as a German brew made with finest hops and barley malt I found neither ingredient to be present in this beer.

I took one sip and was immediately filled with regret.

The brown liquid that claimed to be beer was nothing more than toilet cleaner in a can.

My mouth and stomach could give my brain no reason to continue consumption, especially since my fridge was filled with a number of superior and incredibly well-chilled brews.

Park Lager is a beer that deserves to be poured into the nearest toilet bowl, which is exactly what I did with my first and last can of the brew.

Vietnam gets hammered on Carlsberg

The Vietnamese are leading the alcoholic way in terms of Carlsberg consumption creating a large rise in revenue for the company according to this article - http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=61b57ecb-d66b-4930-b62b-e97ae13b839b&k=36903

Growth for the brew in all of Asia combined topped 29% in a single year - apart from in Thailand of course where it has not been available for a long, long time.

Thanks a lot Chang!

333 Beer – the popular brew from Vietnam

333, or “Ba Ba Ba” as it is known in Vietnam, is a pretty decent rice lager that has found export success in a number of countries including France, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and even America.

The brew has managed to endure over a century of regional conflict and turmoil having first been produced in 1893 and becoming popularly known as Beer 33 at the turn of the century.

After the Communist takeover/liberation/oppression of Vietnam in the seventies the beer was renamed Beer 333 - the name change was allegedly an attempt to shake off the beer’s colonial past but truth be told nobody knows if this is the real reason or not.

Brewed with Australian ingredients and German technology the beer is quite tasty - in comparison it can be seen as a step up from Beer Lao in terms of strength of flavour and alcohol (5.3%).

The beer’s website boasts proudly of its quality control and filtration systems as well as the brewery’s focus on using a supply of pure, clean water that is heavily filtered to eliminate any impurities that could contaminant the taste of the finished product.

Beer Saigon (the brewery owner) even employs beer testers who drink samples from every batch produced to ensure that all beer leaving the brewery is up to the highest of standards.

Beer 333 is an enjoyable tipple that I found to be a refreshing change from some of Asia’s bland, insipid and often disgusting chemi-brews.

Highly recommended.

Best Beers for not getting Hangovers

1) Anchor – I can drink this brew all night and still wake up feeling rosy the next day providing I get enough post-boozing sleep.

2) Beer Lao – The lack of hangover from this beer is probably attributable to the ice I drink with it or the fact I chill it for at least twenty four hours before having a sip.

3) Heineken – This is a beer that serves as a textbook example of the benefits of quality control. Best out of a bottle rather than a can for freshness.

4) Carlsberg – I have drunk a lot of this in Malaysia and it has never caused me pain, although there was a business meeting or two that I probably would have performed better at had I not been drinking this brew until the early hours.

5) Most Non Thai Beers – Strangely enough most non-Thai beers do not give me hangovers. Maybe it is something to do with………………… (well you know the rest)

Bangkok Bob's updated guide to Bars and Pubs

Bangkok Bob has updated his guide to Bars and Pubs in the City of Angels and now lists some of the best places to go, "When you are tired of being molested by semi naked go-go girls" and need a, "bit of peace and quiet."

Some of better known bars on the list include The Barbican, the Londoner, the Irish X Change and Gullivers.

For the complete run down go to: http://www.bangkokbob.net/bars_pubs.htm

Worst Beers for Hangovers

These are the beers that have given me the worst hangovers whilst living in Asia:

1) Chang – On my first night in Thailand I drank about 5 or 6 large bottles of this brew without having any dinner or water to re-hydrate. Needless to say my first morning in Thailand was spent in the very near vicinity of my hotel toilet. Every time I drink this beer in any quantity I always wake up around 5am suffering from mind-blowing headaches, hallucinations and a very dodgy stomach. Some people swear by it but I swear at it.

2) Tiger – Tiger is a beer that I quite enjoy to drink, especially on draught. However every time I indulge in this beer I find myself with a hangover of varying proportions the next morning. The scale of the hangover is relatively mild but incredibly annoying as Tiger is one of a small number of decent tasting beers that are widely available throughout the region.

3) Singha – The few times that I have been able to drink a large enough volume of this beer I have always arose the next day feeling like complete shite. I don’t like the taste of the brew and only drink the stuff if it is offered to me free of charge.

4) Cheers Beer – I have never EVER drank enough of this “beer” to have been able to achieve a state of hangover but it is so foul that I am certain it must be a headache inducing and stomach churning experience.

5) Most Thai Beers – Nearly without exception most Thai brewed beers seem to be very good at giving hellish hangovers. Maybe it is something to do with the low quality brewing process, ingredients, distribution etc etc…………

Millions of cans of beer disappear at Thai border!

A report published recently by the Economic Institute of Cambodia revealed that tens of millions of cans of beers had disappeared at the Thai border as they were being imported into Cambodia.

The report, which was jointly sponsored by Cambrew and Cambodia Brewery, noted the discrepancies between Thai export numbers (high) and Cambodian import figures (low) and estimated the total loss of tax revenue for the Cambodian Government at over 22 million dollars, or around 3% of total tax revenue.

The beer with the highest discrepancies was Thai brewed Asahi which is the cheapest foreign brand in the Cambodia and a strong competitor to Angkor and Anchor.

The EIC claims that 29% of the country’s beer market is made up of smuggled beer blaming, "Weak governance and law enforcement” and urging the powers that be to, "take energetic measures to combat 'contraband' beer, especially along the Thai border."

However the country’s Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen has refused to accept the report stating that it was a waste of money and was aimed at slurring the good name and reputation of his government.

Interestingly taxes have now been raised on the beers brewed domestically by the reports backers so revenue should increase even if smuggling continues.

Beer Lao shortage to hit Bangkok!

Reports of a Beer Lao shortage are flying around the Thai blogosphere with two of the brew’s main distributors warning of a few months of no supply or limited supply.

It appears that the brew’s successful but low key entry into the Thai market may have led to more demand than the brewery in Laos can handle.

Previously when Beer Lao entered into other regional markets this kind of undersupply was commonplace with expats in Cambodia watching the brew appear and disappear from bars like a cheap trick from an alcoholic magician (or sadist?).

There are no reports of this problem happening anywhere else apart from Thailand though so it may be a case of the distributors having trouble getting the beer over the border and into the country.

After all, the dominant and monopolistic Thai breweries are not known for their friendliness to competitors of any size and have used their political muscle to cause supply and distribution problems in the past.

Bayon Beer – The Cambodian Policeman’s beer of choice

Cambrew remains a leading light of the Cambodian beer market thanks to its clever strategy of creating brews that are targeted to different socioeconomic segments.

Bayon Beer is aimed squarely at the low end of the market at a price about 15% lower than Angkor, Cambrew’s main product.

The can states that, “This exotic beer is brewed employing the best traditional processes. Bayon Beer embodies the full quality of a Asian beer. Bayon beer is essentially catered to Asian drinkers with a smooth and hoppy aroma to give a pleasant after taste. Bayon Beer is refreshing and thirst quenching.”

The brew is better value for money than comparable beers in the Thai market and does not taste too bad.

In terms of drinkability it could be worse and it is relatively smooth apart from an aftertaste that is noticeable, but not overpowering in a chemical sense.

One bar owner explained on an expat forum that the brew’s main purpose is to be given by the case as a goodwill gesture/bribe to the police during the country’s numerous public holidays.

Thai budget beers enjoy success (even though they suck)

The Bangkok Post recently published an interesting commentary on the success of budget beers in Thailand explaining that,

“The local beer market will likely pick up this year rather than decline as forecast earlier, but the growth will be the result of price distortions in the budget-beer segment, according to executives of Thai Asia Pacific Brewery Co (TAPB), the brewer of Heineken beer. While the ongoing price war might be good for consumers in the short term, it could have a negative impact on the industry as well as on drinkers in the long term.’

The article goes on to state that Boon Rawd Breweries, the maker of Singha beer, have accused arch-nemesis ThaiBev of price dumping its chemi-brews on retailers using unfair and unprofitable distribution tactics to gain market dominance.

This is not the first time this type of allegation has come up.

Boon Rawd accused ThaiBev (then Thai Beer) of exactly the same thing in the 1990’s claiming that they were forcing wholesalers to order Chang if they also wanted access to the company’s popular range of spirits.

Personally I believe that brews such as Singha lost market share in the nineties because they tasted nasty and were over-priced while brews like Chang were at least strong and cheap.

This time the claim is that ThaiBev is selling Archa Beer for below cost to wholesalers in order to muscle Boon Rawd’s popular Leo Beer out of market share in the budget sector.

In this case I actually prefer Archa over Leo but in a global or even regional taste test neither brews rate at all.

Thailand’s beer industry is really big business with the market valued at around 95 billion baht in 2006 but I cannot help wonder how much bigger it would be if these monopolistic breweries actually made beers which were drinkable.

That said, Thai Asia Pacific Breweries who make the premium and relatively drinkable beers Heineken and Tiger, have reported relatively sluggish sales despite making the best brews in Thailand so maybe Thai consumers just prefer low price over quality.

Of course TAPB are also responsible for the alcoholic atrocity that is Cheers Beer so they really deserve anything that happens to them…….

The worst countries for Beer in Asia

While there are a number of beer bright spots in this fine continent there are also some real alcoholic offenders. These are the worst countries that I have found so far:

1) Thailand – Despite an increase in the number of brews available overall quality is very low and the prominence of chem-brews puts the country to shame. Not to mention that the silly buggers kicked out the most excellent Carlsberg from the beer market in favour of its alcoholic nemesis (and former business partner) Chang.

2) Myanmar – Although listed as one the best countries for beer in Asia I have to also include Myanmar amongst the worst because of its crackdown on Beer Mandalay and also for the terrible oppression of its citizens who I believe would much enjoy the chance of democracy and a free market for beer.

3) Korea – Admittedly I have never tried Korean beer but I have met far too many English teachers and expatriates with tales of alcoholic woe and beer deprivation to ignore this country’s lack of decent brews.

The best countries for Beer in Asia

I thought it was about time to highlight the countries that offer the best range of brews in the region so here are my top picks:

1) Singapore – By far the best country in Asia in terms of range and quality of imported brews, domestic beers and microbreweries. Bloody expensive though.

2) Myanmar – Junta aside Beer Myanmar is such an excellent brew that the country deserves to be listed.

3) Malaysia – Slightly fewer beers available than neighbouring Singapore but far lower prices.

4) Laos – Beer Lao rocks. Enough said.

Budweiser attempts to penetrate India

Crown Beers India Ltd., the joint venture between Anheuser-Busch and Crown International, announced the first locally produced Budweiser in India is now available in southern and western India in 330-ml and 650-ml bottles.

Budweiser is currently sold in hotels, retail outlets and bars in Andhra Pradesh and Mumbai. Crown Beers plans to expand Budweiser’s distribution across southern and western India throughout the summer.

Budweiser’s launch follows the joint venture’s May introduction of Armstrong, a new premium strong beer. Armstrong is a full-bodied, robust beer brewed according to time-honored brewing traditions. The beer is made from the finest barley malt and imported hops, resulting in the ultimate taste satisfaction.

“Strong beers account for nearly two-thirds of beer sales in India, and the segment continues to grow at a rapid pace,” said K.V.D. Prasad Rao, chairman, Crown Beers. “This incredible segment growth provides Armstrong with an opportunity to become the brand of choice for Indian consumers who want a stronger beer with a distinct taste and a premium look.”

Priced competitively with other strong beers available in the market, Armstrong contains 7 percent alcohol by volume. The brand is available in 650-ml bottles at retail outlets and bars across southern and western India.

“Indian beer drinkers appreciate a high-quality, great-tasting beer,” said Burrows. “With Budweiser and Armstrong, the Crown Beers joint venture offers consumers the best brand portfolio in the Indian marketplace.”

http://www.anheuser-busch.com/press_room/CrownBeers_070607.html

Angkor Extra Stout – The black brew that is hard to find

My first encounter with Angkor Extra Stout was at a drunken business meeting I had recently in Cambodia.

Conducting the meeting in a Cambodian BBQ restaurant we were leisurely discussing everything except business over some very enjoyable steaks while sipping on lots of ice cold Angkor Beer.

As we finished what was apparently the fifth or sixth bottle the beer girl opened another for us and poured everybody a glass of very black beer having mistaken the very similar bottles of Angkor Beer and Angkor Stout (they are both made by Cambrew in Sihanoukville and are “beer cousins”).

The beer girl’s mistake was most fortunate for me as I had been unable to track down a bottle of this elusive beer so far on my short trip to the Kingdom of Cambodia and had almost given up any chance of getting to try the brew.

Like most (all?) Asian stouts it was high in alcohol at around 7 or 8% and thus is hard to compare to a western stout but having tasted Asian made Guinness and Cambodian Black Panther I have to say that I found the Angkor Stout favourably comparable.

All of these stouts are far too strong for my alcohoic tastebuds but this brew lacked the strange tang of impurities of Black Panther and the sheer disappointment of Asian made Guinness (European draft Guinness cannot be compared to its Asian relative).

I do wonder if stout is suitable for the tropical climate as it has never really worked for me here unless I am in a well air-conditioned location, normally an Irish or English themed pub.

I suppose the real taste test came once we finished the bottle of Stout and promptly returned to drinking normal Angkor Beer.

Lager just seems to work so much better in the heat and humidity of Asia.

Tiger Beer invades Mongolia

Venturing into East Central Asia, Tiger has etched its footprint in Mongolia by becoming the first foreign beer brand to be brewed there.

Brewed-In-Mongolia Tiger is now tapped from the newly-commissioned brewery of MCS-Asia Pacific Brewery LLC (MCS-APB), a 55-45 joint venture between Singapore’s Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd (APB) and MCS Holdings LLC (MCS) from Mongolia.

Located in Mongolia's capital city, Ulaanbaatar, the US$20 million (approximately S$30 million) brewery sits on a site of five hectares. The plant is currently equipped with an annual production capacity of 120,000 hectolitres or more than 60,000 bottles (330ml) of Tiger each day.

Mongolia now joins the ranks of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and China which are currently brewing Tiger. While Mongolian-brewed Tiger is only being introduced now, the brand is not new to beer drinkers there.

APB had first exported it to Mongolia and positioned it as a premium import brand about 15 years ago.

In 2005, the brewery group partnered the MCS Group and established MCS-Asia Pacific Brewery LLC in Mongolia.

Since then, efforts have been intensified to build a greater awareness for Tiger in order to build up demand for the brand by the time the brewery is completed.

Moving forward, MCS-APB is set to achieve marketing leadership and extend Tiger's distribution points throughout Mongolia.

Including Mongolia, APB now owns interests in 32 brewery operations in eleven countries in the Asia Pacific region. APB’s brewery count will add up to 35 in twelve countries as new breweries come on stream in China, India and Laos by 2008.

http://www.apb.com.sg/newsroom/news_070619.html

For the attention of all breweries in Asia (especially in Thailand)

Please note the following:

1 – Beer tastes better if you don't add crap to it.

This includes, but is not limited to, chemicals, low quality ingredients and dodgy water. Beer that isn’t full of crap will sell better because people don’t like to wake up feeling like they have died after drinking a few cans of Chang or whatever badly named brew you are promoting this week.

2 – Beer should be kept cool at all times.

A decent brew needs to be shaded from the sun all the way from the brewery through the distribution channels into the shops and into the consumer’s beer glass. Refrigerated trucks are now commonly available and are far superior to dumping your beer on the back of open air trucks and boats for hours and hours in 40 degree heat.

3 – Concentrate on the taste and quality of the beer you make.

Forget the crappy names and mass-marketing. A beer that tastes like shit will not be successful in the long term unless you make so cheap that it is not profitable (case in point – Cheers Beer).

4 – Go to Singapore.

Once you arrive go and buy a can of every beer available in the nearest supermarket (you might be shocked to find around 30 or 40 so make sure to grab a trolley). Proceed to drink the brews suitably chilled and notice the lack of foul taste and absence of chemical overtones. Compare this to the crud that your brewery makes, feel enormous shame then repent for your misdeeds by making beer that does not completely suck.

5 – Be benevolent beer dictators not fascist authoritarians.

If you are going to hold a monopoly over the beer market then you had better make a decent brew. Myanmar has been brewing good beer for decades and the military junta has yet to be toppled. Thailand on the other hand has had beer monopolies and oligopolies pouring out crappy brews since time began and has a coup nearly every five years……..Coincidence? I think not.

Asian Beer Web Review 1

Here is a round up of recent web discussions and blogs about beer in Asia:

Bars with best types of beer?
http://www.phuket-info.com/forums/bangkok/25952-bars-best-types-beer.html

Thai Beers
http://ajarnforum.net/vb/showthread.php?t=22168&highlight=beer

Brewing in Singapore - One mans adventure of brewing beer in Asia.
http://singbrewer.blogspot.com/

Jamies Phuket Blog - Thai Beer
http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com/2006/05/thai-beer.html

Kirin Ichiban - The Norwegian-American-Japanese Super Beer!

As with many other brews in Asia Kirin Ichiban started life as an East meets West creation that began when a 30-year-old Norwegian-American, Johan Martinius Thoresen, emigrated to Japan in 1864.

By 1870 he had started the Spring Valley Brewery having realized that the Japanese needed a beer that was less bitter and more acceptable to their taste buds.

Despite the popularity of his beers an economic slump led to his bankruptcy and his brewery being taken over by the Japan Brewery Company who began to market their brews under the Kirin brand for the first time.

Over time the brewery turned into the Kirin Brewery Company and became a part of the gigantic Mitsubishi business empire. Kirin beer found much success over the century that followed with the brewery having to build 15 breweries across Japan to keep up with demand.

The brew now holds 40% of the Japan’s domestic market and is ranked as the world’s fourth largest selling beer according to the brewery.

Mr. Thoreson’s contribution to Japan’s beer industry has not been forgotten though with his gravesite being maintained by the Kirin Brewery Company were they hold an annual honour ceremony on 11 February each year.

Currently the main Kirin import available in the rest of Asia is Kirin Ichiban which is sold in gold label emblazoned bottles, cans and mini-kegs.

It is a special premium reserve brew that rocks in at 4.95% alcohol and is described by the brewery as being a great beer due to its complex flavour that comes from, “Prominent wort. Finest barley malt, premium hops” resulting in a “smooth finish” with “no bitter aftertaste.”

I have drank this beer on a few occasions and while it may be to Japanese tastes it has never really struck a chord with me in the way that Sapporo or Yesibu has.

To me it is a “tangy” brew that is drinkable and is clearly well made it just does not do anything for me.

Kirin is something I can neither recommend nor speak badly of, it just is not a brew that sits well with my taste buds.

I guess I am just not Japanese enough…..

Tsingtao Beer – The Euro-Japanese-American-Chinese Super Beer!

Tsingtao Brewery is China’s biggest brewery with its namesake beer known and respected around the globe by Chinese and non-Chinese alike.

Founded just over a century ago by German settlers the brewery is based in Qingdao in Shandong.

It is a beer that manages to play up to Chinese nationalism whilst actually being a product of colonialism that came about thanks to a concession granted to Germany to do business in China following the Bower Rebellion.

History took a turn against the Germans in 1941 with the Japanese gaining control of the brewery and using its technology and expertise to lay the foundations of both the Asahi and Kirin Breweries.

After the Second World War ownership finally passed to the Chinese who set about making the brew into an international super beer.

Introduced into the American market in the seventies it quickly became the top-selling Chinese beer in the country.

Over the next few decades the beer made its way to another fifty countries, accounting for over half of all of China’s beer exports and becoming the country’s number one branded consumer product.

The brew did suffer a quality setback in the late nineties though with an investigation revealing that widespread pollution in the countryside meant domestically grown barley was suffering very badly from the use of pesticides, fertilizers and industrial wastes.

Upon the discovery of this incredibly damaging information Tsingtao made the decision to import all of the barley from Australia, France and Canada to reverse the massive impact the situation was having on the quality of their brew.

As for the current situation of the brewery it is interesting and a little ironic that foreigners are once again involved in the company with Anheuser-Busch being brought into the fold and now owning 27% of the company.

The first time I got to sample this beer was at the newly opened Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

I have to say that I was not particularly impressed but in fairness the beer had not been properly chilled and I couldn’t tell whether it was in date or not.

Knowing all the chaos behind the opening of Thailand’s new airport (what with the military coups and everything) I decided to refrain from making any judgment or comment on the beer until given another opportunity to sample it.

For all I know it could have been left out in the sun on the runway for days or simply been sourced from the back stock of one of Don Muang’s bars.

Having ignored this incredibly popular beer for far too long I recently purchased a large bottle of the brew and made sure to properly chill it for at least twenty four hours so as to ensure that it would get a fair go.

Crisp and drinkable my second experience with this beer was far more enjoyable. It has a body and taste that does not insult and is successfully geared towards the mass market.

Not the best Asian beer I have had but very far from the worst.