Will new bill finally pop the cap on Thailand’s booze oligopoly?

[Excel]

2 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

It is like sex in a canoe?

Never had sex in a canoe, got any pictures ? ????

[TheScience]

2 hours ago, Expat68 said:

bored with drinking lager type beer

Yeah, gimme a thick, dark stout on a 40 degree day.

 

????????????????

[kingstonkid]

5 hours ago, Excel said:

Anything in the US labelled as "beer" should be taken with a pinch of salt

Canada opened the market  and actually made competitions out of it.  Yes there are some <deleted> but there are a lot of good craft beers.

 

The chances of this passing or going any further are about .001 percent.  There is no way the people that brew the cheap <deleted> are going to let someone brew a better beer and eventually give them competition.

 

 

[humqdpf]

6 hours ago, Excel said:

Anything in the US labelled as "beer" should be taken with a pinch of salt

That is why we foreigners call US beer "canoe sex" - because it is <deleted>$#ing close to water!

[Snig27]

There is more chance of me being the next Pope than there is of ThaiBev and BoonRawk letting their paid servants in the cabinet allowing this to pass. It's sad, in part because other nations in SEA (Vietnam and Singapore) are doing very well exporting their rather good craft beer to the world. The expertise they have now developed could have been Thailand's but, as always, corrupt monopoly practice rules here.

[Snig27]

15 minutes ago, humqdpf said:

That is why we foreigners call US beer "canoe sex" - because it is <deleted>$#ing close to water!

You clearly haven't had an American craft brew in the past 20 years. They are some of the planet's finest. There's far more to US beers than Bud. 

[humqdpf]

15 minutes ago, Snig27 said:

You clearly haven't had an American craft brew in the past 20 years. They are some of the planet's finest. There's far more to US beers than Bud. 

Actually I have. I was referring to those massive breweries whose names we all know so well and whose beers are rather bad.

When I lived in a certain state in the USA, only a certain level of alcohol was allowed in beer. Anything stronger you had to go to the Alcohol Beverage Control store - such "ABC stores" were state owned, hellishly high prices. Be caught driving from one state where the prices were lower with a couple of bottles to the state where I lived and you could be done on a smuggling charge. Now I believe that many states (but not all) have allowed small craft brewers to exist. If you ask an American from one of those states what an IPA or a stout is, they can tell you all about it. Very different from not too long ago.

[SpaceKadet]

6 hours ago, Excel said:

I didn't like to call US beer that, but of course you are correct in your description of it of course

Agree... I think Monty Python put it best in a sketch they did in Hollywood Bowl many years ago.

" American beer is like making love in a canoe... <deleted> close to water!!!!"

 

Oh, no, I see the mods coming to delete me.....

[Aussiepeter]

2 hours ago, khunjeff said:

Yes, and the Carlsberg story in Thailand was even more complicated than that. They came into the country and partnered with what is now ThaiBev, only to find their partner learning the beer business from them, then creating a new beer with a very similar label and taking over the nationwide beer distribution network that had been created for Carlsberg.

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30191495

 

https://scandasia.com/403-carlsberg-breweries-ends-joint-venture-with-chang-beverages/

Very complicated indeed, the Carlsberg story. Here's my take on it. I first tried Carlsberg in Turkey in 1988 and loved it. You can imagine my joy then as an army officer in 1993 being sent to Sakon Nahkon for six months on farang $ to learn to speak "Lao" only to find Carlsberg at 3 big bottles everywhere for 100 baht ! Carlsberg had got itself a 'sponsor' to brew their beer in LOS, but part of the deal was that they paid for everything, including a factory, supposedly with two identical production lines. One line bottled Carlsberg, at about 5% alcohol, the other produced a new local brew called Beer Chang with a then unknown alcohol level, but believed to be at least 6% & probably more like 8%+ alcohol. A local Thai-Vietnamese shop owner explained to me that his suppliers forced him to buy Carlsberg, even though the locals wouldn't touch it at 45 or 50 baht a bottle saying that it was "jewt," or weak and for them anyway, expensive. The suppliers' deal apparently was "if you don't take '#' boxes of Carlsberg, you can't get either Lao-cao or Mekong whiskey from us" (his biggest sellers) - plus, they also supplied the new, much more potent and much cheaper beer Chang. Poor chap ended up selling me and an army mate four bottles of Carlsberg for 100 baht daily - I was a happy camper for months. Then I was moved back to Chiang Mai and in my first few days had to attend the funeral of a lovely 22 y.o. Thai girl who had died from renal failure after childbirth, in Chiang Dao. At the funeral I was given beer that looked like Carlsberg, but it was Chang. I drank three big bottles over four hours - three Carlsbergs that size would do me no harm normally. I was sick for three days. Never touched a beer Chang ever again. I returned to C Mai to marry in 2000 and Carlsberg was still available, but Thais wouldn't touch it at the price and so they gave away lots of freebies to encourage you to buy. I still have three folding camp stools, a load of Carlsberg blankets and heaps of pilsener glasses. The 'sponsor' pushed his beer Chang hard and Carlsberg sales rapidly declined (no matter how hard I & a few stoic expats tried to keep them afloat) ! Eventually, the board of Carlsberg decided to cut their losses and leave Thailand, "gifting" their sponsor the production plant, which immediately switched to producing even more horrid Chang beer. There was a Court case I believe - but we all know farangs hardly ever win. It was reported at the time that the whole sad episode lost Carlsberg more than $550 million USD. Why anyone would even try to do business in LOS is beyond me. Oz's National Australia Bank opted to open a branch in Bangkok for several years about the same time, but they also left with their tail dragging between their legs after massive losses/bad loans. They never openly admitted just how many millions they lost but I am sure it was just that, millions - which reminds me of an old joke I heard from an expat once "how do you make a small fortune in Thailand" ? Answer - "come here with a large one." 

[Aussiepeter]

57 minutes ago, Snig27 said:

You clearly haven't had an American craft brew in the past 20 years. They are some of the planet's finest. There's far more to US beers than Bud. 

I have to agree, US craft beers have come a long way. I live near a little country town in Oz, which has two booze shops. I've tried a load of unusual US beers in recent years and was pleasantly surprised. Tried Bud during my time in the army but it was horrid, when Oz beers at the time (1973) were always bigger, better and more importantly, cheaper. Always liked both Millers & Coors though, especially when the govt provided it for free ...

[Lemsta69]

1 hour ago, Snig27 said:

You clearly haven't had an American craft brew in the past 20 years. They are some of the planet's finest. There's far more to US beers than Bud. 

this. I'm an Aussie who was brought up to believe that American beers were all sh!te. imagine my surprise when I visited San Diego in 2013 and started having a good at the craft beers. 

 

I was particularly taken by the Lagunitas IPA, I drank a lot of that whist I was there. 

 

nice selection of brews on the Surfliner from LA Union Station to San Diego Old Town on my last trip in 2018. they had a decent beer called Hopliner IPA (Island Brewing). that took the edge off the flight from SYD-LAX 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Lemsta69

[curlylekan]

7 hours ago, Excel said:

Anything in the US labelled as "beer" should be taken with a pinch of salt

Then you must not have tried many or any of the craft brews in the USA. I would compare craft brews to those in Belgium. I like Belgian beers better, but my point is, many craft brews in the USA, like the many breweries in Belgium try different things with there beers, thus there is so much variety - many different tastes, something for everyone. Like in Thailand, the main breweries in the USA - Bud, Miller, etc., are rather plain tasting beers

[curlylekan]

This would be a great way to boost the domestic economy and get it away from such heavy dependence on tourism. As usual, governments love to say one thing (We are here for the people), but their actions, which in this case are to not discuss helping out the local economy, are the opposite.

[metisdead]

A post with a link to the Bangkok Post has been removed as well as a reply. 

[Walker88]

7 hours ago, Excel said:

Anything in the US labelled as "beer" should be taken with a pinch of salt

Years ago that would have been true. Not anymore.

 

After university I spent most of my career outside of the US. On subsequent visits, I was pleasantly surprised by what is now on offer. Visiting family these years, I can go into a shop and choose from 1000+ different beers, some of which can match anything brewed anywhere. Even some 'mass-produced' beers are quite good.

 

Not sure if the reason was offspring wanting money, or management seeing the writing on the wall (as thousands of new breweries emerged), but some of the US' most infamous beers have been sold to European breweries. Sure, "Bud" still sells well, but stand in any check-out line, and what other customers are buying before the Big Game is quite varied and reflects a complete change in taste and appreciation of one of humanity's finest creations.

 

Two major things changed in my absence from the US---one can now get good beer and good coffee. Capitalism works.

[RobU]

10 hours ago, Guderian said:

They need to do something, Thai beer is some of the worst I've tasted anywhere, and it seems to get worse every year. Even a locally brewed foreign beer, like SML, seems to lose much of its magic here compared with drinking it in the PI. Thank Buddha for Hoegaarden, brewed under licence in Vietnam and available at a reasonable price here nowadays.

Quality of the water plays a very large part in the brewing of good beer I am always wary of the quality of Thai water sources. Also the quality of Hops (are hops grown in Thailand?) the soil the hops are grown in imparts flavour most of UK hops for brewing are grown in Kent which has a particular style of soil.

[Bangkok Barry]

8 hours ago, Excel said:

Anything in the US labelled as "beer" should be taken with a pinch of salt

That statement is years out of date. Maybe even a couple of decades.

[natway09]

To the best of my knowledge Thailand does not brew a "beer"

They are all lagers.

On the question of craft beers each batch will be different, some quite considerably, but yes, long overdue

[Golden Triangle]

2 hours ago, Aussiepeter said:

Very complicated indeed, the Carlsberg story. Here's my take on it. I first tried Carlsberg in Turkey in 1988 and loved it. You can imagine my joy then as an army officer in 1993 being sent to Sakon Nahkon for six months on farang $ to learn to speak "Lao" only to find Carlsberg at 3 big bottles everywhere for 100 baht ! Carlsberg had got itself a 'sponsor' to brew their beer in LOS, but part of the deal was that they paid for everything, including a factory, supposedly with two identical production lines. One line bottled Carlsberg, at about 5% alcohol, the other produced a new local brew called Beer Chang with a then unknown alcohol level, but believed to be at least 6% & probably more like 8%+ alcohol. A local Thai-Vietnamese shop owner explained to me that his suppliers forced him to buy Carlsberg, even though the locals wouldn't touch it at 45 or 50 baht a bottle saying that it was "jewt," or weak and for them anyway, expensive. The suppliers' deal apparently was "if you don't take '#' boxes of Carlsberg, you can't get either Lao-cao or Mekong whiskey from us" (his biggest sellers) - plus, they also supplied the new, much more potent and much cheaper beer Chang. Poor chap ended up selling me and an army mate four bottles of Carlsberg for 100 baht daily - I was a happy camper for months. Then I was moved back to Chiang Mai and in my first few days had to attend the funeral of a lovely 22 y.o. Thai girl who had died from renal failure after childbirth, in Chiang Dao. At the funeral I was given beer that looked like Carlsberg, but it was Chang. I drank three big bottles over four hours - three Carlsbergs that size would do me no harm normally. I was sick for three days. Never touched a beer Chang ever again. I returned to C Mai to marry in 2000 and Carlsberg was still available, but Thais wouldn't touch it at the price and so they gave away lots of freebies to encourage you to buy. I still have three folding camp stools, a load of Carlsberg blankets and heaps of pilsener glasses. The 'sponsor' pushed his beer Chang hard and Carlsberg sales rapidly declined (no matter how hard I & a few stoic expats tried to keep them afloat) ! Eventually, the board of Carlsberg decided to cut their losses and leave Thailand, "gifting" their sponsor the production plant, which immediately switched to producing even more horrid Chang beer. There was a Court case I believe - but we all know farangs hardly ever win. It was reported at the time that the whole sad episode lost Carlsberg more than $550 million USD. Why anyone would even try to do business in LOS is beyond me. Oz's National Australia Bank opted to open a branch in Bangkok for several years about the same time, but they also left with their tail dragging between their legs after massive losses/bad loans. They never openly admitted just how many millions they lost but I am sure it was just that, millions - which reminds me of an old joke I heard from an expat once "how do you make a small fortune in Thailand" ? Answer - "come here with a large one." 

Sorry, it has to be said, paragraphs??

[Pinot]

Every beer in LOS is fine.

 

This thread certainly brought out the "I hate Thailand" crowd...as most threads tend to do.  

 

It's beer. Okay? Tsk

[Venom]

11 hours ago, heiri007 said:

 

In the meantime I’m quite pleased with Singha’s Reserve brew. Quite hoppy and tasty, not your average Thai beer at all

That stuff gives me a headache.???? 

[daveAustin]

16 hours ago, webfact said:

Widely dubbed the “Progressive Liquor Bill”, a new draft law on excise tax is tipped to revolutionize Thailand’s alcohol industry if it sails through Parliament untouched.

It won’t though will it. The big ones (Chang, Sing, Leo lol), gross though they are, are too well dug in and protected. Didn’t mind a Leo up to a few years back before they homogenised them. Disgusting, depression-inducing pisswater is what they are today. Worst beer in the world. The humble Beer Lao embarrasses them all. Thing is, Thais can do so much better—a lot of creativity and knowhow—but the problem is they get thwarted by graft and dinosaur activity at every turn. 
 

How to begin to fix Thailand 101…

 

1, poor all the beer into a huge reservoir. 

2, throw government and ‘elitist’ bigwigs on top. 

 

 

[PuaYai]

18 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Washington State opened up the market for micro breweries years ago and EVERYONE won. Great craft beers popped up all over and the big greedo's still made $$$$$$$$$.

Washington....Here I come..........

[Excel]

10 hours ago, Walker88 said:

Years ago that would have been true. Not anymore.

 

After university I spent most of my career outside of the US. On subsequent visits, I was pleasantly surprised by what is now on offer. Visiting family these years, I can go into a shop and choose from 1000+ different beers, some of which can match anything brewed anywhere. Even some 'mass-produced' beers are quite good.

 

Not sure if the reason was offspring wanting money, or management seeing the writing on the wall (as thousands of new breweries emerged), but some of the US' most infamous beers have been sold to European breweries. Sure, "Bud" still sells well, but stand in any check-out line, and what other customers are buying before the Big Game is quite varied and reflects a complete change in taste and appreciation of one of humanity's finest creations.

 

Two major things changed in my absence from the US---one can now get good beer and good coffee. Capitalism works.

You may have spent years outside but you still have American genes hence it will take a few generations for your taste buds to become normalised ????

[Excel]

12 hours ago, humqdpf said:

That is why we foreigners call US beer "canoe sex" - because it is <deleted>$#ing close to water!

Ah now I undertsand but where I come from we call it gnat's p***s

Edited February 14, 2022 by Excel

[Expat68]

13 hours ago, TheScience said:

Yeah, gimme a thick, dark stout on a 40 degree day.

 

????????????????

I never drink alcohol when the sun is up, only after if goes down ????

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

I'm a whiskey guy. And as a teacher we must drink. But on a teaching salary that usually means the Thai whiskey. Hong Thong, Blend 285, Regency. Nasty stuff, but can't beat the price.

 

Now new lockdowns and more working from home has got me down, and I couldn't take anymore of the same old stuff. I just had to spring for a liter of JACK! WOOO YEAH MURICA! ???????? Gotta make it count.

 

Would be nice to see some other options, like some Thai craft, small batch whiskey to try.

[TheScience]

19 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

I'm a whiskey guy. And as a teacher we must drink. But on a teaching salary that usually means the Thai whiskey. Hong Thong, Blend 285, Regency. Nasty stuff, but can't beat the price.

 

Now new lockdowns and more working from home has got me down, and I couldn't take anymore of the same old stuff. I just had to spring for a liter of JACK! WOOO YEAH MURICA! ???????? Gotta make it count.

 

Would be nice to see some other options, like some Thai craft, small batch whiskey to try.

Thais could perhaps do a nice bourbon with corn and import a bit of rye.

 

No chance with scotch it would all be imported grains.

 

I've gone through all the lower shelf whiskey in Thailand. Nasty stuff and I'm not talking about the local swill you had mentioned. I'm convinced diageo et all adds additional grain spirits for Thai market. All the low end whiskey just smells like vodka and I include Dewers in that. I doubt entirely that Bells is the same in UK.

 

Drinking teachers unite you have only your stress and headaches to lose.

[SiSePuede419]

21 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

So do keep that "lao khao" bottle close-by!

I knew there had to be a secret to making Thai beer taste good.

[Jingthing]

4 hours ago, Excel said:

You may have spent years outside but you still have American genes hence it will take a few generations for your taste buds to become normalised ????

Sounds like American bashing is a hobby. American palates are not a monolith.