Thai beer and beer brands in Thailand
Beer into Thailand is relatively expensive, especially imported beer. The high import duties for alcohol in Thailand is the cause of this. The local Thai brands are therefore often cheaper. The Thai beer market is large and therefore attractive to national and international beer brands.
The beer in Thailand is sold in cans, small bottles (330 ml) and large bottles (640 ml). The bars in the tourist centers usually only sell the small bottles, often served in a polystyrene bottle holder (known as the beer condom) that is supposed to keep your beer cold in the Thai heat. Almost all Thai beers have a higher alcohol percentage than in the West.
Thais themselves have a somewhat strange way of drinking beer, they buy large bottles in the supermarket together with ice cubes. And yes, Thai throw ice cubes in the beer. Absolutely unthinkable in the West! Thais don't make a fuss about that.
A super hangover
A hangover in a tropical climate can be much more violent than in our climate. The heat and high outside temperature enhance the drying effect of alcohol. So you should also drink a lot of water before, after, or during your night out.
Singha bear
Singha
- Brewed by the Boon Rawd brewery, alcohol content: 5%.
- Price in store: 330 ml bottle – 27-35 baht. 640 ml bottle – 48-60 baht.
- Price in a bar 330 ml bottle 50-90 baht.
Singha Beer (pronounced without the final 'a') is the beer that evokes the association with Thailand in everyone. There was once a persistent rumor that beer contained formaldehyde (disinfectant) as a preservative. Where this comes from and whether it is true remains a mystery.
Singha is a high quality beer. Almost every bar or restaurant has Singha in stock. The taste of Singha is somewhat bitter.
The combination of Singha with the 'spicy' Thai food is fine. A Singha beer never tastes as good as in Thailand itself.
Heineken
Heineken
- Brewed by Heineken (Thai Asia Pacific Brewery), the alcohol content: 5%.
- Price in store: 330 ml bottle – 35-43 baht. 640 ml bottle – 57-65 baht.
- Price in a bar: 330 ml bottle 60-120 baht.
Heineken, the pride of the Netherlands, is brewed under license in Thailand. It is of course the Thai version of the famous Dutch beer with an increased alcohol percentage. Heineken is more expensive than Thai beers, nevertheless it is popular with tourists and expats.
Heineken is a familiar and tasty beer, but Thai men find the taste a bit bland. In the tourist areas, Heineken is available almost everywhere.
San Miguel Light
San Miguel Light
- Brewed by the Thai Amarit brewery, alcohol percentage: 5%.
- Price in store: 330 ml bottle – 30-35 baht. 640 ml bottle – 53-60 baht.
- Price in a bar 330 ml bottle 60-110 baht.
Many people think that San Miguel is a Spanish brand, but it is originally a Philippine brand. Since 2005, the beer is also brewed in Thailand. The beer is popular among tourists. It is mainly the 'light' version that is on the rise. The beer contains significantly fewer calories.
San Miguel Light is a nice refreshing beer. It doesn't fill you up so much so it's easier to keep going all night. The beer is currently only available in tourist bars. Thai rarely if ever drink the beer.
Tiger
Tiger
- Brewed by Thai Asia Pacific Brewery, alcohol content: 5%.
- Price in store: 330 ml bottle – 25-30 baht. 640 ml bottle – 44-50 baht.
- Price in a bar 330 ml bottle 60-100 baht.
Originally from Singapore, Tiger Beer is now a widely available international beer. It is brewed in Thailand from 2004. It is a beer brand that mainly needs tourists, the Thai don't drink it often.
Chang
Chang
- Brewed by Thai Beverages, alcohol content: 6,4%.
- Price in store: 330 ml bottle – 24-28 baht. 640 ml bottle – 36-42 baht.
- Price in a bar 330 ml bottle 40-80 baht.
This is the most sold beer in Thailand. It is popular with the Thai for its high alcohol content and it is also cheap. A good choice for those who want to get drunk quickly.
Chang is the Thai word for elephant. Maybe they call it that because after drinking Chang you feel like an elephant has walked over you. If you knock back quite a few, you'll wake up the next day with the infamous 'changover' – a hangover unmatched by any other beer in Thailand.
The beer is available everywhere in both tourist and Thai bars.
Leo
Leo
- Brewed by Brouwerij Boon Rawd, alcohol percentage: 5%.
- Price in store: 330 ml bottle – 22-27 baht. 640 ml bottle – 38-42 baht.
- Price in a bar: 640 ml bottle 50-80 baht.
Leo comes from the same brewery as Singha Beer. It is Singha's cheap brother. The position is somewhat comparable to Amstel in the Dutch market. It's a bit more civilized beer than Chang. Leo is popular with both Thai and expats. The brand is too known from the calendar with the beautiful challenging Thai fashion models.
You can get very drunk on it, with fewer after effects than Chang.
It is available in tourist bars. It is usually bought in the supermarket and drunk at home or at parties.
Thai bear
Thailand Beer
- Brewed by Boon Rawd brewery, alcohol content: 6,5%.
- Price in store: 330 ml bottle – 20 baht. 640ml bottle – 30-32 baht.
Thai beer is the cheap beer brand of the Boon Rawd Brewery. The brand focuses exclusively on the Thai market. It offers the most alcohol for the least baht. Something many Thai find important. It is cheap and it tastes cheap, which is why it is not popular among tourists or expats. The beer is only available in supermarkets.
Archer
Archer
- Brewed by Thai Beverages, alcohol content: 5%.
- Price in store: 640 ml bottle – 24-26 baht.
Chang's brewery noticed that there was still room in the market for an even cheaper beer: Archer. There will undoubtedly be a limit to brewing a decent beer, with Archer Beer this limit is crossed. It's very cheap, but also a very bad beer. Tastes can differ, but I can't imagine anyone drinking this beer with pleasure. Not recommended.
Beer-Lao
Bear Lao
- Brewed by Brouwerij Laos Ltd, alcohol percentage: 5%.
- Price in a bar 330 ml bottle 60-100 baht.
This is one of the imported beers that you can buy in a bar at a reasonable price. It is not for sale in the store. As the name suggests, it is brewed in Laos, the neighbor on the northern border. Laos is a poor country, prices are lower than in Thailand. Even after the relatively high import duties, the beer is still cheap. You can buy it at the Laotian border for 20 baht per can.
The reason Beer Lao has found its way into Thai bars is that it's a great beer. It might be better than anything brewed in Thailand.
You can easily find Beer Lao in the tourist bars of Bangkok and Pattaya. Phuket is much further from the Laotian border and therefore it is less easy to get there. There are rumors that Lao wants to start a brewery in Thailand to avoid import duties. If so, the Thai beer brands will have a hard time.
Other brands
The beers mentioned are the main brands you will come across in Thailand. Of course there are more beer brands available such as:
- Kloster, a German beer brewed under license in Thailand.
- Asahi, a Japanese beer.
- Phuket Beer, a local beer, brewed in Phuket.
- Cheers Bier, a new beer brand on the Thai market.
Personally I think Singha is a great beer, full and strong in taste. Delicious with Thai Food. San Miguel Light is a good alternative to last a little longer and if you have to watch the calories.
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and a lover of good music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
My motto: "Don't worry too much, others will do that for you."
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San Miguel Light is definitely not as “Light” as many think. Nor low-calorie because the alcohol percentage is, as with most beers, 5%. “Light” will refer to the color and freshness with the addition of the well-known piece of lemon. Going on all night will undeniably result in quite a hangover.
What does Heineken actually do between those beer brands? That's not beer, is it? 1664 De Kronenbourg, Leffe, Affligem, Flemish Burgundy, Brigand, Bruges wheat beer, Bush Beer, Ciney, Corsendonck, Cuvée de Namur, Duvel, Karmeliet, Steendonk, Geuze, Lambic, Gildenbier, Trappist all kinds, …, Kasteelbier, Liefmans, Lindemans, La Chouffe, ... Kwak, ... those are beers, but not Heineken ... Peter Peter Peter anyway.
The directors of Heineken, Duvel, and Budweiser are having a meeting together in a café, as they say. At one point, the Budweiser man very ostentatiously orders a Bud. The proud Heineken manager calls the waiter and of course orders a Heineken. Duvel's Belgian representative, in turn, calls the waiter and orders, much to everyone's surprise. . . a Heineken! The two others look at him in surprise, and before they can say or ask anything, he says: Yes, I'm sorry. . . no beer in the morning for me. 😉
I don't know him… Duvel man orders a glass of water and says 'if you don't drink beer, I won't either!'
Bavaria representative is arrested by the police in Eindhoven. Window opens, and the car radio is on full volume. "Could you perhaps turn off the radio?" the policeman asks. 'Yes, sorry, I think it's so beautiful that they make music in Hilversum and that I can hear it all the way here' says the Bavaria man. "And do you know what I like so much?" asks the policeman. 'That they brew beer further up in Lieshout and that I can smell it all the way here!'
I can miss those Belgian headache beers like a toothache and I'm always happy when I see the Heineken sign.
Millions of people can't be wrong!
@ Headache mainly has to do with the amount of beers 😉
Dirk you should make and taste beer yourself, then you will only know what beer is and believe me or not heineken is not beer but a chemical mixture and really not tasty. Today I drank three bottles of chang (64cl) and no headache. (jupiler )men know why.
I like blind test and have already done some with cognac and wiskhy.The next is a friend who is addicted to bacardi brezer, am working on an alternative.But one of the next test is definitely beer.I have already many discussions in nipped the bud.
Why make it yourself? We no longer live in the Stone Age.
Besides, everything is chemistry. Phosphorus is also needed for your thoughts.
Cheers! (Heineken)
Heineken is a pure natural lager beer, brewed from barley malt, water, hops and yeast. You can make a lot of different beers with these ingredients alone. Many brewers also add extras such as aromas. Heineken is a bit more bitter (bland?) than Jupiler (they also use corn in their beer), and I prefer a Jupiler or a Schultenbrau myself. But Heineken is not bad, although tastes and opinions differ of course.
In Thailand I often drink the well-known 3: Leo, Chang or Shinga. All the best beers, I'm not sure which one is the best, I haven't got around to testing all three side by side yet.
Haha, he's cute, Peterpanba! I'm going for Chang or Leo myself, by the way.
good story, about all those beer brands. Have learned a lot from it. Still try that Thai Beer when I'm back in Thailand, but that will take a few months.
i miss isan bear….
Five great Asian beers
Also Beer Lao with an honorable mention, indeed a nice beer!
http://blog.travelandleisureasia.com/destination/2010/08/23/five-great-asian-beers/
Chang and Archa (not archer) are sold in 640ml bottles. However, Leo's large bottle is smaller than that 640 ml. I mean 620 ml. Smart huh!!
Abroad, England for example, Chang is a premium beer and more expensive than the local beers. A beer apparently tastes better when it is more expensive.
I just walked into the supermarket, indeed the content of Leo beer is 630 ml, I always thought 640, but this just shows how people are taken by the nose.
But other manufacturers are also reducing the content of their packaging and increasing the price.
Not only the Thai men find the taste of Heineken a bit bland... We Belgians admire the Dutch so much that they get rid of this stuff all over the world. In some parts still as a luxury beer. A heartfelt congratulations 😉
A nice piece to read!
Heineken beer reclamps are just great that's their success.
Now go to the toilet, heineken lozenl
Beats. The Belgians make great tasty things (chocolate, beer, and great chefs that they can really suck at even in France let alone in NL), they just can't market it. Perhaps too busy with the Flemish/Walloon cold war.
has nothing to do with quality, and that cannot be said of heineken.
As far as beer is concerned, we Belgians are simply the top, only we cannot or do not want to market it, although inbev also has its subsidiary pacbev here in Malaysia where you can get Stella, Leffe and a few other Belgian beers that are still 2 times more expensive than that Heineken beer here. I think that Heineken is ok, but it is not like our Belgian beer, our beer you have to learn to drink, I have already seen many Dutch people in Belgium get fed up with a very small amount of Belgian beer. So that says enough, only the Germans can join us when it comes to drinking Belgian beer, but they don't make bad beer otherwise. If there is one thing that I do miss, it's all those different beers from us .But as a Belgian I am very satisfied with Thai beer, although I think the best beer in Southeast Asia is beer Lao, I live on the Mekong and regularly send someone across the river to get my crate of beer Lao.
See, that's what I meant by the gray import.
Also in Khon Kaen there are several shops where you can buy Beer Lao in 33 cl cans.
25 Baht for a can, not too expensive I think.
As for Belgian beer, most of it is top fermented beer and that drinks differently than bottom fermented beer, or Lager Beer.
The old English Ale, or Bitter, is also top-fermented beer, and you have to learn to drink it.
But in the absence of a reasonably priced top-fermented beer, I'll stick with Beer Lao, and nowadays Chang Export is also taking a shot at yours truly's favorite beer.
I didn't know Singha was pronounced without the A.
I pronounce it with the A.
As of today, I won't do it anymore.
I already liked it there that if I order 2 SinghA I always have to sing a song.
* this is a thinker, but who knows it can say it * 🙂
I don't know but on the night train from BKK to Chiang mai that woman has been passing by for years with drinks (especially beer) and she sings to the tune of Jingle Bells in Dutch: Singha beer Singha beer – Singha good beer hahaha that's right the only sentence that comes out but remains funny
I take it ain't you *to sing a song* 2 sing a 2
P
That's right, vowels at the end of a word are often not pronounced, such as Shinawat(ra), Suvanabum(i) Airport, etc.
The story was about beer in Thailand, so a list of Belgian beers is irrelevant. Belgian beer is sold in dribs and drabs in Thailand, for example in Patrick's Belgian restaurant here in Pattaya.
In supermarkets you will still come across a number of foreign brands and in some German restaurants you can buy a tasty Weihenstephan weissbier or Paulaner weizenbier. Occasionally nice.
If we then want to drink a strong beer, we choose from the summary of the story. Those yuppies and chick drinks from Belgium can also be stolen from me, you don't drink them, you have to “sip” them. Stop it!
My choice here is Heineken, simply because Grolsch is not (yet) available..
If you like Grolsch (I'm a fan myself) I think you're better off with Singha than with Heineken… Grolsch and Singha are both quite hoppy and spicy, in contrast to Heineken.
Haha so funny, a piece about beer in Thailand and one reaction from me produces a lot of chauvenistic talk …
I'm sure next statement will do it again.
Of course you have to sip Belgian beer, you can drink and drink heineken, you can't get drunk from that. Even children can drink it, but Belgian beer, you have to learn to drink that, man, that's not lemonade. . .
But tasty! As a famous Dutchman once sang: beer is bitter beer is best (RDN)
See you soon
P
Wonderful piece of 'Not the Nation' about the introduction of Belgian beer in the gogo bars in Thailand… laugh!
http://notthenation.com/2010/12/introduction-of-belgian-beers-fails-to-improve-go-go-bar-experience/
I miss Carlsberg in the list, it is also quite popular in Thailand and is also brewed locally, I cut and pasted a piece of http://www.scandasia.com
Carlsberg is finally making its way back into Thailand.
Fluid Asia Pacific Co., Ltd., official importer and distributor of foreign beer brands in Thailand, confirms to ScandAsia that Danish beer giant Carlsberg will hit the market tomorrow.
Wednesday October 20 Carlsberg draft beer will be available in Bangkok and Pattaya locations. An occasion that will be celebrated by the many who has been patiently waiting for the re-entering of the Danish beer in Thailand.
Regardless of brand, in very warm countries with primitive storage, as a true beer lover, it is better not to drink beer from transparent or green bottles. Heat and light are two things that are really disastrous for beer, the darker the bottle the better for the beer and the longer it stays fresh. Even though you can often store beer for at least a year, the taste has already changed considerably 2 months after production. The transparent and (slightly less bad) green bottles are a nice marketing gimmick, but it's not good for the beer.
I used to find Chang and Singa undrinkable, because it had a kind of strange somewhat chemical aftertaste.
For that reason I always drank Leo in Thailand, nice beer.
Now I was told that this was because sulphite was used for shelf life at Chang and Chinga, hence the strange aftertaste, whether that is true I do not know.
However, when I was there this year, that weird aftertaste was no longer present with the above beers, so I suspect they did something about it.
Beer Leo is indeed super, both in terms of taste and price. (and what whoppers those bottles)
By the way, I found that beer there in Cambodia Ankor? not even that crazy.
Sulphite was often used in the past to make wine and meat last longer. Today, the use of sulphite is restricted.
I don't remember exactly which preservatives are used, but they are certainly present in large quantities in Thai products and also in beers,
But buy a bottle of milk, you can safely let it go a week open, ditto bread from the 7/11, which is not moldy either. My experience with Chang (classic) is that if you put an opened bottle of beer in the fridge, it still tastes great the next day.
I think you are right about that Hans, but I suspect they use something different for it these days than a few years ago. At the time, as I said, there was a special aftertaste to it (aftertaste), so I didn't really like it.
Times change, so does the beer, it's a lot better now thankfully
Cheers 🙂
I really think Beer Lao is a winner. Fortunately, increasingly widespread in Bangkok. For the rest, I think Chang is good to drink, but it does cut into it. The ultra cheap Cheers tastes like after shave and can only be used as such.
I can like most beer types here but 2 NOT that are Chang and heineken. do you know what people call Dutch beer in Belgium? camelz…..k that's how good we like it.
I think you only speak for yourself about the name of Dutch beer, I have never heard a Belgian use that name and I worked for years in the hospitality industry in the border region and I looked it up in the Belgian dictionary, and the I have not come across the name you use for Dutch beer, and what you are doing is comparing apples with pears, in general the Belgian beer is of a different fermentation, hence the different taste.
In addition, to know the taste of camel urine, you must first have tried it yourself.
Lex, maybe you should take your dictionary in hand again and look up what a metaphor means and as for having already drunk yourself, that may be possible because I have been to the Netherlands a few times before and there a few times trying to drink your “beer” after the first sip I already had enough (so tasty).
What you write that you have worked in the hospitality industry in the border region, I can understand that you have never heard that statement, but I think you have never been inland.
I have been living here in Cha-Am for 7 months now and I already know several Dutch people, but none of them like Heineken, they prefer to drink a Thai beer, not because it is cheaper, but because it tastes better
It is and remains a matter of taste and taste is personal, there are also plenty of Belgian beers that I don't like to drink, but that's why I don't throw all Belgian beers in one heap, those of not to drink,
And Heineken in Thailand is indeed not tasty, but it is not brewed in the Netherlands either, and the taste is indeed not worth the price.
There is no arguing about taste, I still prefer to drink heineken, although I must add that the taste here cannot be compared to that in the Netherlands.
And Shingha is also definitely a nice beer.
Beer Chang,
Chang tries to push Leo off the market with “Chang Export”. Which she succeeds quite well.
Can the gentlemen give an opinion on “Chang export”?
Am very curious.
tried all the new Chang Export?
is really good.
according to experts, came to this result via Belgian brewers….
Here and there, certainly up to 200 km from the border, you can buy Beer Lao in smaller shops, 33 cl cans, price a 25 baht.
There seems to be a kind of gray import circuit for Beer Lao
I'll grab another one…..cheers
A new beer on the market is Chang Export.
Verily, a very very nice beer, with very strong similarities with Beer Lao.
Guyido and Hans,
I take it without question that your taste buds are more developed than mine.
But I had come to the same conclusion about Chang Export myself.
Thanks.
If I read this like this then everyone is a seasoned beer connoisseur. There is no arguing about taste "truth as a cow" But isn't the truth that we only drink alcohol to
become merry? Isn't life so boring without beer or whiskey?
To get merry…”read half drunk” it doesn't matter what we drink if we're honest
are at least.
I fully agree that Heineken has become globally large and known through an exquisite marketing strategy, which can actually be called very clever no matter how you look at it, but I still prefer it to Thai beer such as Singha and Chang for the two most well-known, just because tastes differ, don't they?
Always compare it with the Nespresso coffee capsules, which, thanks to sophisticated marketing, are increasingly gaining a place in households and the coffee is delicious too.
Incidentally, Singha and Chang are also trying, following Heineken, to become bigger players on the world market through a marketing strategy, just look at the British football matches on television. You also see them more and more often as sponsors in Thailand of music events or festivals and the like, and their commercials are increasingly emphasizing that their brand is not just beer, but a 'life-style' product.
I am therefore convinced that in the near future Singha and Chang will not only be available in a Thai shop or restaurant, but will also be available among the other foreign beers on the shelves of all supermarket chains. Do you think that is already the case in some AHs in Amsterdam?
They are right because they are tasty beers, but still like the Heineken better.
'As a Thailand lover, can I say that? Yes, I can say that' would say a well-known presenter or is it the case that if you drink it often enough you will automatically like it better, as I am often told, which also seems to apply to the beer from Aldi and Lidl. 😉
Chang and Shinga have been for sale at LeClerq for years at my old French place.
a bit more expensive, but in France my favorite beer from Lidl was crazy cheap 35 euro cents a litre! Gravenwalder, it's time for Lidl in Chiang Mai!
I think Lao beer is very nice, but way too expensive in Thailand.
By the way, shopping around gives a lot of price differences!
among other things, the red wine I drink is 860 liters with the Makro 5 Bath and counts from the profit with Lotus 960, which also applies to beer; pay attention !
SirCharles,
I think Singh already has a factory in Germany near Hamburg.
Aldi and Lidl have beer brewed at well-known (mostly German breweries) and have a different label printed on it. They order many hectoliters.
“It might be the power of the big numbers? And they pay cash…
Just this, I found your response very interesting. And in line with my interests.
Others may find it less
Tastes differ here too.