Singha, Chang, and LEO

[JohnnyHK]

I really enjoyed Singha, could choke down Chang, but LEO was awful. I always hear people talking about drinking Chang, why not Singha? Is this a Thai thing, is it something you get used too, corporate angst?

[scubascuba3]

My favourite is Singh in a bar, at home Chang classic usually, out last night I switched to Leo as the Chang just didn't taste as good as usual. All are good I think

[dragonfly94]

Indeed Leo is awful tasteless muck, it seems to be the Thais favourite these days though. I think Singha made a big mistake going down to the 500 ml bottle, same as a can. Chang came out with smaller bottles and downed the strength to 6% but it's still the best Thai beer, not saying much though, all Thai 'beer' is dreadful compared to the real thing.

Edited December 18, 2014 by dragonfly94

[champers]

I prefer Leo to the others - not as gassy and more taste.

[SoiBiker]

Leo's ok for a daytime beer when you want something light. Americans seem to like it. Chang's ok with ice in. Singha I quite like, but I've gone off them since they made the bottles smaller.

I usually go for Tiger or Heineken. Beer Lao if I feel like splashing out.

[Gecko123]

Chang - consistently gives me headaches the next day. TBA (to be avoided)

Singha - makes me belch.

Leo - top of the pops - tried and true - just the right crispness. Nice clean taste. Reminds me of Pilsner Urquell. Diss me not.

Heinekin- something wrong with their Thai bottling operation. Always tastes a tad bit flat. Upcountry instantly marks you as pretentious beer snob.

[SoiBiker]

Leo - top of the pops - tried and true - just the right crispness. Nice clean taste. Reminds me of Pilsner Urquell. Diss me not.

I'm guessing it's rather a long time since you had an Urquell.

[WhamBam]

Call them Beer???

Newcastle Brown Ale, now that is beer.

The Thai stuff is basically lager. And most taste the same. IMHO of course

[Gecko123]

Leo - top of the pops - tried and true - just the right crispness. Nice clean taste. Reminds me of Pilsner Urquell. Diss me not.

I'm guessing it's rather a long time since you had an Urquell.

Yeah, I'll admit I'm working off a distant memory.

[Thongkorn]

I prefare real beer,Bitter, cannot drink lady's beer at all, tried to drink all the beers but they all taste the same to me.

[gerry123]

archa 4 ever

[Crazy chef 1]

Leo - top of the pops - tried and true - just the right crispness. Nice clean taste. Reminds me of Pilsner Urquell. Diss me not.

I'm guessing it's rather a long time since you had an Urquell.

Yeah, I'll admit I'm working off a distant memory.

Leo great drinking beer...

Urquell even better...

but a real Radeberger tops nothing in this world...

IMHO of course

[crazygreg44]

Tastes are different with all the people, I would not want to discuss your personal taste.

However, all these advices on what's tastier and delicious, and what is not, doesn't really help IF YOU DID NOT CHECK THE FILLING DATE of the beer in that bottle you are supposed to drink in the next 10 minutes, with or without ice

Anything older than 3-4 months in this climates, will be stale , regardless it's brand name, even more so if having been unpacked and opposed to UV light all the time on some shelf

In some restaurants, even in higher end places, I sometimes get served 6 months old Singha or 8 months old Heineken. There are Mom and Pop shops out there that still have bottles of beer having been filled 2 years ago.

So please don't blame it on LEO tasting awful if you just guzzled down a 14 month old liquid they served you in this "hip" bar

Edited December 18, 2014 by crazygreg44

[SoiBiker]

Leo in a 'hip' bar?

[crazygreg44]

Leo in a 'hip' bar?

LEO is probably the best distributed beer everywhere in Thailand. Maybe not on Khaosan Road, but in the rest of the country outside tourist hotspots, I would rather be able get a LEO than a Heineken or Archa. Chang also well distributed but not as competitive as LEO. Even Singha is not well stocked with most places because of it's price. And don't forget . . . LEO IS Singha same same brewery, good logistics, most of the times the freshest beer in your bar because it's popularity among Thais, resulting from the large turnaround . . . check your Tesco , you will find the freshest beer will be LEO ( filling date maybe 2 weeks ago) only to be followed by 3 months old Changs or Singhas

awwwgh yes in Ubon and Khon Kaen, all HIP bars have LEO for you, and always fresh. Other brands sit in these HIP bars until some Soi Biker helps them drink 3 years old Chang Extra at a promotion price drink 3 pay for 2

Edited December 18, 2014 by crazygreg44

[SoiBiker]

Well, yes.

But the hip bars are selling imported craft beers for several hundred baht a pop. Leo isn't really close to that market.

[crazygreg44]

I would always prefer a two weeks old LEO to any other drink. It is fresh and tastes fresh. Don't know how long a San Miguel would sit in a container shipped in from the Phillies and waiting in the hot sun at Laem Chabang harbor for the trucks to haul them away, not to speak of the Corona's and all those "hip" beers. It's the same with most wines . . . they have already been hopelessly overheated before they end up in the restaurnat's fridges.

Some breweries now import in large containers and bottle the beer in Thailand, I believe.

Ok your HIP Bangkok bar would serve imported specialties, but don't expect them to taste as fresh as they should, due to the import delay and the overheating during transports. An imported Paulaner in Bangkok will never taste as it would in Germany. Same with imported english dark ales.

There will be exceptions, if an uninterupted cooling chain had been maintained during shipment, but this is rare

You mean imported DRAFT beers ( not craft) . . indeed, they are offered in hip bars in Bangkok, but I hard to be found elswhere in Thailand.

Have you ever been at the Tawandang Beer House in Bangkok ? They sell draft beer that has been brewed in Bangkok, by themselves. Never had a more tasty brew than in their beergarden !

Edited December 18, 2014 by crazygreg44

[SoiBiker]

San Miguel is brewed locally these days, isn't it?

I'm not vouching for the quality of the imported stuff - just pointing out that your hiso hipsters wouldn't be seen dead with a Leo in their hand, no matter how fresh it was.

[crazygreg44]

Absolutely true, you got a point made !!!

however I said 'hip' bar, not Hi So bar. . . . . . . . meaning all well visited places in a city or upcountry.

I still have to see Hi-So chicks drinking LEO

Edited December 18, 2014 by crazygreg44

[SoiBiker]

You mean imported DRAFT beers ( not craft) . . indeed, they are offered in hip bars in Bangkok, but I hard to be found elswhere in Thailand.

No, I mean imported craft beers. Very much the in thing these days.

[dragonfly94]

Red horse is better than the mention stuff. but not really Thai. Lao dark is far superior to any Thai beer

[SoiBiker]

Have you ever been at the Tawandang Beer House in Bangkok ? They sell draft beer that has been brewed in Bangkok, by themselves. Never had a more tasty brew than in their beergarden !

The dunkel is pretty good, but I wasn't that impressed with the others. Fun entertainment though.

[crazygreg44]

could you explain this, what a craft beer is ? I am from Germany, does this mean the local brewery's specialty ? Like Belgium, where there are literally thousands of different beer brands ?

"Homemade" grandma & grand dad's secret receipe beers ?

I am aware large breweries are importing 50 liter kegs to Thailand, which would hit the term "draft" beer

Is Tawandaeng Beer a 'craft" beer ?

methink I see your point ,. . .more and more beer specialties being imported to mix up the same same array of local beers . . .

Edited December 18, 2014 by crazygreg44

[crazygreg44]

Red horse is better than the mention stuff. but not really Thai. Lao dark is far superior to any Thai beer

Beer LAO is indeed a VERY tasty beer !!!! But hard to get inside Thailand . . . .

[SoiBiker]

could you explain this, what a craft beer is ?

It seems to have become the term for small production 'artisan' beers from independent breweries. These guys are the main players in Bangkok - http://www.seekbeervana.com/

IPAs seem pretty popular, hoppy stuff in general.

[HooHaa]

i wouldnt touch any of them with the proverbial ten-foot pole

[JohnnyHK]

I must have gotten a bad LEO because it was rank. I thought it was from Lawson or 7-11 but I may have picked it up from a mom and pop shop.

In the US we have 40oz beer bottles, imagine how many Farang heads would be mashed by Thais with those? Probably better only having 16oz bottles for Thailand.

BTW I found Carlsberg in a Phuket "bar", do the Danish dump a bunch of no name beers in Thailand too?

[crazygreg44]

could you explain this, what a craft beer is ?

It seems to have become the term for small production 'artisan' beers from independent breweries. These guys are the main players in Bangkok - http://www.seekbeervana.com/

IPAs seem pretty popular, hoppy stuff in general.

thanks, ,kudos for the info and the link !! Very interesting !

I wasn't aware these 'craft' beers ever existed. Only that in every backwater bavarian village, there are at least 2 or more 'craft beer' brewers and they have always been there.

These beer bars seem to be rich heirs latest cry , considering the investment needed for brewery vessels, bottling and cool storage.

In Germany nobody is allowed to use other ingredients than what's listed by the german beer regulation ( only hop, water and malt ) and only these three ingredients !

that means, no honey, no sweeteners, no artifical additives . . . . in case you use any additional ingredients, in Germany they cannot use the term 'beer' , only 'fashion drink XYZ' or 'mike's sleazy lemonade' . .

google "Reinheitsgebot"

I am considering opening a HIP bar in Bangkok. I could brew a good ole fashioned anglosaxon "MET" , using honey, krathom leaves and each bottle containing a small amount of crushed & powdered 'blue pill' product. The BEER of all BEERS helping people of different genders meet each other . . .

Wouldn't my customers be stoned and happy together for the rest of the night ??

Edited December 18, 2014 by crazygreg44

[cmcom]

leo is fine but must be very cold like all beers

[crazygreg44]

leo is fine but must be very cold like all beers

you don't tell me it needs ice cubes. Makes me cringe !! And it has to be fresh - less than 4 weeks after filling date - to make a lasting impression !

Edited December 18, 2014 by crazygreg44