Have You Noticed The Difference Between Bottled Chang Beer

[syd barrett]

Have you noticed that the taste of bottled Chang beer varies a great deal? It sometimes tastes foul and it sometimes tastes just fine. I used to think that it was the bottle date, which FYI is printed in tiny black script on the neck of the bottle.

Then I found that tins of Chang (a little more expensive) 330ml style, taste consistently good. They have a sell-by stamp on the base 12 months ahead from tinning.

I also notice that the potency varies a great deal with bottles: (perhaps some or stronger/weaker than 6.4%). However, again the tins of Chang always offer a consistent potency.

All things considered, perhaps it is wiser to imbibe tins of Chang rather than bottles. The bottles are recycled, the bottles have no one year shelf life, the bottles have various alcohol volume.

What are your experiences?

[samuibeachcomber]

have always found bottled chang gives me a headache,then i found draught chang,and did n't get a headache,but i dont think its as strong as bottled,but here on samui its 99baht a litre,so i like the price too.have n't tried it in cans.

[Nomad97]

Have you noticed that the taste of bottled Chang beer varies a great deal? It sometimes tastes foul and it sometimes tastes just fine. I used to think that it was the bottle date, which FYI is printed in tiny black script on the neck of the bottle.

Then I found that tins of Chang (a little more expensive) 330ml style, taste consistently good. They have a sell-by stamp on the base 12 months ahead from tinning.

I also notice that the potency varies a great deal with bottles: (perhaps some or stronger/weaker than 6.4%). However, again the tins of Chang always offer a consistent potency.

All things considered, perhaps it is wiser to imbibe tins of Chang rather than bottles. The bottles are recycled, the bottles have no one year shelf life, the bottles have various alcohol volume.

What are your experiences?

I fully agree with your analysis. Many times I have told my wife and friends that the taste is different from one box of beer to another (different batches I guess) only to be told that it must be me and my poor sense of taste. Sometimes it taste great, at other times it is only drinkable. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

[Chaimai]

Have you noticed that the taste of bottled Chang beer varies a great deal? It sometimes tastes foul and it sometimes tastes just fine. I used to think that it was the bottle date, which FYI is printed in tiny black script on the neck of the bottle.

Then I found that tins of Chang (a little more expensive) 330ml style, taste consistently good. They have a sell-by stamp on the base 12 months ahead from tinning.

I also notice that the potency varies a great deal with bottles: (perhaps some or stronger/weaker than 6.4%). However, again the tins of Chang always offer a consistent potency.

All things considered, perhaps it is wiser to imbibe tins of Chang rather than bottles. The bottles are recycled, the bottles have no one year shelf life, the bottles have various alcohol volume.

What are your experiences?

I fully agree with your analysis. Many times I have told my wife and friends that the taste is different from one box of beer to another (different batches I guess) only to be told that it must be me and my poor sense of taste. Sometimes it taste great, at other times it is only drinkable. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

I was told (reliably) by a publican that Chang cannot control the precise strength of their beer. That is why, despite the 6.4% label, you will see people (especially Thais ) OK on one occasion and falling around on another.

[angiud]

Chang beer sell for many years the Carlsberg brand, until they broke the agreement. Carlsberg draft was quite palatable and now all the machinery and the production of Carlsberg draft change with Chang draft. If you find a column (I don't know the eng term) of chang draft, you just try to peel the Changh sticker and down will appear the old Carlsberg logo.

In my restaurant I had Carslberg Draft, after changed with Chang for some year, absolutely same stuff.

That's why Chang draft don't give you headache, because is still made with Carlsberg chain of production.

Cheers

[mahtin]

After many years of Chang brand loyalty I finally got sick of the Changovers and switched to Leo, as favoured by in-laws and locals.

Of course Beer Lao is the Holy Grail, but we have to wait...

[dumball]

Being as you posed the question , the only difference I have noticed between canned or bottled is : when you drop the bottle , it smashes and all the beer runs out , when you drop the can , the beer sprays all over those close at hand . You probably correctly gathered , I do not drink beer . Should I suffer from head-aches or hang-overs caused by drinking (anything) as is expressed by many on this forum , I would quit , why would I constantly refer to the 'Good time ' I had when in fact I had done myself an injustice , or at least , my body .

[wasabi]

After many years of Chang brand loyalty I finally got sick of the Changovers and switched to Leo, as favoured by in-laws and locals.

Of course Beer Lao is the Holy Grail, but we have to wait...

When will Beer Lao be available on shelves and not just bars?

Yes Chang varies greatly in quality from awful to terrible.

[syd barrett]

I was told (reliably) by a publican that Chang cannot control the precise strength of their beer. That is why, despite the 6.4% label, you will see people (especially Thais ) OK on one occasion and falling around on another.

Why would a brewery be unable to produce an exact alcoholic percentage. I thought that such concentrations were monitored closely?

I think the Chang 'effect' varies due to the different brewing batches. Some highly potent brews containing more congeners, those being the chemicals that cause drunkeness.

Like so many people I am sure will agree, although Stella Artois is only 5.2% it causes obvious drunkeness, perhaps more than any other lager beer.

[dumball]

After many years of Chang brand loyalty I finally got sick of the Changovers and switched to Leo, as favoured by in-laws and locals.

Of course Beer Lao is the Holy Grail, but we have to wait...

When will Beer Lao be available on shelves and not just bars?

Yes Chang varies greatly in quality from awful to terrible.

I buy beer lao off the shelf here in Cambodia when my friend visits , problem in Thailand ? .

If the beer has that much varience , why are you so concerned where they sell it ? Just do not do your body such a diservice .

[OriginalPoster]

Have you noticed that the taste of bottled Chang beer varies a great deal? It sometimes tastes foul and it sometimes tastes just fine. I used to think that it was the bottle date, which FYI is printed in tiny black script on the neck of the bottle.

Then I found that tins of Chang (a little more expensive) 330ml style, taste consistently good. They have a sell-by stamp on the base 12 months ahead from tinning.

I also notice that the potency varies a great deal with bottles: (perhaps some or stronger/weaker than 6.4%). However, again the tins of Chang always offer a consistent potency.

All things considered, perhaps it is wiser to imbibe tins of Chang rather than bottles. The bottles are recycled, the bottles have no one year shelf life, the bottles have various alcohol volume.

What are your experiences?

It's probably because beer can be spoiled by being stuck by light whilst being stored. You don't have that problem when it's in a can instead of a bottle. Many of the commonly skunked beers (such as Heineken and Stella) tend to be better in cans than in bottles on account of that, but it's not just beer in green bottles that get wrecked by light exposure. I doubt that the % alchohol really is more variable when the beer's in bottles than cans though.

Edited February 26, 2009 by OriginalPoster

[RobotTeacher]

All the Asian beers are utter craptastic low quality with chemicals and impurities like other types of alcohol such as methanol being present. This results in excessive hangovers, illness, aches, and thirst.

Try a 6 pack of German beers to test this theory that I clearly recognized out of experience. Remember, don't trust a drunk bot.

[syd barrett]

It's probably because beer can be spoiled by being stuck by light whilst being stored. You don't have that problem when it's in a can instead of a bottle. Many of the commonly skunked beers (such as Heineken and Stella) tend to be better in cans than in bottles on account of that, but it's not just beer in green bottles that get wrecked by light exposure. I doubt that the % alchohol really is more variable when the beer's in bottles than cans though.

I agree light and temperature will make beer deteriorate with age. Even the beer in the fridge in 7-11 has spent considerable hours in cardboard cases on pickup trucks or in warehouses without air-con.

I think that the tins of beer hold up better taste-wise.

[pattaya_girl]

I agree, I think that the Leo Beer in a can tastes better than the Leo Beer in a bottle - Also, I know its not beer but the same goes for Coke, does anyone agree that the Coke in a can tastes completely different to the Coke in the glass bottle. I thought it was the same recipe throughout the World, but tastes completely different. I prefer the glass bottles.

[OriginalPoster]

I agree, I think that the Leo Beer in a can tastes better than the Leo Beer in a bottle - Also, I know its not beer but the same goes for Coke, does anyone agree that the Coke in a can tastes completely different to the Coke in the glass bottle. I thought it was the same recipe throughout the World, but tastes completely different. I prefer the glass bottles.

Does the Coke taste different in can than in bottle even if you pour it into a glass? I don't drink enough Coke to know if it's different in can vs bottle, but aside from the possibility of it being presevered better in one type of container than another, what you are drinking out of (can, bottle, or glass) influences what you smell while you drink, and a person's sense of smell and will tend to infleunce their sense of taste to a degree.

[rixalex]

You probably correctly gathered , I do not drink beer . Should I suffer from head-aches or hang-overs caused by drinking (anything) as is expressed by many on this forum , I would quit , why would I constantly refer to the 'Good time ' I had when in fact I had done myself an injustice , or at least , my body .

I buy beer lao off the shelf here in Cambodia when my friend visits , problem in Thailand ? .

If the beer has that much varience , why are you so concerned where they sell it ? Just do not do your body such a diservice .

Is it just us or do you also make your friends suffer your self-righteous attitude?

[syd barrett]

You probably correctly gathered , I do not drink beer . Should I suffer from head-aches or hang-overs caused by drinking (anything) as is expressed by many on this forum , I would quit , why would I constantly refer to the 'Good time ' I had when in fact I had done myself an injustice , or at least , my body .

I buy beer lao off the shelf here in Cambodia when my friend visits , problem in Thailand ? .

If the beer has that much varience , why are you so concerned where they sell it ? Just do not do your body such a diservice .

Is it just us or do you also make your friends suffer your self-righteous attitude?

Ha ha, yes dumball's posts are a bit odd. Perhaps he is on the wagon and is missing the 'pop', because they all do......!

[h90]

I met the sales guy from Germany (for Thailand) for chemicals for beer production on a diving trip. He told me that all can't control the process and every patch is different. Some very bad. I asked him what would be the best and after a while thinking he told San Mig.

I have a master degree on food technologies but I am very outdated. but in my time the beer for bottles and draft were different patches.

Heat treatment on bottles and cans also might be different (if they do in the closed bottle/can)

If it stays 1 day in the direct sun before going to the shop may make a difference....more on the bottle than on the cans.

Beer companies in Thailand are a kind of mafia

All food producer are pigs.........

[pattaya_girl]

I agree, I think that the Leo Beer in a can tastes better than the Leo Beer in a bottle - Also, I know its not beer but the same goes for Coke, does anyone agree that the Coke in a can tastes completely different to the Coke in the glass bottle. I thought it was the same recipe throughout the World, but tastes completely different. I prefer the glass bottles.

Does the Coke taste different in can than in bottle even if you pour it into a glass? I don't drink enough Coke to know if it's different in can vs bottle, but aside from the possibility of it being presevered better in one type of container than another, what you are drinking out of (can, bottle, or glass) influences what you smell while you drink, and a person's sense of smell and will tend to infleunce their sense of taste to a degree.

I have drunk it out of the Can and the Bottle and also poured both out into glasses. The canned Coke deffinately tastes different to the glass Bottled Coke. The Bottled is a lot sweeter, the can is slightly bitter. I wonder why !!!

[dumball]

You probably correctly gathered , I do not drink beer . Should I suffer from head-aches or hang-overs caused by drinking (anything) as is expressed by many on this forum , I would quit , why would I constantly refer to the 'Good time ' I had when in fact I had done myself an injustice , or at least , my body .

I buy beer lao off the shelf here in Cambodia when my friend visits , problem in Thailand ? .

If the beer has that much varience , why are you so concerned where they sell it ? Just do not do your body such a diservice .

Is it just us or do you also make your friends suffer your self-righteous attitude?

I have a confession to make(sniff-sniff) , I have no friends , they all inconsiderately died and left me all alone in this terribly stress torn world , I am the last of a dying breed of free thinking individuals who believe people the likes of yourself , should take the manure you expouse and spread it somewhere it may prove more fertile . My open honesty of facts bother you in your childish brain ?

[mahtin]

After many years of Chang brand loyalty I finally got sick of the Changovers and switched to Leo, as favoured by in-laws and locals.

Of course Beer Lao is the Holy Grail, but we have to wait...

When will Beer Lao be available on shelves and not just bars?

Yes Chang varies greatly in quality from awful to terrible.

Beer Lao delays export plans

Vientiane, Laos - Lao Brewery Co's plans to flood Thailand with its popular Beer Lao have been put on hold until 2011.

Lao Brewery, one of little Laos' biggest companies, has invested 25 million dollars in an expansion project in southern Laos aimed at exploiting the export market, specifically neighbouring Thailand, under the Asean Free Trade Agreement, for the 10-country Association of South-East Asian Nations.

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."

[rixalex]

I have a confession to make(sniff-sniff) , I have no friends , they all inconsiderately died and left me all alone in this terribly stress torn world , I am the last of a dying breed of free thinking individuals who believe people the likes of yourself , should take the manure you expouse and spread it somewhere it may prove more fertile . My open honesty of facts bother you in your childish brain ?

Sorry to hear you've lost your friends. Perhaps though you didn't have many to start with. Certainly the attitude you bring to this forum would suggest as much.

Have you always been this way or was it old age that brought with it a propensity to look down your nose at others and judge them so quickly?

[mattias33]

A few years ago, a friend of mine bought a box of Carlsberg sort guld in Germany. He stored that box on his balcony in Sweden in december (cold!). When he started drinking it tasted bad. He phoned up carlsberg brewery in Denmark, and got to speak with the brewmaster. The brewmaster told him that beer is not suppose to be stored colder than +8 degrees celsius (normal fridge temperature) because it reveals some ingredient in the beer and gives it the bad taste my friend had described. Since the German cans didnt have this information on the can, carlsberg paid up and my friend could buy new beer on their account! What a company!

So, how is this valid in this thread? Well, in Thailand, many places have a habbit of storing the beer VERY cold. Alot of Thai shops even put their beers in the freezer, and eventually (if they remember) the move them to the fridge. Sometimes after a full day in the freezer. That beer is ruined.

I buy my beer unchilled, in tesco, macro or bigc. I put it in my own fridge and chill it slowly. A day. It always taste good. No surprices.

Chang is a carlsberg recepy, dont know who own chang nowadays but the beer is carlsberg. They have the same in Denmark. Same can. Its called elephant beer. For sure to cold storage ruins it completely. Next time you get a bad tasting chang (bottle or can) try to notice if it foams (did i get that word right? the white thing on top of the glass) alot. Then it is ruined by the to cold storage.

[lazygourmet]

After many years of Chang brand loyalty I finally got sick of the Changovers and switched to Leo, as favoured by in-laws and locals.

Of course Beer Lao is the Holy Grail, but we have to wait...

When will Beer Lao be available on shelves and not just bars?

Yes Chang varies greatly in quality from awful to terrible.

Beer Lao delays export plans

Vientiane, Laos - Lao Brewery Co's plans to flood Thailand with its popular Beer Lao have been put on hold until 2011.

Lao Brewery, one of little Laos' biggest companies, has invested 25 million dollars in an expansion project in southern Laos aimed at exploiting the export market, specifically neighbouring Thailand, under the Asean Free Trade Agreement, for the 10-country Association of South-East Asian Nations.

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."

Carslberg is now a major shareholder in Lao Beer.

I assume that they are looking for a commercial revenge regarding what happened to them in Thailand 10 years ago.

[Maverell]

Hey this thread has helped me !! I thought I was losing my sense of taste - I have been buying bottled chang for a long time, up until about 6 months ago all the bottles tasted the same, now its very hit or miss. Sometimes its disgusting. Sometimes its as it was.

I thought it was me.

Maybe some counterfeit chang is getting into the chain.

[Gary A]

I avoid ALL beer in cans. Maybe it is older or something but canned beer usually tastes much different than bottles. A friend brought back a six pack of Beer Lao in cans and even it tasted horrible. I too changed from Chang to Leo and have found Leo to be much more consistent as well as no longer having terrible hang overs.

[syd barrett]

Hey this thread has helped me !! I thought I was losing my sense of taste - I have been buying bottled chang for a long time, up until about 6 months ago all the bottles tasted the same, now its very hit or miss. Sometimes its disgusting. Sometimes its as it was.

I thought it was me.

Maybe some counterfeit chang is getting into the chain.

Look on the neck of the glass bottle of Chang, in tiny black writing you will see the date the beer was bottled. Don't attempt to drink (or reject) any beer older than 3 months.

You would (or maybe wouldn't) here in Thailand, be surprised to hear that some stores and supermarkets sell bottles of beer 12 months old stock or more!

[mahtin]

Carslberg is now a major shareholder in Lao Beer.

I assume that they are looking for a commercial revenge regarding what happened to them in Thailand 10 years ago.

I look forward to the day when all Chang drinkers wake up and smell the Beer Lao

[Maverell]

Hey this thread has helped me !! I thought I was losing my sense of taste - I have been buying bottled chang for a long time, up until about 6 months ago all the bottles tasted the same, now its very hit or miss. Sometimes its disgusting. Sometimes its as it was.

I thought it was me.

Maybe some counterfeit chang is getting into the chain.

Look on the neck of the glass bottle of Chang, in tiny black writing you will see the date the beer was bottled. Don't attempt to drink (or reject) any beer older than 3 months.

You would (or maybe wouldn't) here in Thailand, be surprised to hear that some stores and supermarkets sell bottles of beer 12 months old stock or more!

Thanks for that Syd - maybe thats the problem

[angiud]

Chang is a carlsberg recepy, dont know who own chang nowadays but the beer is carlsberg. They have the same in Denmark. Same can. Its called elephant beer.

Chang and Carlsberg Elephant ar not the same beer. Elefant I guess is a double malt beer and is much more palatable than Chang.