The best beer in thailand?

[lumar]

Beeing a beer lover, I must say that Beer Chang is defintively the best beer in the Kingdom. Strong, dirt cheap and tasty!

What's your opinion?

[craig]

I agree. Chang is my favorite beer from Thailand.  I also like Beer Lao. :cool:

[george]

How does Beer Lao taste?

George

Chang lover....

[Rinrada]

I used to enjoy good old Singha "bier Sing" -my bier -my counry etc.but got fed up wakening up in the morning feeling (amongst other things) like a die-sected corpse.Rumour has it that one of the main ingredients was formaldahide...x-cuse spelling please.. so I gave it up.

Amarit was for washing in,Chang,Leo and Lao for cooking,with Sing gold and Kloister not 2 bad.

The best thing that ever happened was the opening of the Heinekin and Carlsberg factories.

Loll on the tuming of the Amper Necture and VBs.BPs-Pe Ppps...My beeer..hic..Sanuk

[Herbie]

Carlsberg used to be the best by birth, but the Litre price of Chang, including the high percentage, it can't be beaten.

Aroy aroy!

CHANG !

[PETER THE EATER]

Beer Chang is too sweet in taste for me. I started on Beer Singha over 40 years ago and it is always my first choice. The secret is, drink it in moderation and not on an empty stomach and hangovers should be non-existant.

I was over in Cambodia a couple of months ago a found the Angkor beer quite pleasing.

Of course, you can always switch to Mekhong whisky with soda and ice. I was had a bottle that was over 5 days old but then I doubt that any old hands will believe that!

Hic!

Peter the Eater

[Rinrada]

Between posts I have just nipped up for a quick 1 as one does -The Hop Poles,Enfield N.London and had a pint of Fosters...they dont cell Singers..Sinngurs..Singerrs..hic.hic.no sing-hers...could do with a ?

Will try another pub later...

[Rinrada]

Good subject..Hic-Hic

Boon Rawd Brewery is Thailand's traditional family-owned brewer, well known for it's Singha and Leo brands. You cant address board members by their family names, because they are all the same. Ogilvy and Mather's emotion-evoking and image-heavy "traditional values" and "The Thai Beer" campaigns had successfully developed an emotional brand attachment between Thais and their own beer and brewery.

Yet several years back Boon Rawd Brewery found their virtual monopoly of the Thailand beer market eroded fast by newcomers headed by Dutch brew Heineken which performed a masterful sweep into Thailand's valuable beer market. It was a time when global brands were sweeping all before them.

In a knee-jerk response to the invasion of the foreign premium brands, Boon Rawd launched their own "global brand" named "Mittweida". The best that can be said of the launch was that it was a spectacular failure, despite Boon Rawd's well established and efficient distribution network and long established corporate brand equity.

Yesterday the sorry story came to a merciful conclusion when Boon Rawd announced the axing of the Mittweida brand.

But even more interesting for marketers is the replacement for the Mittweida brand. In an agreement with Interbrew NV, Boon Rawd will distribute the Kloster brand in Thailand under license from the Belgian brewer, effectively marketing Kloster as the company's premium brand. The new agreement also transfers Thailand production, distribution and marketing rights for Interbrew's Kloster from Thai Amarit Brewery to Boon Rawd heralding an uncertain future for the former.

Kloster's "Happiness you can drink" brand is a brand that has stood the test of time, despite never challenging old stalwart Singha and newcomers Heineken and Carlsberg for anything close to market leadership over more than a decade.

Even Beer Chang, marketed initially as a premium beer, then as a budget beer sold at 100 Baht (approx USD$2.20) for 3 large bottles targeted at rural beer drinkers and now claimed to be the "Best Selling Thai beer" continues to beat Kloster in the sales game. Albeit, Beer Chang's success has been due to a great extent to package deals from Thailand's "whisky king" who cornered retailers into refusing to sell them the top Thai whisky brands without also buying Chang.

Kloster, despite performing very creditably in taste tests, suffered from poor local distribution and other parts of the marketing mix, despite its high levels of brand recognition and recall.

Market research carried out before the launch of the doomed Mittweida however should have given Boon Rawd a clue. Focus Groups of young middle class Thai beer drinkers in Bangkok and Chiangmai as well as pub intercepts among tourists indicated strongly that Kloster was a high potential brand, but let down by it's availability. Secondly, it suggested that the premium beer market was crowded in terms of brand image. Kloster on the other hand had carved out a brand niche for itself, and on many attributes relating to image and taste, outperformed the market leaders. It was clearly a "sleeper brand" way out of whack with its current market share.

The final finding of the market research was that Thais would react with indifference to a premium brand marketed on country-of-origin attributes that in fact was manufactured and bottled in Thailand. The only real foreign component of Mittweida was a ownership of a small European brewery and the recipe. The image was confused however due to Boon Rawd's strong "Thai" corporate image. Mittweida could not escape from the fact that it was still a Boon Rawd beer, dressed up in European clothes, and Thai consumers proved that they were smarter than some thought.

According to Chutchai Wiratyosin, head of Boon Rawd Trading's Public Relations department, "we hope to boost Kloster's share of the Baht 50 billion (approx. USD$1.15 billion) beer market to 3 to 4% by next year, and will challenge Heineken's (8% market share) in the near future.

Competing brands may not agree yet, but Kloster may just jump up from the banks of the khlong to bite them.

Published November 21, 2002 05:24 PM in Thailand

[wdewilde]

During my recent stay in Thailand (5 weeks) I had ample opportunity to taste both Singa, Chang and Heineken. Although I am from Holland I could hardly taste any difference between the Dutch and the Thai brewed Heineken.

I prefer Singa however. It has a freshness of taste I have only met in German beers.

I never drink so much beer I could report which beer gives you the mildest hangover. So I have to keep you in the dark about the aftereffects.

[Brian]

My Thai friends believe that the Beer Chang in Kanchanaburi tastes different (ie better) than Beer Chang served in Pattaya...Is there really a difference?

[Herbie]

It should be the same factory for all outlets.

[jayenram]

I the bar opposite my house in Surin, they sell Chang at Bht 40.00 for 640 ml bottle (drink in). Some time ago, they had a draft Chang promotion selling 1 litre jug for 99.00 Bht. I couldn't get it through to the Chang Promotion Girl that the draft was more expensive than the bottled. Anyway, the promotion did not last long and the draft was taken out.

BTW, Chang Beer up here currently sells at Bht 335.00 for 12 x 640 ml bottles and we get Bht 10.00 in return for the empties. Is that a normal price all over the country?

[TLok]

hehe my wifes maiden name is Boon Rawd.  

[Roger13]

My Opinion:

Best TASTE - Kloster - (but although drunk in

moderation - I suspect it was resposible for

subsequent headaches)

So my Best CHOICE - Heineken

Best PRICE -  Leo (similar in taste to Heineken)

Roger

[cameroon kid]

I used to enjoy good old Singha "bier Sing" -my bier -my counry etc.but got fed up wakening up in the morning feeling (amongst other things) like a die-sected corpse.Rumour has it that one of the main ingredients was formaldahide...x-cuse spelling please.. so I gave it up.

Although I can’t claim to speak with authority, I do have to defend Singa and say that I doubt there is any formaldahyde (sp?) in it.  I work in Cameroon (5 weeks) and vacation in Thailand (3 weeks) back and forth, and drink a lot of beer (33, Baobob and Singa) and let me tell you, Singa is great stuff.  

Those African beers are packed with formaldahyde since they sit in the hot sun all day (usually drink the beer warm, since there is little power), and you feel it the next day .  :ghostface:

But no hangover problems with Singa.  I guess the lesson here is "stay the h377 out of Africa."

[Rinrada]

Now I know where I must have gone wrong...it was in Africa -my mistake.

About 20 odd years I had a couple of contracts/years in Nigeria,Sierra Leone,Ghana etc and the local booze which I thought was great was I seem to remember called STAR BEER.

There was the usual others knocking around-Carlsberg,Castle and even what must be the worse Guinness in the world in Lagos at 12% proof and looked like TarMac.The local hooch in Malawi was Timbucu with similar rot gut (palm wines-goats milk) in W.Africa.

Another interesting one they flog up in Hanoi is a brew called "Beer Hoi"Its made locally and delivered fresh every day in metal boxes and sold to the locals at something like 2000 Dong a pint and usually sold out by 2 pm.in the afternoon.

(When I worked there it was @12000 Dong=$1.)

[Roger13]

Rinrada,

It is indeed a small world!

I enjoyed Drinking Star Beer in

Ghana for more than 10 years.

I was also in Malawi for several years

- but cannot remember which Brew I

drank there ...

Thanks for the memories !

Roger

[Rinrada]

Roger

My Ex Wife was doing VSO  at the time and used to live in

N-Kota-Kota near the lake,all oil lamps and "Chambo"-Nice place.At that time the Big Boss was Hastings Banda "the Kamuzu" although everyone knew his mistress really ran the country "the Warm Heart of Africa"

He actually started life off in North London as a local GP and look where it got him...

You may remember the beer slogan  "Give the guy a Green"

-carlsberg. :cool:

[george]

Is the Thai beer "Amarit" still around? It was great, but I haven't seen it for ages...

It was pronounced "Amallit" in the bars...

[lopburi3]

Is the Thai beer "Amarit" still around? It was great

You must be 'one in a million' as I have never known anyone who willing drank that stuff.  It was the best reason going to switch from beer to Mekong.

[dreetje]

   I love the heineken(the big green bottle,with the cold sweth on it.jamy),but its better for my bath s,too drink beer chang

[chaladmak]

now they started to sell Tiger beer too - not bad....

[Shola]

<font color='#000000'>I used to enjoy good old Singha "bier Sing" -my bier -my counry etc.but got fed up wakening up in the morning feeling (amongst other things) like a die-sected corpse.Rumour has it that one of the main ingredients was formaldahide...x-cuse spelling please.. so I gave it up.

Amarit was for washing in,Chang,Leo and Lao for cooking,with Sing gold and Kloister not 2 bad.

The best thing that ever happened was the opening of the Heinekin and Carlsberg factories.

Loll on the tuming of the Amper Necture and VBs.BPs-Pe Ppps...My beeer..hic..Sanuk </font>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Apparently bear Singha used to have formaldahyde in it, and when they realised this wasn't good for people they left it out, but people complained that the beer didn't taste the same anymore, so they added an artifial flavour that tasted like formalahyde and people started drinking it again! Bizarre!

I can't stand Singha, tastes like utter crap! Give me a Leo anyday and if you havn't got that I'll have Chang!

[Jack Jones]

So what happended to Carlsberg in Thailand? I remember being in Bangkok last year, asking for one and being told they didn't sell it anymore. Never did find out the reason though.

[booma]

I always thought formaldahyde was in Chang not Singha.

Anyhow Singha is the choice for me, it tastes that bit fresher.

But when the money is low 45B for a large Chang cannot be beaten

Also the Singha yellow colour suits the Thai ladies soooo well.

B

[ThaiPauly]

Hey guys, Chang sponser Everton this season, last year they were in the relegation zone, this year they have been as high as 2nd or 3rd, 2 or 3 Chang's before a game seems to have worked wonders, and I always thought it was a Double Diamond that worked wonders (Anyone remember that)?

[booma]

Hey guys, Chang sponser Everton this season, last year they were in the relegation zone, this year they have been as high as 2nd or 3rd, 2 or 3 Chang's before a game seems to have worked wonders, and I always thought it was a Double Diamond that worked wonders (Anyone remember that)?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Double D, I remember but was too young to try it?!?!?!?!

The same era as party sevens and K-tel classics (Kung foo dancer, etc).

B

Edited February 16, 2005 by booma

[tuky]

So what happended to Carlsberg in Thailand? I remember being in Bangkok last year, asking for one and being told they didn't sell it anymore. Never did find out the reason though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was asked recently to find this out too...any ideas?

I personally drink Chang on ice, never seem to have a headache but can be very woozy come morning.

But when the money is low 45B for a large Chang cannot be beaten

where do you buy your Chang? my local store sells it 3 bottles for 100 baht as a special or 33 baht a bottle normal price (go figure )

[350torana]

I am not exactly sure about Carslberg , but i remember hearing there was abit of a tiff between the Thai aspect of the company and parent company .

Anyways,i will happily drink Leo, Chang , Singha , but the last few months been drinking Tiger. Of course at your local resturant they will probably not stock it so drink Singha as a backup until i get home to the fridge supplies

Don't know if it is just my local French supermarket chain that has a great special of Tiger right now...39 baht a bottle . My fridge is a bursting at the seams

[booma]

So what happended to Carlsberg in Thailand? I remember being in Bangkok last year, asking for one and being told they didn't sell it anymore. Never did find out the reason though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was asked recently to find this out too...any ideas?

I personally drink Chang on ice, never seem to have a headache but can be very woozy come morning.

But when the money is low 45B for a large Chang cannot be beaten

where do you buy your Chang? my local store sells it 3 bottles for 100 baht as a special or 33 baht a bottle normal price (go figure )

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There are a few street vendors on Rambuttri behind the temple at the end of Khoa San Rd, you can sit down drink cheap beer and watch the world go by, they'll even give you your Nam Kang for free. It's the first place I head for after travelling into Bkk. Beer first, accomodation second :-)

B

13th Adhere Bar third

Edited February 16, 2005 by booma