Is Beerlao the best Beer in South East Asia?

[WineOh]

I have come to the conclusion, after many bottles of many different brands of Beer, sampled throughout SEA - That Beerlao is the king of Beers in this part of the world.

To me, it is the only Beer that even comes close to tasting like a real Beer.

All Thai beers (with the exception of Chang Cold Brew) taste to me like pure chemicals.

There is no real flavor to the beer.

 

Is there a better, locally brewed beer available in Thailand than Beerlao?

If so, what is it?

 

Do you agree with me that the best beer brewed in SEA is Beerlao?

 

Cheers! ????

Edited June 2, 2021 by WineOh

[ukrules]

It's the best beer I've come across, a lot of places don't sell it as it's a bit more expensive than the other <deleted>.

[WineOh]

1 minute ago, ukrules said:

It's the best beer I've come across, a lot of places don't sell it as it's a bit more expensive than the other <deleted>.

I dont mind paying the extra now.

 

I usually drink light beer but on the days when I fancy I full fat beer it's beer lao or cold brew from now on.

 

The heineken isnt too bad either.

[nightfox]

Any beer is better then that elephant pee you call Chang.

[WineOh]

1 minute ago, nightfox said:

Any beer is better then that elephant pee you call Chang.

Chang classic is horrendous.

Like drinking drain cleaner.

 

But chang cold brew is decent IMO.

[Johnny Mac]

Def right up there. I'm use to Leo now.

 

Can't abide Chang Or Singa, proper headache gear too.

 

[VocalNeal]

I'm happy with the occasional Tiger.

 

Bintang is OK when one cannot get anything else

[WineOh]

7 minutes ago, Johnny Mac said:

Def right up there. I'm use to Leo now.

I've spent countless days and nights drinking leo.

Then I got bored, changed to Sing.

Then got bored again, changed to chang.

And around the thai beer merry go round I went.

Then I realized, when Chang brought out cold brew that what I had been drinking previously was akin to bleach.

It was nothing but carbonated chemicals.

 

Then they had beerlao on offer at my local tops market.

I bought 10 bottles and enjoyed every single one of them.

 

The first time I sampled beerlao was in Vang Vieng.

Though I was so out of my mind back then I couldn't even remember what it tasted like...

Edited June 2, 2021 by WineOh

[ThailandRyan]

Drank my first dark beer lao in Vientiane in 2009 when I did a border bounce from Udon Thani, actually rode in a Tuk Tuk past the factory on the way to town from the border.  Since then It is one of the only beers I will drink here in Thailand.  Used to buy the max amount and bring it back with me every 90 days.  I finally found it for sale in Tops and Makro at of course an inflated price, but it did not make a difference.  It is pretty tasty.  Just wish I could find a kegerator and buy it by the Keg, but then again I don't drink but a few bottles a month, unlike my younger days. 

[WineOh]

1 minute ago, ThailandRyan said:

sty.  Just wish I could find a kegerator and buy it by the Keg, but then again I don't drink but a few bottles a month, unlike my younger days. 

if you find out where to buy it by the keg let me know mate! 

[BangkokReady]

58 minutes ago, WineOh said:

Do you agree with me that the best beer brewed in SEA is Beerlao?

 

Personally, the best beer I have tasted was some craft beers in Hanoi.

[stuarty]

Leo and Lao are different beers, right?

[WineOh]

5 minutes ago, stuarty said:

Leo and Lao are different beers, right?

Yes.

 

Beer Leo is a Thai beer.

 

Beer Lao is a Lao beer.

[BKKBike09]

I quite like Kirin: brewed in China but not bad. I also like Tsingtao.

 

Keg Beer Lao is excellent though. Way back when it was possible to do a tour of the brewery in Laos. An Australian colleague and I did a quick 15-minutes wander through the (very modern and clean) facilities and then sat in the factory reception where a Beer Lao pretty served us each several glasses of ice cold Beer Lao fresh from the vat. 

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

Beerlao - Wikipedia

 

The malt used is imported from France and Belgium, the hops and yeast are imported from Germany.[1]

[AlexRich]

27 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Drank my first dark beer lao in Vientiane in 2009 when I did a border bounce from Udon Thani, actually rode in a Tuk Tuk past the factory on the way to town from the border.  Since then It is one of the only beers I will drink here in Thailand.  Used to buy the max amount and bring it back with me every 90 days.  I finally found it for sale in Tops and Makro at of course an inflated price, but it did not make a difference.  It is pretty tasty.  Just wish I could find a kegerator and buy it by the Keg, but then again I don't drink but a few bottles a month, unlike my younger days. 

First time I went to Vientiane I headed down the road overlooking the Mekong river, found a great restaurant down the bottom, ate some chicken and rice with a couple of Beer Lao’s and watched all the activity on the slow moving river. The best beer in SE Asia by a country mile. 

[Rampant Rabbit]

For  cleaning right under the rim......then yes.

[WineOh]

3 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

First time I went to Vientiane I headed down the road overlooking the Mekong river, found a great restaurant down the bottom, ate some chicken and rice with a couple of Beer Lao’s and watched all the activity on the slow moving river. The best beer in SE Asia by a country mile. 

I love Laos.

 

I'm planning on going back to Vang Vieng for a few days once the borders are open.

 

What a stunning place that is!

[mahtin]

Yes, absolutely. Has been for years.

Still looking for a multi-XXXL t-shirt.

[KeeTua]

59 minutes ago, nightfox said:

Any beer is better then that elephant pee you call Chang.

Nothing wrong with Chang. It ranks right up there with the great American beers like Bud, Coors and Millers.

[WineOh]

1 minute ago, KeeTua said:

Nothing wrong with Chang. It ranks right up there with the great American beers like Bud, Coors and Millers.

I hope you are referring to cold brew and not classic!

[mahtin]

I hope you are being sarcastic. Changover.

[BenDeCosta]

Imagine opening a pub in the UK, Belgium, Holland or Germany that only serves Leo, Chang and Singha. You'd be bankrupted within a month.

 

Thai beer shouldn't even be called beer it should be called a "beer-like beverage".

 

But because of the protectionist import taxes, Thai brewers have no reason to improve the quality of their beer, and most Thais haven't ever tasted a real beer.

 

I'd love to see Thai people's responses when tasting beers such as Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or a Westmalle Trappist Triple.

[WineOh]

1 minute ago, BenDeCosta said:

Thai beer shouldn't even be called beer it should be called a "beer-like beverage".

I second this! 

[VocalNeal]

1 minute ago, BenDeCosta said:

such as Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or a Westmalle Trappist Triple.

 

all beers for which the label design cost more than the beer itself? Pretentious tipple.

[BenDeCosta]

Just now, VocalNeal said:

 

all beers for which the label design cost more than the beer itself? Pretentious tipple.

 

Obviously you have never tasted any of these beers, because if you had, you wouldn't have posted that. Timothy Taylor's Landlord costs £1.75 a bottle, nothing pretentious at all, just good quality, proper beer that doesn't taste of chemicals.

[VocalNeal]

22 minutes ago, KeeTua said:

Nothing wrong with Chang. It ranks right up there with the great American beers like Bud, Coors and Millers.

 

Why is American beer like sex in a canoe?

[BenDeCosta]

Just now, VocalNeal said:

 

Why is American beer like sex in a canoe?

 

Because it's <deleted> close to water.

[Cake Monster]

I have been supping a few Beer Lao Dark now for quite a while, and totally agree that its the best I have found so far.

Cheers Extra is also fairly good.

But how I crave for a pint of Bishops Tipple or Speckled Hen real Ale.

[starky]

Yep pretty much. Still waiting for the asean free trade agreements to kick in so it doesn't get taxed to the hilt.