Why Is Beer Lao So Good(and Thai Beer So Awful)?

[henryalleman]

I love some Thai beer, so don't know what's wrong with you guys? And I come from the land of Heineken, so I know what's good beer.

Please may you stop to call heineken a beer.

[Datsun240Z]

I love some Thai beer, so don't know what's wrong with you guys? And I come from the land of Heineken, so I know what's good beer.

Please may you stop to call heineken a beer.

It's not for nothing a world famous beer my friend. Anyhow I like many beers, coming from The Netherlands, Heineken is my favorite. I assume you are from Belgium?

[MrHammer]

Beer Leo is allright, Singh is drinkable if nothing else is around and Chang is horrible.

It is strange though, there are so many good beers in South East Asia and none of them are Thai?

[zorro1]

San mig light with a piece of lime. Call it a poor mans corona but for me tastes way better. being a pilsener its well suited to the climate here and its supposedly light on calories

Full strength alcohol

[MarkyM3]

I find Heineken or Tiger pretty good. Chang is good for a laugh until you wake up the next day, someone told me the strength/purity of the stuff is quite variable..

Wish Beer Lao was more widely available in LoS eg 7/11.

Edited June 21, 2009 by MarkyM3

[dtoodnut]

Friend of mine claims that :

-Beer Lao was originally brewed by Czechs under Ruskie supervision in Lao with no additives and 30 day natural fermentation.

-Thai beer purportedly contains 30 per cent rice(mandated by government to increase Thai rice sales in country) and many additives to accelerate fermentation to 3 days. He cites Heineken in Malaysia as an example, as the taste and hangover is completely different(ie. better) than the Heineken of Thailand.

Any brew-experts here who know the truth?

All I know is I can drink tons of beer Lao without hangover and a couple bottles of any beer from thailand gives me a nasty headache.

Over to you experts!

Bud gave me wicked hangovers and I think it was because of the rice. I drank it for 20 years and it was people from the UK living in the US that pointed this out to me, switching me to other beers. San Mig light and Bintang gives me wicked heartburn and the Aussies tell me it is because of preservatives.

[SoiGirlHunter]

Beer Lao is the best!

I usually drink singha when no beer lao available

But Leo is starting to grow on me

[Ulysses G.]

I love some Thai beer, so don't know what's wrong with you guys? And I come from the land of Heineken, so I know what's good beer.

Please may you stop to call heineken a beer.

It's not for nothing a world famous beer my friend. Anyhow I like many beers, coming from The Netherlands, Heineken is my favorite. I assume you are from Belgium?

I quite like Heineken and I enjoy Beer Lao. I also like a lot of American beers that taste very similar to these, but are the object of ridicule of many so called "experts".

People are full of sh*t!

[jfchandler]

Beer Lao is nice...

Leo Beer is cheap, has a light clean taste, and I can drink gallons without any hangover. My choice when out at Thai places.

Drink a couple bottles of Singha, and always regret it the next day. YUCK!!!

On the other hand, I too like San Miguel Light with a lime, as being easy to drink, clean taste and nothing bad in the way of hangovers...

[ballbreaker]

BEER LAO IS A JOINT COLABORATION WITH CARLSBERG THEREFORE THE SUPERIOR BREWING TECHNIQUE

Beer Lao was good long before Carlsberg got involved. Originally it was Laos and French when founded in 1971. Carlsberg only got involved after 2002 when it, along with the makers of Beer Chang, each bought 25% of the Lao Brewery Company. The remaining 50% is owned by the Lao government.

Ownership changed again in 2005 with Carlsberg and Laos Government each owning 50 percent.

[Gary A]

A lot depends where you live. I live out in the boonies and our normal choice is Archa, Chang, Leo or Singha. I liked Chang the best but hangovers were severe. I changed to Archa but the next day I wasn't able to get very far from the toilet. I can't stand the taste of Singha so that left Leo. I have acquired a taste for it and as long as I don't over do it, things are pretty good the next morning.

My wife made a day trip to Laos recently and brought back a six pack of Lao Beer for me. I don't know if it was because of the cans, too old, too warm or what but it was REALLY bad tasting. I can drink most beer brands but I gave the three cans I had left to a friend of mine. He wasn't impressed either.

I drink San Mig Light when I'm in the farang ghetto. No hangovers and no toilet time so I guess it is pretty good beer. Heineken tastes too fruity for me and I seem to get quite a lot of skunky tasting bottles. I never really liked Heineken but drank it when out with the boys who are able to drink all day and night without falling down. I admit that I can't keep up with them. Heineken must have a low alcohol content.

[F4UCorsair]

My view that taste is a very personal thing; I believe that Chang and Singha are amongst the best beers I've tasted, right up there with Japanese and Korean beers.

As for Leo, Archa, and Cheers, they are amongst the worst. I see others who say very different, so it's obviously a personal taste issue as I contended above.

I buy Singha and Chang in Australia in preference to ALL Australian beers. I also like Lao beer.

A lot depends where you live. I live out in the boonies and our normal choice is Archa, Chang, Leo or Singha. I liked Chang the best but hangovers were severe. I changed to Archa but the next day I wasn't able to get very far from the toilet. I can't stand the taste of Singha so that left Leo. I have acquired a taste for it and as long as I don't over do it, things are pretty good the next morning.

My wife made a day trip to Laos recently and brought back a six pack of Lao Beer for me. I don't know if it was because of the cans, too old, too warm or what but it was REALLY bad tasting. I can drink most beer brands but I gave the three cans I had left to a friend of mine. He wasn't impressed either.

I drink San Mig Light when I'm in the farang ghetto. No hangovers and no toilet time so I guess it is pretty good beer. Heineken tastes too fruity for me and I seem to get quite a lot of skunky tasting bottles. I never really liked Heineken but drank it when out with the boys who are able to drink all day and night without falling down. I admit that I can't keep up with them. Heineken must have a low alcohol content.

Edited June 22, 2009 by F4UCorsair

[a2396]

Beer Lao is great. The best in SE Asia. Tsing-Tao very good & not available in LOS. My favorite beers are from Mexico (excluding Corona).

[Samuian]

Beer Lao is great. The best in SE Asia. Tsing-Tao very good & not available in LOS. My favorite beers are from Mexico (excluding Corona).

SOL?

Tsing Tao was available in Bkk a while ago... i wonder what happened to it -

like Carlsberg disappeared without a trace...

TOPS has quite a selection of German beers - Warsteiner, Loewen Braeu,

Koestritzer (black beer), Weihenstephan, Erdinger (wheat beer)

[DP25]

Ownership changed again in 2005 with Carlsberg and Laos Government each owning 50 percent.

You should personally update wiki then, as it says the Lao Government owns 50%, while Carlsberg and TCC own 25% each.

[monkeycircus]

angkor beer from cambodia is also great.

as for thai beers, apart from Leo, they are really pretty bad. obviously its just an opinion, but seeing as i do drink a lot of beer, and have done all over the world, i feel i can say it with personal authority.has anyone here been to vietnam? Bia Hoi! now thats the way to do it!

[Lite Beer]

No one has mentioned Federbrau. I usually drink that for special and the rest of the time it is Archa as they are all pretty bad and Archa is the cheapest, apart from Isaan Beer and that is just undrinkable.

[rick75]

My choice would be leo, do not mind the rest of the Thai beers, not a big fan of Heineken at all.

[Jimjim1968]

Down here in sunny Hat Yai, we get treated to Guinness as the Malaysian pleasure seekers on their weekend jaunt drink it.

It goes for about 45-50 Baht for a small can.

Thai beer is poo, but sometimes I drink it.

But a recent trip back to UK was spent enjoying fine brews like; Spitfire, Old Speckled Hen and Bulmers cider. Oh! I miss those beers.

[polecat]

For years, expats would excitedly talk of Beer Lao becoming available here in Thailand. Like me, they were just blown away on trips over the border; amazed at how much better it was than Thai brews.

Having said that, now it's here I too drink San Mig Light with a wedge of lime . It started as an effort to combat the beer belly, but now I've just got into the taste.

Generally speaking the choices (at least in downtown BKK) are excellent now - Erdinger, Stella, Leffe, Hoegarten, Bulmers, Strongbow, Coopers, Asahi, Beer Lao, San Mig, Federbrau and so on. Not so long ago, the only vaguely interesting brew you'd find was overpriced Old Speckled Hen that always tasted rotten because it never shifted any volume and stayed in the pipes so long. And maybe the odd dusty Bass pump.

It's a similar situation with Guinness. It hardly shifts any units and rarely tastes good. However, the company throws so much money at the pubs , and it's one of those drinks feel they simply ought to have, that just about all of the farang pubs carry it.

Edited June 22, 2009 by polecat

[ballbreaker]

You should personally update wiki then, as it says the Lao Government owns 50%, while Carlsberg and TCC own 25% each.

Update has been done.

[bikerman]

You should personally update wiki then, as it says the Lao Government owns 50%, while Carlsberg and TCC own 25% each.

Update has been done.

My theory about beer, No bad beer only good and very good only bad when you can not get any beer .

[plushly]

Friend of mine claims that :

-Beer Lao was originally brewed by Czechs under Ruskie supervision in Lao with no additives and 30 day natural fermentation.

-Thai beer purportedly contains 30 per cent rice(mandated by government to increase Thai rice sales in country) and many additives to accelerate fermentation to 3 days. He cites Heineken in Malaysia as an example, as the taste and hangover is completely different(ie. better) than the Heineken of Thailand.

Any brew-experts here who know the truth?

All I know is I can drink tons of beer Lao without hangover and a couple bottles of any beer from thailand gives me a nasty headache.

Over to you experts!

Thai beer is like many commercial beers made in countries like Australia and Japan. i.e. skimp on quality ingredients and increase marketing to improve sales and profit margins.

Pure malt is the biggest money saver in making beer, as substituted brewing sugars to get attain the required alcohol levels can be between 50% and 90% cheaper. Many (if not most) European beers are brewed on pure malt. Cheap brewing sugars can produce higher alcohols (ethanol style) that can knock some people around. Cheaper sugars also accelerate the brewing time required.

I believe Beer Lao has a higher malt content than Thai beer and imports most of the barley to make it from Europe to maintain a semblance of quality control. It still contains a component of malt (about 30%) made from Jasmine rice.

The most likely cause of the Thai beer cracking headaches/ hangovers is the preservatives used - specifically sulphites - that many people have varying degrees of senstitivty to. Bloating can also be a side effect.

I don't know if Beer Lao contains preservatives (apart from the inherent alcohol), but I suspect not (at least nothing nasty or in large enough quantity). I expect that Beer Lao conforms more to the European style of brewing.

Most European beers (that are actually brewed in Europe) are naturally brewed, thus the shorter shelf life.

[timinchina]

angkor beer from cambodia is also great.

as for thai beers, apart from Leo, they are really pretty bad. obviously its just an opinion, but seeing as i do drink a lot of beer, and have done all over the world, i feel i can say it with personal authority.has anyone here been to vietnam? Bia Hoi! now thats the way to do it!

Anchor is better,it's a pilsener...

[timinchina]

I love some Thai beer, so don't know what's wrong with you guys? And I come from the land of Heineken, so I know what's good beer.

Please may you stop to call heineken a beer.

I agree,very bad taste and far too much gas!

[G54]

I quite like Thai beer. Drank Archer, Chang, Leo, Tiger. Never a hangover. Nor felt ill the next day except for a little over consumption the night before.

Not tried Lao beer but comparing Thai beer to Heineken, I do wonder how they can justify the price of that over-rated Heineken.

[Mosha]

I love some Thai beer, so don't know what's wrong with you guys? And I come from the land of Heineken, so I know what's good beer.

Please may you stop to call heineken a beer.

I agree,very bad taste and far too much gas!

It was a joke in the UK in my teens. It tastes the same here 35 years later. It has two things in common with when I piss when a little de-hydrated. Ones the colour.

Edited June 22, 2009 by Mosha

[Gluestick]

I feel bad for you guys. I haven't had a headache since jr. high and I don't get hangovers.

[MrHammer]

San Mig is a great cheap beer, gotto concur.

[Datsun240Z]

I love some Thai beer, so don't know what's wrong with you guys? And I come from the land of Heineken, so I know what's good beer.

Please may you stop to call heineken a beer.

I agree,very bad taste and far too much gas!

Heineken is a 5% abv pale lager, made by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.3% alcohol by volume, in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H. Elion finished the development of the Heineken A-yeast. This is the yeast that is still used for the beer.^[1] The beer is force carbonated. It is the worlds most popular lager, and is particularly successful in Europe.

Do I may add that Heineken original in Netherlands, taste for more different than the one you buy in Thailand.