Carlsberg Now Selling Bottled Beer In Thailand

[spacemand]

I heard years ago that Beer Lao was actually Carlsberg. It'll be interesting to make a taste comparison when the imported Carlsberg arrives.

Not sure its the same but it is influenced by Carlsberg.

http://www.carlsberggroup.com/brands/Pages/BeerlaoLager.aspx

[riskfreezone]

Will be interesting to drink one again over here and see how it tastes. It used to be my preferred one in the 90s and until they stopped selling it here about 10 years ago...

[EnSvenskTiger]

I stand corrected! Can NOT make beer without barley, but then they add "fruit" in some (mostly rice and corn) to increase alcohol and make it sweeter.I think I will try Carlsberg!Tiger

[Crushdepth]

The headline should be "Carlsberg now selling beer in Thailand AGAIN".

Hope they last longer this time, I really can't stand that Heineken crap. Too bad its the only foreign brew that's survived here.

[EvilDrSomkid]

"Never tasted or heard of any "excellent" chinese beer. The Asahi used to be quite good, but then changed for the worse. The price of a can of Asahi is now almost the same as Singha, which would mean it is made here.

Never heard of any "excellent" French beer, either.

Looking forward to drinking Carlsberg again."

Tsingtao Beer has a pleasant aroma and a well-balanced taste

Tsingtao is produced with spring water from Laoshan, a mountain area famous throughout China for the purity of its water. Tsingtao ingredients include the highest quality hops, as well as the finest yeast and barley imported from Australia and Canada.

Try that one ... I used to drink gallons of it when in Hong Kong

Alcohol Content: 3.8% alcohol by weight, 4.8% alcohol by volume

Calorie Content: 157 calories per 12-ounce serving

Fat Content: 0 gm.

Original Gravity:

11.0 degrees Plato

Tsingtao is crap. I don't know where you copied that marketing text from, but I was in China for 6 months and it was terrible. The Tsingtao Draft was drinkable, Harbin was better. But good beer in China? No. Unless it is imported.

Snow Beer was actually worse than Tsingtao.

[ratcatcher]

The lesson that Carlsberg has learned is never to trust a Chinese Thai business partner. After all they were screwed and robbed by Charoen from Beer Chang.

I gave a "subtle" hint in my own post, you named the "culprit" spot on. Chang is the direct result of Charoenphokphand screwing the Danes big time. Chang is basically just an altered version of Carlsberg, brewed with a bit more alcohol content by volume and made a little sweeter to suit local tastes. After the Danes had paid for practically all the infrastructure and got the marketing going the Thai-Chinese partners thought it was no longer necessary for them to pay the agreed royalties. They continued brewing Carlsberg on their own for a while after the split, but then Carlsberg went to court. I don't know the outcome, but it seems Charoen was ordered to stop marketing the beer under the Carslberg brand name, so they simply re-branded it into Chang and altered its taste somewhat. End of story - and another foreign company burned badly for trusting local business conglomerates too much.

Not wishing to be a picker of nits, BUT, I think you may have your Charoens crossed.

Charoenpokhpand Group owned by the Dhanin Cheravanont family, which in turn owns True Corp & 7/11 etc is a massive agribusiness.

Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, one of,if not the, richest men in Thailand, is the owner of Thai Bev the maker of, among many other brands, Chang Beer.

It is this Charoen that I believe the previous poster was referring to, since they had a business arrangement with the Danish brewery Carlsberg in the late 1990's which brought Carlsberg to Thailand.

Subsequent disagreements caused the birth of Chang beer and the demise of Carlsberg..

Interestingly the Bhirombhakdi family owns Boon Rawd, the brewer, for many generations, of Singha Beer.

Cheers ratcatcher

[bangkokrick]

"Never tasted or heard of any "excellent" chinese beer. The Asahi used to be quite good, but then changed for the worse. The price of a can of Asahi is now almost the same as Singha, which would mean it is made here.

Never heard of any "excellent" French beer, either.

Looking forward to drinking Carlsberg again."

Tsingtao Beer has a pleasant aroma and a well-balanced taste

Tsingtao is produced with spring water from Laoshan, a mountain area famous throughout China for the purity of its water. Tsingtao ingredients include the highest quality hops, as well as the finest yeast and barley imported from Australia and Canada.

Try that one ... I used to drink gallons of it when in Hong Kong

Alcohol Content: 3.8% alcohol by weight, 4.8% alcohol by volume

Calorie Content: 157 calories per 12-ounce serving

Fat Content: 0 gm.

Original Gravity:

11.0 degrees Plato

Tsingtao is crap. I don't know where you copied that marketing text from, but I was in China for 6 months and it was terrible. The Tsingtao Draft was drinkable, Harbin was better. But good beer in China? No. Unless it is imported.

Snow Beer was actually worse than Tsingtao.

Tsingtao is an excellent beer and there are a few choices to be had. My favourite is the original bottle with the green label as opposed to Gold label which is a bit wishy washy to taste in my opinion.Tsingtao was first brewed by German settlers many moons ago in Quingdao, Shandong province, so it is a fact a German recipe and the quality of German beer goes without saying.

Snow (Gold label) is also a very good beer and just happens to be the biggest selling beer in the world.

Seems that you are in a minority.

[janverbeem]

The lesson that Carlsberg has learned is never to trust a Chinese Thai business partner. After all they were screwed and robbed by Charoen from Beer Chang.

I gave a "subtle" hint in my own post, you named the "culprit" spot on. Chang is the direct result of Charoenphokphand screwing the Danes big time. Chang is basically just an altered version of Carlsberg, brewed with a bit more alcohol content by volume and made a little sweeter to suit local tastes. After the Danes had paid for practically all the infrastructure and got the marketing going the Thai-Chinese partners thought it was no longer necessary for them to pay the agreed royalties. They continued brewing Carlsberg on their own for a while after the split, but then Carlsberg went to court. I don't know the outcome, but it seems Charoen was ordered to stop marketing the beer under the Carslberg brand name, so they simply re-branded it into Chang and altered its taste somewhat. End of story - and another foreign company burned badly for trusting local business conglomerates too much.

Not wishing to be a picker of nits, BUT, I think you may have your Charoens crossed.

Charoenpokhpand Group owned by the Dhanin Cheravanont family, which in turn owns True Corp & 7/11 etc is a massive agribusiness.

Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, one of,if not the, richest men in Thailand, is the owner of Thai Bev the maker of, among many other brands, Chang Beer.

It is this Charoen that I believe the previous poster was referring to, since they had a business arrangement with the Danish brewery Carlsberg in the late 1990's which brought Carlsberg to Thailand.

Subsequent disagreements caused the birth of Chang beer and the demise of Carlsberg..

Interestingly the Bhirombhakdi family owns Boon Rawd, the brewer, for many generations, of Singha Beer.

Cheers ratcatcher

Chang was here already before Carlsberg entered into an agreement with Thai Bev.

Chang is actually the same as Elephant beer which is owned by Carlsberg.

[marinediscoking]

I would go by a case tomorrow if i knew were to pick it up.

[ratcatcher]

The lesson that Carlsberg has learned is never to trust a Chinese Thai business partner. After all they were screwed and robbed by Charoen from Beer Chang.

I gave a "subtle" hint in my own post, you named the "culprit" spot on. Chang is the direct result of Charoenphokphand screwing the Danes big time. Chang is basically just an altered version of Carlsberg, brewed with a bit more alcohol content by volume and made a little sweeter to suit local tastes. After the Danes had paid for practically all the infrastructure and got the marketing going the Thai-Chinese partners thought it was no longer necessary for them to pay the agreed royalties. They continued brewing Carlsberg on their own for a while after the split, but then Carlsberg went to court. I don't know the outcome, but it seems Charoen was ordered to stop marketing the beer under the Carslberg brand name, so they simply re-branded it into Chang and altered its taste somewhat. End of story - and another foreign company burned badly for trusting local business conglomerates too much.

Not wishing to be a picker of nits, BUT, I think you may have your Charoens crossed.

Charoenpokhpand Group owned by the Dhanin Cheravanont family, which in turn owns True Corp & 7/11 etc is a massive agribusiness.

Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, one of,if not the, richest men in Thailand, is the owner of Thai Bev the maker of, among many other brands, Chang Beer.

It is this Charoen that I believe the previous poster was referring to, since they had a business arrangement with the Danish brewery Carlsberg in the late 1990's which brought Carlsberg to Thailand.

Subsequent disagreements caused the birth of Chang beer and the demise of Carlsberg..

Interestingly the Bhirombhakdi family owns Boon Rawd, the brewer, for many generations, of Singha Beer.

Cheers ratcatcher

Chang was here already before Carlsberg entered into an agreement with Thai Bev.

Chang is actually the same as Elephant beer which is owned by Carlsberg.

Quite true, thanks for the correction jv. Do you know what caused the rift between the two companies?

[hkt83100]

Best news for weeks, if not months

[janverbeem]

Chang was here already before Carlsberg entered into an agreement with Thai Bev.

Chang is actually the same as Elephant beer which is owned by Carlsberg.

Quite true, thanks for the correction jv. Do you know what caused the rift between the two companies?

Like Mister whisper already mentioned,there were errors found in the accounting,which coincidental were in favour of the Thai part of the joint venture.

Edit to add : It weren't minor errors,or so called mistakes, that occured.

Edited October 12, 2011 by janverbeem

[phiphidon]

Tsingtao is an excellent beer and there are a few choices to be had. My favourite is the original bottle with the green label as opposed to Gold label which is a bit wishy washy to taste in my opinion.Tsingtao was first brewed by German settlers many moons ago in Quingdao, Shandong province, so it is a fact a German recipe and the quality of German beer goes without saying.

Snow (Gold label) is also a very good beer and just happens to be the biggest selling beer in the world.

Seems that you are in a minority.

Snow beer best selling drink in the world - doesn't mean it is a quality beer. Sole Market is China. Population of China = 1.3 Billion. Allowing for legal age drinkers thats still a lot of drinkers. If it were that good they would export it wouldn't they?

[stuandchris]

Mmmmm Carlsberg probably the worst beer in the world.

[bangkokrick]

Tsingtao is an excellent beer and there are a few choices to be had. My favourite is the original bottle with the green label as opposed to Gold label which is a bit wishy washy to taste in my opinion.Tsingtao was first brewed by German settlers many moons ago in Quingdao, Shandong province, so it is a fact a German recipe and the quality of German beer goes without saying.

Snow (Gold label) is also a very good beer and just happens to be the biggest selling beer in the world.

Seems that you are in a minority.

Snow beer best selling drink in the world - doesn't mean it is a quality beer. Sole Market is China. Population of China = 1.3 Billion. Allowing for legal age drinkers thats still a lot of drinkers. If it were that good they would export it wouldn't they?

Well until it is exported you won't really know that will you unless you visit China. Just out of interest have you ever tasted Snow beer? I think that at some point it will follow Tsingtao into the export market.

Hey each to his own.

[bangkokrick]

Tsingtao is an excellent beer and there are a few choices to be had. My favourite is the original bottle with the green label as opposed to Gold label which is a bit wishy washy to taste in my opinion.Tsingtao was first brewed by German settlers many moons ago in Quingdao, Shandong province, so it is a fact a German recipe and the quality of German beer goes without saying.

Snow (Gold label) is also a very good beer and just happens to be the biggest selling beer in the world.

Seems that you are in a minority.

Snow beer best selling drink in the world - doesn't mean it is a quality beer. Sole Market is China. Population of China = 1.3 Billion. Allowing for legal age drinkers thats still a lot of drinkers. If it were that good they would export it wouldn't they?

Well until it is exported you won't really know that will you unless you visit China. Just out of interest have you ever tasted Snow beer? I think that at some point it will follow Tsingtao into the export market.

Hey each to his own.

[jackr]

Can anyone here list the foreign beers actually available in Thailand (especially Chiang Mai)?

Lots of restaurants up here carry Tiger. Rimping also does Leffe (Belgian), which is really smooth, but at 150 baht a little bottle... !

I heard years ago that Beer Lao was actually Carlsberg. It'll be interesting to make a taste comparison when the imported Carlsberg arrives.

Carlsberg might have a stake in it but it tastes nothing like Carlsberg. Beer Lao's alright for couple-three bottles, but seems a bit malty and gets (for me) old fast... more a thirst quencher.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Never tasted or heard of any "excellent" chinese beer. The Asahi used to be quite good, but then changed for the worse. The price of a can of Asahi is now almost the same as Singha, which would mean it is made here.

Just to be clear, Asahi is a native Japanese beer, although the version widely available here in Thailand is, at least mostly, locally produced under license. There may be some imported from Japan variety available somewhere, perhaps in some Japanese-owned restaurants/pubs around BKK. But I don't have an exact source on that.

There are some pretty well reputed Chinese beers, Tsing Tao (pronounced "Ching Dao") probably being the best known of them... And I've seen it available in Villa markets in BKK from time to time... And it's quite good, refreshing and clean tasting.(Ahh... I see others above me have already chimed in on TsingTao...)

BTW, the OP here talked about Carlsberg being available in bars and such.... But I didn't see anything in the OP that talked about it being available for sale at retail. I've seen it offered lately at some restaurants and bars... but yet to see any on any store shelves around BKK.

Edited October 12, 2011 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[jackr]

Lets hope it's on the shelves soon, though can't see it being in CM for a bit unless they fly it up.

How about pinning this un, George...

[FarmerJoe]

I just spent 30 minutes looking up Thailands claim to being the worlds 10th largest beer market and it's no where to be seen. In the list of the top 48 beer consuming countries, it's not even listed. And as far as beer production and sales, it's not on that either. In fact sales in 2011 have declined. Who makes up this stuff?

[scorpio]

give me a leo any day of the week

[marinediscoking]

ratcatcher said:

Quite true, thanks for the correction jv. Do you know what caused the rift between the two companies?

The story I heard was that carlsberg denmark directed the MD of carlsburg thailand (a dane, foregot his name) to call a vote which removed Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi and his wife from the boad of directors. The dispute was for not paying royalties owed to them, which was quite a large amount and they they refused to pay. Hence the matter ended up in the court in Ayuttaya.

Edited October 12, 2011 by marinediscoking

[blazes]

"Never tasted or heard of any "excellent" chinese beer. The Asahi used to be quite good, but then changed for the worse. The price of a can of Asahi is now almost the same as Singha, which would mean it is made here.

Never heard of any "excellent" French beer, either.

Looking forward to drinking Carlsberg again."

Tsingtao Beer has a pleasant aroma and a well-balanced taste

Tsingtao is produced with spring water from Laoshan, a mountain area famous throughout China for the purity of its water. Tsingtao ingredients include the highest quality hops, as well as the finest yeast and barley imported from Australia and Canada.

Try that one ... I used to drink gallons of it when in Hong Kong

Alcohol Content: 3.8% alcohol by weight, 4.8% alcohol by volume

Calorie Content: 157 calories per 12-ounce serving

Fat Content: 0 gm.

Original Gravity:

11.0 degrees Plato

The water is not important (it will be so heavily treated that it is not important if it is good spring water or Thailand Klong water. The hops and the malt is important and how the process runs, everything clean and exact on temperature and correct agein, cool and long (instead of warm and short). Than filtered sterile (and not heated or even worse sterilized inside the bottle which was done before, maybe still in Thailand??). And of course without all the nice chemical help that help mask any problems.

If what you allege here is true, I think I will keep off all beer for ever and risk my liver with French plonk.

[baboon]

give me a leo any day of the week

Chang for me if you dont mind, or Myanmar beer will do the job.

[jeanelie]

Welcome back little mermaid.

[nurofiend]

Wow! Decent beer finally returns to Thailand!

Heineken is a decent beer!!!!

[kutjebu]

They sold it before.Nothing special.Leo is better and cheaper.

[chiangmaicharlies]

Great to have Carlsberg back - but Thailand the world's 10th biggest beer market??? LOL!

In terms of what anyhow? Consumption? Production? Import?

GDC of course

[smokie36]

If we're getting beer from Vietnam then the large bottles of Ha Noi are the dogs......get some in PoorSucker...I'm on my way!

[smokie36]

Wow! Decent beer finally returns to Thailand!

Heineken is a decent beer!!!!

You poor deluded fool. Its not even a good beer in Holland. Many better everywhere...except Thailand ....until now....