wamberal Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I have drunk a fair bit of Thai beer over the years. Not as much lately, but my beer of choice is still Singha, as it was from the beginning (late seventies). Brief flirtations with Kloster - but I have stayed faithful to my first love. Singha has changed a lot over the years, of course. When I lived full-time in Thailand in the eighties, in a situation which required a lot of contact with the Australian Embassy, we were advised to be very careful in drinking Thai beer - particularly Singha - because the alcohol content was quite variable, and ranged anywhere from 8% up to 12%. (Explains some dreadful performances over the years, doesn't it?). Now it appears that Chang is the beer of choice among the farang community. Why, when, and how did this happen? Does anybody still drink Singha? Is Kloster still available? I only visit Thailand every couple of years, and am more likely to have a G and T before dinner, and a bottle of wine with the meal, rarely buy or drink Thai beer any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InSiSongkram Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Like you I used to drink Singha when I first came to LOS as a tourist but there are much better beers around these days. Chang is one I have always disliked so I cant comment but the one which I think is by far the best is Leo, it`s maybe more popular in Isaan but it is a great beer give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProdigalSon Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Like you I used to drink Singha when I first came to LOS as a tourist but there are much better beers around these days. Chang is one I have always disliked so I cant comment but the one which I think is by far the best is Leo, it`s maybe more popular in Isaan but it is a great beer give it a try. Totally agree. Very few of my friends in Chiang Mai drink Chang. Most foreigners I see drinking it are tourists, not expats. It may be due to Chang's marketing in the UK. Heineken seems to be the most popular where I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiki256 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 My fav is still Singha. Never liked Chang at all. I will try Leo tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) Leo is what I usually drink. I don't like Singha. Chang rarely. Recently I tried Archa again and really liked it. What do you think of Archa? Edited July 12, 2009 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angiud Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I miss the good old Carlsberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtoad Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Now it appears that Chang is the beer of choice among the farang community. Why, when, and how did this happen? Does anybody still drink Singha? Is Kloster still available? This is news to me. If I'm at home I'll drink Leo, but when out it is normally Heiniken/Tiger or Cider. None of my mates drink Chang as a regular beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mauGR1 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Leo is what I usually drink. I don't like Singha. Chang rarely. Recently I tried Archa again and really liked it. What do you think of Archa? I find Archa to be similar to Leo i like both more than Chang.Singha is not bad but more expensive.When i drink Chang i get headache before getting drunk,and normally i don't like to get drunk.That said,nothing is comparable to a good German or Belgian beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tutsiwarrior Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I useta drink Chang before I decided to give up beer an' stick to vodka...but I was at a food stall at the bus station with the family the other day and ordered a Leo with the larb, roast pork and sticky rice...not bad; I even got another...usually with Chang I can't even finish the first boddle... my vote is with Leo (pronounced 'leh-oooh...not lee-o as I had presumed...) salud... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalobob Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I don't know a single farang living here that drinks Chang, well they dont anymore as they have learnt that its the worst beer ever brewed (outside of America!) Most drink Leo and some drink Heineken. Tourists drink Chang because its the most famous, its cheap and gets you proper hammered. I can't believe i live in a place that regards Heineken as a premium beer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojo Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 People who drink Chang and say they like it are kidding themselves. I'm generalising of course. God help anyone who is served one on the non too cool side. The only thing to like about it, is the price. Regards Bojo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
473geo Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) Many of the places I have consumed chang it was served up by beautiful 'chang girls'...... Could have something to do with the popularity...... Edited July 12, 2009 by 473geo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longstebe Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Beer Chang became more popular when that disgusting football team who play in blue had it printed on their shirts.Even though I like the beer I'm gonna have to make a point of trying Leo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tutsiwarrior Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Many of the places I have consumed chang it was served up by beautiful 'chang girls'......Could have something to do with the popularity...... there is a lot of merit to this argument...the serving girl at the bus station looked good in her cut offs and t-shirt, young and unassuming...and she coulda been serving bilge water or whatever just to watch her approaching the table smiling with a boddle in her hand... wouldn't have done it twice if it were Chang, however... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonobo Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I don't drink beer, so I am no expert. And I rarely go to a bar, so I am even less of an expert there. But at restaurants, it seems to me that most farangs tend to drink Heineiken. I might have a client who is visiting for the first time who will have a Thai beer with dinner, but Heineken seems to be the choice for most farangs who I've noticed drinking beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanForbes Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I drink Chang... it's cheaper. It's like the old Jewish gentleman told me when I asked the difference between Singa, Chang, and Heineken. He said who cares... Chang is cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdnvic Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I find Singha too frothy, doesn't sit well with me. Chang is what I drink in Thailand but even that is just making the best of a bad situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plus Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Chang was originally brewed by Carlsberg here as a low price beer to compete with Singha (they had Carlsebrg competing with Heineken for the premium market already, but that segemnt was really small). They easily beat Singha because their Thai partner was also the biggest whiskey producer here, and bars and restaurants were forced to buy a number of cases of discounted Chang with every order of whiskey, after which they only had "sorry, we have enough beer already" for Singha reps. Carlsberg were hoping to get marketing support for Carlsberg brand, too, but got a big finger from Thai Beverage and eventually were forced to break up and close the business here. They tried to find a new partner and restart the brand but it got nowhere. Thai Beverage since then introduced even cheaper beer and Chang and Singha belong to the medium segment now. Their premium brand is "Fetherbrau" but I have no idea how it fares against Heineken, which pretty much rules the upper and of the market. Oh, and during Chang marketing offensive, beer consumption in Thailand grew 400%, if I remember correctly. Ads were everywhere, they sponsored Thai Olympic teams, had biggest singers and what not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isanb Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I drink Chang... it's cheaper. Same same. But i dream to find a good cider like strongbow at a normal prices in thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdnvic Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 But i dream to find a good cider like strongbow at a normal prices in thailand Here here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syd barrett Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I actually think Singha tastes better than Chang, but a Singha session gives me a terrible headache. You know where you are with Chang, it's cheap and strong and after a few large bottles you're flying. I actually think the best tasting beer available in Thailand is Ashai but it is expensive and weak. The vast majority of farang that live here drink Heineken, Leo and Singha. The people you want to watch out for are the ones who drink Siam Sato after breakfast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loong Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) Almost every expat that I know drinks Leo. Chang was more popular than Singha before Leo came on the scene and now it also seems that Leo is more popular with the Thais. I spent a few thousand Baht on beer when the village celebrated Songkran this year and the Leos were the choice of the locals. Edited July 12, 2009 by loong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaimiller Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I used to drink chang all the time, but it started giving me bad headaches, so I swithched to Leo or Tiger, I recently went back to Chang and all is well so far, maybe I just needed a break from it for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DP25 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I drink Chang because it's by far the highest alcohol percent of local beers. I'd even be willing to pay more for Super Chang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mahtin Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I believe Beer Lao would be the bevvie of choice if it had the chance. Regrettably the booze mafia forces it into luxury class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred2007 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I have drunk a fair bit of Thai beer over the years. Not as much lately, but my beer of choice is still Singha, as it was from the beginning (late seventies). Brief flirtations with Kloster - but I have stayed faithful to my first love.Singha has changed a lot over the years, of course. When I lived full-time in Thailand in the eighties, in a situation which required a lot of contact with the Australian Embassy, we were advised to be very careful in drinking Thai beer - particularly Singha - because the alcohol content was quite variable, and ranged anywhere from 8% up to 12%. (Explains some dreadful performances over the years, doesn't it?). Now it appears that Chang is the beer of choice among the farang community. Why, when, and how did this happen? Does anybody still drink Singha? Is Kloster still available? I only visit Thailand every couple of years, and am more likely to have a G and T before dinner, and a bottle of wine with the meal, rarely buy or drink Thai beer any more. Tell me one beer what has 8-12 % alcohol most beers have an average between 4-6 %Talking about Chang Beer I think it must be the best beer ever come from Thailand well don't trust me as many friends of mine who have been here in holidays and now the drink Chang instead of the horrible Fosters or 4 X or what ever. And by the way Leo is made by Singha it is just a cheap version from the bottom of the barrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadish_sweetball Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I drink Chang only if nothing else is available. Of the Thai branded beers I prefer Leo. It doesn't taste like Singha at all, much more round taste. Try a blind test with Thai beer brands and see what your actual preference is. You may be surprised. If I recall correctly Chang has 6.5% alcohol listed on the bottle. There have indeed been rumours floating around about variable alcohol content in the beer, but I am not sure that these are true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losworld Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) I've had the Thai beer and would have to say Leo is the best out of the bunch followed by Tiger than Singha then Chang. I understand Leo is the beer of choice for many Thais. Since foreigners prefer Singha maybe this is a very devious way of double pricing and Leo is actually more expensive to produce? Edited July 12, 2009 by losworld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred2007 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I drink Chang only if nothing else is available. Of the Thai branded beers I prefer Leo. It doesn't taste like Singha at all, much more round taste. Try a blind test with Thai beer brands and see what your actual preference is. You may be surprised. If I recall correctly Chang has 6.5% alcohol listed on the bottle. There have indeed been rumours floating around about variable alcohol content in the beer, but I am not sure that these are true. Well it must be inflation, my bottle I have right in my hand says 6% even it would say 2% I prefere Chang to any other beer. Come on guys every body is talking about theyr beer well I have mine and you have yours just let's all drink together and have a good time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losworld Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I have drunk a fair bit of Thai beer over the years. Not as much lately, but my beer of choice is still Singha, as it was from the beginning (late seventies). Brief flirtations with Kloster - but I have stayed faithful to my first love.Singha has changed a lot over the years, of course. When I lived full-time in Thailand in the eighties, in a situation which required a lot of contact with the Australian Embassy, we were advised to be very careful in drinking Thai beer - particularly Singha - because the alcohol content was quite variable, and ranged anywhere from 8% up to 12%. (Explains some dreadful performances over the years, doesn't it?). Now it appears that Chang is the beer of choice among the farang community. Why, when, and how did this happen? Does anybody still drink Singha? Is Kloster still available? I only visit Thailand every couple of years, and am more likely to have a G and T before dinner, and a bottle of wine with the meal, rarely buy or drink Thai beer any more. Tell me one beer what has 8-12 % alcohol most beers have an average between 4-6 %Talking about Chang Beer I think it must be the best beer ever come from Thailand well don't trust me as many friends of mine who have been here in holidays and now the drink Chang instead of the horrible Fosters or 4 X or what ever. And by the way Leo is made by Singha it is just a cheap version from the bottom of the barrel at least that is what they want you to believe... may be the opposite... i Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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