British beers and real ale in Phuket (Updated edition)

[BestBitterPhuket]

A couple of years ago, I made this post: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/644017-real-ales-and-british-beers-in-phuketnot-many-but-some/

Since that post, the availability of British beers has exploded. There are now close to 50 different British beers available in Phuket, and among them are some true gems. Sadly, the prices are still high, especially on some of the beers, but many of us are prepared to pay for quality. In addition to what is available in various stores and bars, there is an excellent online beer store, www.wishbeer.com, that ships beers all over Thailand. Even though they mainly offer continental beers, they still offer some British beers not available in Phuket.

These are the beers I have found on Phuket as of late, sorted by brewery. My list is not be conclusive, and stocks vary from time to time.

Fuller's:

- London Pride (Pale ale)

- London Porter (Porter/stout)

- ESB (Premium bitter)

- India Pale Ale (British IPA – Bottle Conditioned)

Where?

Tesco Lotus (Bypass) – London Pride, London Porter and ESB all @ 159bht

Tesco Lotus (Thalang) – Sometimes London Pride, London Porter and ESB available

Central Supermarket – London Pride, London Porter, ESB and IPA

Green Man (Chalong) – London Pride and ESB

Perfect Pint (Limelight Shopping Centre, Phuket Town) – London Porter and India Pale Ale

Several other bars in Phuket Town, but only in bottles. I have yet to find this offered on tap.

Well’s

- Bombardier (Bitter/bottle)

- Bombardier (Bitter/can)

- Bombardier Burning Gold (Golden Ale)

Where? The bottled version of Bombardier bitter and Burning gold is available most of the time at Villa Markets and Central Festival. The can version of Bombarider, seems to have sadly been discontinued. Was also available in the Chic Room bar and restaurant in Phuket Town.

Young’s

-Special London Ale (Strong pale ale – bottle conditioned)

- London Gold (Golden Ale – bottle Conditioned)

- Waggledance (Golden ale/Honey beer)

- Double Chocolate Stout (Sweet stout)

- Banana bread (fruit beer)

- Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale

Where?

Villa Markets, Tops Central and Central Festival. These ales are good value for money, especially the Special London Ale, at 6.4% abv and bottle conditioned. The terrible Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale seems to have been discontinued by both supermarkets. Some pubs in Phuket Town offer some of these beers.

Courage

- Directors (bitter/premium bitter)

- Russian Stout (Imperial Stout)

Where?

Villa Markets and Central stock these beers most of the time.

Hook Norton

- Flagship (British IPA)

- Twelve Days (Brown Ale)

- Hooky Gold (Golden Ale)

- Old Hooky (Premium bitter)

- Haymaker (Pale ale)

- Twelve Days (Brown ale/dark ale)

Where? Villa Markets will have some of these excellent beers available.

Theakston

- Hogshead (Bitter)

- XB (Premium bitter)

- Masham Glory (bitter/spiced ale)

- Old Peculiar (Old ale/dark ale)

Where? Available at Villa Markets, but seems to sell out fast.

St Austell

- Tribute (Pale Ale)

- Admiral Ale (Premium bitter – bottle conditioned)

- Proper Job (Modern IPA)

- Cornish Stout (Stout/porter)

Where? Villa Markets have some of these beers, most of the time, but the stout has not been seen for a while.

Titanic

- Iceberg (Golden ale)

- White Star (Golden ale/bitter)

- Captain Smith (Premium bitter)

- Stout (Stout/Porter)

Where? These fantastic beers are available in Villa Markets across the island

Sambrook’s

- Wandle Ale (Bitter)

- Junction (Premium Bitter)

- Powerhouse Porter (brown ale/porter)

Where? Most of these fantastic beers are sold at Villa Market’s

Meantime

- India Pale Ale (Americanized IPA)

- London Porter (Porter/Stout)

- Chocolate Porter (Sweet stout)

- Coffee Porter (Flavoured stout)

- Yakina Red (Modern Pale Ale)

- Raspberry (Fruitbeer)

Where? Available at Villa Markets.

Bateman’s

- XXXB (Premium bitter)

- Dark Lord (Ruby/brown ale)

- Victory Ale (strong ale)

- Moccha (flavoured stout)

- BBOck (German style bock)

- Vintage Ale (Strong Ale/Old Ale)

Where? Available at Villa Markets around the island, but the 2013 Vintage Ale seems to be sold out.

Wadworth

- 6X (premium bitter)

- Horizon (Golden Ale)

- Henry (British IPA)

- Bishop’s Tipple (Premium bitter)

- Swordfish (specialty beer – brewed with rum)

Where? Some of these are available at Villa Markets

The Beer Kitchen (Wadworth Craft subsidiary)

- India Pale Ale (India Pale Ale)

- Espresso Stout (Flavoured stout)

- Wheat (Wheat beer)

- Orange Peel Ale (Modern ale)

- Whiskey Barrel Aged (Specialty ale/aged ale)

Where? Available at Villa Market Chalong.

Shepherd’s Neame

- Spitfire (Bitter)

- Double Stout (Stout/porter)

- Bishop’s Finger (Strong Ale)

Where? Not been seen for a long time, but was sold at Central. The reason for these very good beers sad demise is surely the ludicrous pricing. From 300-330bht per bottle, when you can by a Fuller’s beer for 159bht does not make sense.

Greene King/Morland/Belhaven

- Old Speckled Hen (Premium bitter)

- Old Golden Hen (Golden Ale)

- IPA (British IPA – available on tap and bottle)

- Ruddles County (Bitter/golden ale)

- Abbot Ale (Premium Bitter)

- Abbot Reserve (Strong Ale)

- Belhaven 80 Shilling (Scottish ale)

Where? Some of these used to be sold at Big C in Patong, but last time I checked there were none. However, the Irish Times bar and restaurant in Jungceylon, still offers these beers, and sometimes the GK IPA and Old Speckled Hen on tap. The Happy Times restaurant near the Chalong pier, offers some of these in bottles.

Brain’s

- SA Smooth (bitter)

- Black

Where? Offered in pubs around the island, even though most of the times they seem to be “sold out” or “out of stock”. However, Grizzly’s British bar in Kathu, offers the SA Smooth on tap for only 160 bht, which is cheap by Phuket standards.

Brewdog

- Punk IPA (American IPA)

- Hard Core IPA (Double IPA)

- 5am Saint (Amber ale)

- Libertine Black Ale (Black IPA)

- Trashy Blond (Blond Ale)

……and many more…

Where? Several places in Phuket Town offer Brewdog beers. Phuketique, near the roundabout near Siam Bakery, offers a good range of Brewdog beers in the heart of Phuket Town. The newly opened Perfect Pint at Limelight Shopping Centre in Phuket Town offers several Brewdog beers, including the Punk IPA on tap.

Tennent’s

- Stout (Sweet Stout)

Where? Sometimes offered on tap at Irish Times at Jungceylon

Other beers and breweries

There are some other beers available if ordered online. The excellent www.wishbeer.com offers several of these:

Fuller’s

- Honey Dew (Golden Ale) - *Available only at Wishbeer

- Vintage Ale (Strong Ale/Old ale – Bottle Conditioned) - * Available only at Wishbeer

- Old Winter Ale (Winter warmer) - *Occasionally available at Wishbeer

Wishbeer is also selling beers from other British breweries not available in Phuket, such as Whychwood and Adnams.

Of all these beers, which are your favourites?

Mine favourites are:

- Sambrooks Wandle Ale (Sweet, malty and easy to drink. Low carbonation)

- Sambrooks Powerhouse Porter (A very easy porter, with hints of smoke)

- Hook Norton Twelve Days (a beautiful strong brown ale)

- Hook Norton Hooky Gold (The best golden ale on offer)

- St Austell Admiral Ale (Sweet, malty and bottle conditioned. Yummy!)

- St Austell Tribute (modern, clean and refreshing)

- Fuller’s London Pride (A different pale ale/bitter, but very good!)

- Theakston XB (a very nice and classic bitter!)

- Theakston Old Peculier (A beautiful old ale. A must try!)

- Bateman's Vintage Ale (Big, malty and complex. Pure joy)

- Young’s Special London Ale (Special indeed! Great value for money)

- Meantime IPA (a sensational modern IPA)

- Meantime London Porter (The best stout/porter in Phuket? Probably!)

- Titanic’s Captain Smith (A stunning premium bitter from a young brewery!)

Plenty of the others are excellent as well, but I can’t list them all!

Which British breweries would I like to see in Phuket? Oakham, Black Sheep, Sam Smith and Timothy Taylor.

Cheers!

[tolsti]

Have you checked out the list at Wishbeer?... Free delivery over a reasonable amount as well.

[hkt83100]

Impressive work! Well done!

[BestBitterPhuket]

Have you checked out the list at Wishbeer?... Free delivery over a reasonable amount as well.

Yes, I have used wishbeer several times, mainly for beers not available in Phuket, especially American style craft beers.

[SantiSuk]

Tour de force mate!

Will be useful if and when I visit Phuket again. No Villa Markets in this part of Isaan unfortunately and anything good that appears on Tesco shelves locally to me, which is rare, gets out of date quickly (unless I drink it all!).

Fullers, Meantime, St Austell and Hook Norton would be my favourite beers in your exhaustive list of those available. Agree with the Oakham and Tim Taylor on the wish list. Even though I'm a Yorkshireman by birth I don't put Theakston, Sam Smith on my revered list - prefer Tim Taylor, Majic Rock and Saltaire.

All that is based mostly on drinking draft in the UK (before coming here and on regular visits back). Not enough bottled real ales round here to give a good view.

[madmitch]

Thanks for that BBP. Personally I think the Young's Special London Ale (brewed in Bedford!) represents the best value for money, a bottle conditioned beer at 159 baht in Villa.

Good to see Meantime beers available here (I'm a Southeast Londoner so happy to see a local brew doing so well) but they are a bit pricey. I wonder how much extra the flashy bottle costs?

Hopefully if anyone sees some offers on UK beers they can post on this thread, though, as far as I know, such discounts are rare.

[BestBitterPhuket]

Thanks for that BBP. Personally I think the Young's Special London Ale (brewed in Bedford!) represents the best value for money, a bottle conditioned beer at 159 baht in Villa.

Good to see Meantime beers available here (I'm a Southeast Londoner so happy to see a local brew doing so well) but they are a bit pricey. I wonder how much extra the flashy bottle costs?

Hopefully if anyone sees some offers on UK beers they can post on this thread, though, as far as I know, such discounts are rare.

The coffee and chocolate porters, Yakina Red and raspberry beer come in 330ml bottles @ 199bht. Theakston and Bateman's are selling at the same price, but in 500ml bottles. The most fantastic Meantime beers available, the IPA and the London Porter, come in 640ml bottles with a champagne cork, and when opened, it sounds and feels like you are opening a bubbly one. These are priced at 336bht, which is not bad actually, everything considered. Got a few of those at home at the moment Edited May 19, 2015 by BestBitterPhuket

[stevenl]

Thanks for the website tip.

Looks really good, they even have things like Orval, Kwak, Straffe Hendrik, some of my favourites. Will place an order soon.

[SeanPhuket]

Ummmm... Lovely drop of London Pride

[BestBitterPhuket]

Thanks for the website tip.

Looks really good, they even have things like Orval, Kwak, Straffe Hendrik, some of my favourites. Will place an order soon.

There is a good selection of Belgian beers at Big C near Central Festival. They had Kwak last time I went there. I buy the Kasteel Dunker there, which is one of the few Belgian beers I like. It weighs in at 11% abv and 165bht. It reminds me of a British barley wine. Big, malty and strong.

[tornado40]

Just to advise (aware that this is the Phuket Forum) - that on Samui we just have to visit the Bees Knees Brew Pub who make four delicious ales on site..

[Gandtee]

My favourite when in the UK was Banks Bitter. A lovely pint with the froth travelling down the glass till the last drop. It's mad me thirsty!

[kinmaew]

One sign I saw at the wonderful Beechworth Brewery "Beer is proof that God loves us"

Bless those lovely pints from Ol Blighty!! and all of the other great micro brews made with QUALITY ingredients.

[hawksway]

You deserve a medal of honour for finding and compiling all the information. Will also serve to keep ones eyes off the Tipsy Tarts.

At Wetherspooons in UK 1 pint guest ales are £1.99

[rethaier]

British Beer? Real ale. Phuket is really going downhill now.

[BestBitterPhuket]

The tragedy English beers is that they are not more popular. It seems like the breweries always have been content selling their brews in the domestic marketplace. The irony is that the best selling English beer is Guiness, and as a consequence there are 10 times more Irish pubs around the world than British. Guiness is a stout and stout originates from London. Now the headlines in the beer world belongs to American style craft brews, which are based on British style beers like IPAs, pale ales, stouts and porters. I wish I could say all this in a Rick Stein like voice.

One question. I heard from some old timers that they were buying Marston's Pedigree in cans around BKK and Pattaya years ago. Does anyone know?

[BestBitterPhuket]

Just to advise (aware that this is the Phuket Forum) - that on Samui we just have to visit the Bees Knees Brew Pub who make four delicious ales on site..

There is an interesting article in last weeks Sunday Post (Bangkok Post) about the craft brewers and home brewing in Thailand, all of which are illegal to protect the big boys owned by the BIG families. It was in the Spectrum section.

[kev78]

Tetley's, that's all I want draft too, not cans!

Edited May 19, 2015 by kev78

[smotherb]

In Hatyai, there are a couple of pubs selling Guiness and Killian's, but they sell so few that it often gets old. A German opened a restaurant selling a large selection of German beers for B140-190. The farangs are so cheap they don't buy it. Fortunately, the Thais do, so they have been around for several years now, if you need a good beer.

[canarysun]

I find it absolutely " ridiculous " that anybody would want to travel across the other side of the world in search of " British Beer " I remember a few years back working in the Canary islands and tourists wouldn't eat the " Full English Breakfast " unless the toast was made with English bread....

" Bloody Ridiculous " ......

C.S ( tweet tweet ) x

[Lokie]

I find it absolutely " ridiculous " that anybody would want to travel across the other side of the world in search of " British Beer " I remember a few years back working in the Canary islands and tourists wouldn't eat the " Full English Breakfast " unless the toast was made with English bread....

" Bloody Ridiculous " ......

C.S ( tweet tweet ) x

Exactly, and HP sauce!

Love your rail trip articles by the way but afraid your above comments show no knowledge of the British as a race, same sort of mistake Hitler made 75years ago...

Ching ching, theres a good man now..,

[Rogie]

Good to see Meantime beers available here (I'm a Southeast Londoner so happy to see a local brew doing so well) but they are a bit pricey. I wonder how much extra the flashy bottle costs?

The most fantastic Meantime beers available, the IPA and the London Porter, come in 640ml bottles with a champagne cork, and when opened, it sounds and feels like you are opening a bubbly one.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/15/sab-miller-buys-meantime-to-enter-uk-craft-beer-market

[madmitch]

I find it absolutely " ridiculous " that anybody would want to travel across the other side of the world in search of " British Beer " I remember a few years back working in the Canary islands and tourists wouldn't eat the " Full English Breakfast " unless the toast was made with English bread....

" Bloody Ridiculous " ......

C.S ( tweet tweet ) x

With your attitude, Villa Market would be bankrupt.

Expats (and tourists) of all nationalities like some home comforts from time to time. I even know a couple of people living here that don't like Thai food! Take a look at the restaurant thread here; nearly all the recommendations relate to farang food.

I like an English beer every so often. I'm also not averse to buying German and Belgian beer, though predominantly I'll drink the local brews as they are easily available and much cheaper.

[Rogie]

I'm only a visitor to Thailand so from the perspective of British beer I'm drowning in choice!

Of the beers listed in the OP, my favourite is Titanic Iceberg. I see Oakham listed as one the OP would like to see available in Thailand. Their Citra and Scarlet McCaw are hoppy beers similar to the Iceberg.

Sometimes you see a beer sold in a clear glass bottle. I wonder why that is? Just to be different so it stands out from the competition? I also wonder about its keeping qualities in a country like Thailand. I cannot imagine its shelf life will be unaffected if left in a bright sunny place for too long.

[BestBitterPhuket]

I'm only a visitor to Thailand so from the perspective of British beer I'm drowning in choice!

Of the beers listed in the OP, my favourite is Titanic Iceberg. I see Oakham listed as one the OP would like to see available in Thailand. Their Citra and Scarlet McCaw are hoppy beers similar to the Iceberg.

Sometimes you see a beer sold in a clear glass bottle. I wonder why that is? Just to be different so it stands out from the competition? I also wonder about its keeping qualities in a country like Thailand. I cannot imagine its shelf life will be unaffected if left in a bright sunny place for too long.

The Titanic Iceberg is beautiful.

When it comes to bottles, I always chose the beer in a can, if available. It is much more likely to retain its intended flavor. Most people don't know what a skunked beer is. A beer in a clear glass bottle will be damaged within minutes in the sun. It can be proven in a very simple experiment. Buy two cheap bottled beers, such as Heineken or Singha, leave one of the bottles exposed to the sun. Temperature is not vital for the experiment, so you can place the bottle in the window in an air-con room, but exposed to sunlight. Direct sunlight will get more dramatic results. Leave it for a couple of hours, cool it down and then compared to the other bottle. The light from the sun will damage the hops in the beer, and alter its flavor. The results will be remarkable. AND...think of all the beer in glass bottles stored in beach bars in fridges with glass doors, completely exposed to the sun.

Nowadays, the modern quality breweries, don't sell canned beer with metallic taste, which was always the liability with canned beers in the old days. If you don't want skunked beer, chose a beer in a can.

My favourite Oakham beer is the Inferno and the JHB. VERY sessionable.

[durianfan]

There's a shop in Kamala on the main road called "100 Beers" - it's quite small but has a good selection of beers around the world, many of which I haven't seen anywhere else in Phuket.

[BestBitterPhuket]

There's a shop in Kamala on the main road called "100 Beers" - it's quite small but has a good selection of beers around the world, many of which I haven't seen anywhere else in Phuket.

Wow! Didn't know about that. Do you know what kind of beers they have? Any British or craft beers? Have to check it out.

[durianfan]

There's a shop in Kamala on the main road called "100 Beers" - it's quite small but has a good selection of beers around the world, many of which I haven't seen anywhere else in Phuket.

Wow! Didn't know about that. Do you know what kind of beers they have? Any British or craft beers? Have to check it out.

Mostly craft beers. The prices range from 150-300 baht per bottle. Mostly Belgium, British and American craft beers. They also don't adhere to that silly rule where you can't buy beers from 2-5.

[falkan]

Pint Factory in Town got a huge selection!

[Peterocket]

Pint Factory in Town got a huge selection!