Is it just me or does Draft Beer in Thailand taste like ...

[David48]

Let me assure you, they do clean the lines in Thailand,some maybe not as good as they need to be cleaned but they are cleaned by many ,let me also assure that if you had a pint of lager or a pint of beer from a line that has not been cleaned for ages is will taste awful, a vinegary taste is a common taste that indicates the line needs cleaning....If you don't clean them you can get a build up of yeast, mould, bacteria, beerstone etc within the line...

It's good practise to clean the lines as word of mouth soon spreads and customers stop drinking in establishments where the beer tastes awful...

Maybe I'm a little more cynical and remember drinking beer in Thailand, which was draft, sitting at a table away from the Bar, not watching it being poured and thinking that it tasted like some of those mid strength alcohol Budweiser I was forced to drink in the States 20 years ago when I lived there. It tastes like someone partly poured the beer and to save money topped a 1/3 of the glass up with tap water ... but, it's probably a perception thing.

So at this establishment, I'd be sitting at the table, the serving wench would waltz over from a distance ... and what a dance she made.

Her, in high heel shoes, bending at the waist to display the low cut blouse designed to emphasise the ability of the push-up bra to create mountains, where molehills rest.

She smiles, actually, she's been smiling for a few seconds now ... but I was slow to lift my glace, being focused on other attractions of her.

Oh, a blushing smile back from me.

She slips the bill into my cup ... I'd like to slip my ... I mean, I like to sip my beer and enjoy the scenery that surrounds me.

But, as that ambour liquid flows into my parched mouth ... I'm disappointed.

I'm thirsty.

The waitresses dance is good, I'd like to watch that again ... so drink that first beer quickly and hope I catch her eye and not the Mumasun ... if the Mumasun bought my beer over ... I truly would feel the Earth move under my feet.

But, you know, I'm a hunsum man (even the Indian Tailors tell me that), and lucky too as the Mumasun is watching TV, waitresses puts down her mobile phone, gives me the bird in a polite way, inferring me 'One more beer Sir'.

Thus, that's how the afternoon continued.

Impressed by the wait staff, disappointed by the Draught Beer.

.

[Ulic]

Who cares as long as its cold and that little slice of heaven in the OP picture is serving.

[David48]

Who cares as long as its cold and that little slice of heaven in the OP picture is serving.

Thanks for the honesty ...

Note to self ... David, don't bother to write a thoughtful 'Opening Post' ... just look for a thoughtful 'Image' to start the discussion ...

[slipperylobster]

How about the way they secret the bottle far away from your table, so that you have to wait for them to top off your glass. I just get up and grab it, so that it remains handy by my side. Call me irresponsible and crude..but that's the way I like it.

Whether large or small, up market or down, every bar in Thailand I've frequented has always either left the bottle on the table or on a small trolley next to the table.

Unfortunately drinking beer in Thailand usually means drinking yellow, fizzy stuff; whether from a bottle, can or keg. But it's better than nothing. Even English bitters are usually in a bottle or can and so pasteurised, homogenised with all taste taken out (that's from a song, but I can't remember which or by whom).

Stella may be Belgian, but it's still crap. There are many excellent beers brewed in Belgium; Rochefort being a particular favourite of mine. Is it available in Thailand?

www.belbev.asia have a look on this site Rochefort is available in Thailand according to theyre website .

Not really referring to bars at all... as I do not frequent them as much as the outdoor restaurants with live entertainment and all ya can eat BBQ.

If it were in a bar...then you would be correct.

[NumbNut]

Yeah, a beer on the wood in the brekky... shame to hear it's been 'yuppie-fied'.

Used to have the best steaks in Brissy too, but I think that honour goes to The Norman now, I think?

I read that quickly, and thought you wrote the Normandy Hotel.

Which was a <deleted> moment for me as I played my last year of League with those guys!

The Normandy too has excellent steaks. In my humble opinion it's one thing Brissy has over the other Aussie capitals, they have the best steak pubs. Sydney/Melbourne certainly has some top steak feeds going, but they charge you an arm and a leg for the privilege eh. And you can't beat that pub atmosphere with the footy/cricket on the TV and having a top steak counter feed.

And they all seem to have their own webpages now too, links below:-

http://www.breakfastcreekhotel.com/

http://www.normanhotel.com.au/

http://www.thenormanby.com.au/

http://www.morrisonhotel.com.au/

Getting a little bit homesick myself now... even though I'm not from Brissy.

[NumbNut]

As long as it's a cold, very cold beer make that, I'm happy just like Santa. As I write this I'm enjoying a nice can of Carlton draught. Who btw make excellent commercials.

a draught out of a can?

Yeah, funny eh

[NumbNut]

Let me assure you, they do clean the lines in Thailand,some maybe not as good as they need to be cleaned but they are cleaned by many ,let me also assure that if you had a pint of lager or a pint of beer from a line that has not been cleaned for ages is will taste awful, a vinegary taste is a common taste that indicates the line needs cleaning....If you don't clean them you can get a build up of yeast, mould, bacteria, beerstone etc within the line...

It's good practise to clean the lines as word of mouth soon spreads and customers stop drinking in establishments where the beer tastes awful...

Maybe I'm a little more cynical and remember drinking beer in Thailand, which was draft, sitting at a table away from the Bar, not watching it being poured and thinking that it tasted like some of those mid strength alcohol Budweiser I was forced to drink in the States 20 years ago when I lived there. It tastes like someone partly poured the beer and to save money topped a 1/3 of the glass up with tap water ... but, it's probably a perception thing.

So at this establishment, I'd be sitting at the table, the serving wench would waltz over from a distance ... and what a dance she made.

Her, in high heel shoes, bending at the waist to display the low cut blouse designed to emphasise the ability of the push-up bra to create mountains, where molehills rest.

She smiles, actually, she's been smiling for a few seconds now ... but I was slow to lift my glace, being focused on other attractions of her.

Oh, a blushing smile back from me.

She slips the bill into my cup ... I'd like to slip my ... I mean, I like to sip my beer and enjoy the scenery that surrounds me.

But, as that ambour liquid flows into my parched mouth ... I'm disappointed.

I'm thirsty.

The waitresses dance is good, I'd like to watch that again ... so drink that first beer quickly and hope I catch her eye and not the Mumasun ... if the Mumasun bought my beer over ... I truly would feel the Earth move under my feet.

But, you know, I'm a hunsum man (even the Indian Tailors tell me that), and lucky too as the Mumasun is watching TV, waitresses puts down her mobile phone, gives me the bird in a polite way, inferring me 'One more beer Sir'.

Thus, that's how the afternoon continued.

Impressed by the wait staff, disappointed by the Draught Beer.

.

You missed your calling in life Dave, you should have been a novelist... or maybe a screenwriter.

Chapter two please!

[spidermike007]

Thailand is rather famous for having some of the lowest quality beers in SE Asia. Why do you think they are so scared of ASEAN opening up the markets? Why do you think Thailand has completely defied the signing of the 6th ASEAN charter, where in 2010 they agreed to the duty free importation of all alcoholic beverages from throughout ASEAN member nations? How many Bintang beers have you seen lately in your local supermarket? It appears the power that be have prevented this from taking place, even though it was signed into law in 2010, and was in effect since January of 2011.

Oh i see, i thought that Chang beer was one of the better ones though, it had some European award for good beer.

But to be honest, i don't drink beer at all anymore in Thailand. After the 2nd glass i always get a headache that becomes stronger untill the next day. When i drink a glass of water next to a beer it is a little better but i can't drink much (like in Europe) or sure the headache will follow.

Drinking whisky with water and ice goes better but also then i can't drink much or the headache will come.

So now i rarely drink alcohol in Thailand, i can't be bothered though, i loose weight easy now and also save money as the beer is far overpriced here. Good whitebeer costs like 10 times more here as in Europe and if i drink like i am used to then it will cost a lot. Hoegaarden 120 baht for 25 cl is extreme high. I pay 20 baht for a half litre at home in the bottleshop.

Chang beer may be one of the better ones, but that is not saying much. Personally I prefer Singha or Leo. But, if I had my choice there are 30 other beers I would be drinking, and it does not matter whether my visit is to Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, or especially India, the local beer blows away anything I can find here. And in the case of India there are literally dozens of local beers in each state and many of them are amazing. Some taste like candy, they are so good. Most I could not find in the next state. That is how rich the beer scene is in a place like India. By comparison, the beer scene here is absolutely vapid. The big powers seem to want it that way. What other explanation is there for the lack of microbrews here? Thais love beer. Foreigners love beer. Singha and the other monsters seem to have locked up the market, and denied the imports with few exceptions, and the weak politicians seem to have no will or ability to do anything about the monopolies. Same goes for the wine market, which could be very dynamic if the senators with no vision had not passed the 460% import tax law years back. At 100% we would all be drinking great wine, and the govt. would be making a killing on it, generating billions of dollars a year in revenue. Oh, the price to be paid for myopic vision!

[louse1953]

US beer is the worst tasting crap, so anything is a step up.

I'll be in the US for three more weeks. Come and see me. I will prove that you are wrong. Many excellent beers now in the US. The major well-known US brands do suck, though.

I saw a program on tv a while ago about micro breweries in the us they seem to make some decent beers some of these guys come to Belgium sometimes to learn and look for quality ingredients and recepy's.But putting ice in beer like chang is to lower the alcohol content i learned that the hard way a few years ago in phuket two large bottles with a meal and woke up the day after with a terrible headache the so called chang over.

I have been converted to plenty of ice in beer,certainly beats the hang,and not such a sloppy drunk anymore.

[Dap]

All beer of the tap is watered , has to be to keep the chill in the tap line ,

Venues vary as per the amount of supply and the intake /outake to supply the consumer.

I never enjoy tapped beer , never will as the amount of co2 will vary in different establishments

depending on the amount of flow . Can make you feel ill sometimes.

I'm going to take two things fom this thread. 1. Your very cool information

and 2. The pic of the fine lass compliments of David48

Gentlemen, thank ye' kindly for both

Edited December 22, 2013 by Dap

[somchaismith]

I find THailand's okay. Camdodia's draft is very weak.

Edited December 22, 2013 by somchaismith

[FarangKino]

Just like water from the tap - I'd never trust beer from the tap in Thailand. God [or Buddha] only knows what's in it, or been it! I've had way too many stomach bugs that have laid me low [sometimes for days] here to risk it - sorry!

[BestBitterPhuket]

US beer is the worst tasting crap, so anything is a step up. Mexican made Corona are the best there. The Euro beer loses something in the long journey, like flavor and freshness.

Stupidest statement I have read. The British, Aussies and continental Europeans are copying American craft beer styles as we speak. If you think American beers are just Bud and Coors, then it's time to get out of the cave you have been living in for the last decade.

[BestBitterPhuket]

If you need good beers, order some from www.wishbeer.com and they will send for free.

They have 300+ different beers (most in Thailand) such as British beers from Fuller's, Young's, Well's, Wychwood, Greene King, Brewdog, Belhaven and Morland. American beers from Rogue, Deshutes, Amderson Valley and a ton from Belgium. Good selection of Japanese craft beers and Germans as well, and more than 60 different beers from Denmark!!

Villa Market stocks a lot of interesting British beers this year from St Austell, Hook Norton, Sambrooks, Wadworth, Well's, Young's and the modern The Beer Kirchen.

[IMA_FARANG]

I don't really know, I don't really care, and frankly I don't give a flying f-ck.

[leebie]

johns smooth in the black swan bkk is quite nice bit on the expensive side but ok for a treat...

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[smokie36]

I think we must carry out an exhaustive review of this issue one of these days by going out into the field and testing it ourselves.

I have quite a number of establishments in mind already....I suggest we start early.

:-D

[BestBitterPhuket]

There are a few good draughts around. The usual suspects from Belgium and Guinness and Kilkenny are everywhere. The occasional Hofbrau is there. A few Old Speckled Hen's and Greene King IPA's can be seen and a rare Mangers Stout. I do however miss the Brain's Black on tap in a small obscure pub in Phuket.

[kimbathewhitelion]

Beer in Thailand is mass produced & with the limited brands is mostly non-beer. There're no health laws here when it comes to business, beer companies here put whatever in there're mix to speed up the brewing process. If you had a high metabolism in your own country, you'll definitely create a gut here with Thai produced beer. Look at Chang which uses formaldehyde to speed up their brewing process.

Just give me two Mexicans & I can run this country.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Bkungbank]

Silicon for sure it looks fake .

[spidermike007]

Don't laugh but I find the second or third one better if served in the same glass, could it be the detergent used ?

I've got a little stock pile of Belgian beer waiting for Boxing Day, I don't think the Belgians can make a bad beer of they tried

Nice to hear that you enjoy our beers we only have 1150 registerd brands at the moment .

And what, about 7 brands in Thailand? The monopolies here seem to prevent good beer from being made, or being available. And the refusal to abide by the ASEAN charter means we do not see any regional beers, as Thailand agreed to allow importation of all beers made within ASEAN in 2010. We have some very low quality beer here. And one of the poorest selections of imported upside of East Africa. The term dropping the ball comes to mind.

Mike Macarelli

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Bluetongue]

Yeah, a beer on the wood in the brekky... shame to hear it's been 'yuppie-fied'.

Used to have the best steaks in Brissy too, but I think that honour goes to The Norman now, I think?

I read that quickly, and thought you wrote the Normandy Hotel.

Which was a <deleted> moment for me as I played my last year of League with those guys!

The Normandy too has excellent steaks. In my humble opinion it's one thing Brissy has over the other Aussie capitals, they have the best steak pubs. Sydney/Melbourne certainly has some top steak feeds going, but they charge you an arm and a leg for the privilege eh. And you can't beat that pub atmosphere with the footy/cricket on the TV and having a top steak counter feed.

And they all seem to have their own webpages now too, links below:-

http://www.breakfastcreekhotel.com/

http://www.normanhotel.com.au/

http://www.thenormanby.com.au/

http://www.morrisonhotel.com.au/

Getting a little bit homesick myself now... even though I'm not from Brissy.

All the old hotels have been yuppified a bit at least but the Normanby, hugely. You didn't mention the Caxton, hmm nice steak there, but the blokiest pub remaining in Brisbane is the Victory I think. I used to frequent the Stock Exchange hotel over the road until it went glass and chrome. I'm sure David will remember the RE (Royal Exchange and Regatta Hotels in Toowong where I went in my youth.

Draft beer in Thailand, don't can't and won't drink it.

[BestBitterPhuket]

Don't laugh but I find the second or third one better if served in the same glass, could it be the detergent used ?

I've got a little stock pile of Belgian beer waiting for Boxing Day, I don't think the Belgians can make a bad beer of they tried

Nice to hear that you enjoy our beers we only have 1150 registerd brands at the moment .

And what, about 7 brands in Thailand? The monopolies here seem to prevent good beer from being made, or being available. And the refusal to abide by the ASEAN charter means we do not see any regional beers, as Thailand agreed to allow importation of all beers made within ASEAN in 2010. We have some very low quality beer here. And one of the poorest selections of imported upside of East Africa. The term dropping the ball comes to mind.

Mike Macarelli

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Alcohol legislation is a prime example of idiotic rules in Thailand that only serves to enrich the already rich. The stupidly is endless.

[RogerSmoly]

It seems that now it much more easy to find good draught beer than in the past though it is mostly imported. In Pattaya you can find several pubs - I prefer The Cove Pub on Thappraya road - large variety and good quality