Always liked it and been drinking more of it since they started selling it in 7/11. Problem is sometimes it's as flat as a pancake, even when only filled a few weeks back. Is it a fault at source or storage here, left out in the sun maybe?  Not that rare either, i'd say about 20% of the time it's not very good these days and I buy from various shops, not just one 7/11.

I don't think it's a fast seller - may have been on the shelf or in the stock room for a while. Did you check the date on the bottles?

I tried to drink Beer Lao dark several times. I like the taste but damn it gives me one heck of a headache (even one bottle).

almost anything (including coke, diet coke, etc. !!) that sits in the sun or experiences temp change it will affect the taste a bit. water can have some algae :0   beginning of life. 

back when I was a kid and there was less control of cold chain delivery beer would regularly "skunk" and could be rendered almost undrinkable. almost. but then again kids (like me) drank just about anything. 

 

not surprised the taste of this beer varies. I would doubt it is due to some production variation - and can be tasted as the truck leaves the brewery. logically it is something that happens on the way to your gullet 

16 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

I don't think it's a fast seller - may have been on the shelf or in the stock room for a while. Did you check the date on the bottles?

He said that he bought beer, which was only few weeks old.

I regularly drink Beer Lao Dark. It is sold, surprisingly, in my local 7-11 in a not really farang area.

 

I agree with the OP. Though my experience is probably nearer to one bottle in ten is off in some way.

 

I also wondered if the problem is occurring in the brewery, en route (e.g. sitting in a warehouse yard in Nong Khai waiting for distribution in direct sunlight) or after 7-11 take receipt of the product.

 

If it is the former, it may reflect the presence or absence of foreign QC oversight. It has been shown that when the foreigners depart from any South East Asian manufacturing enterprise, be they Japanese, German, Danish, whatever, Quality Control is not as good as it was.

 

I remain a fan though, even at 59 Baht per bottle.

This is a problem that often happens to the Thai beer too. The bottom line is that they don´t take proper care of the beer in many cases.
First it comes from the brewery, in trucks that might or might not have a cooling system, to the different delivery companies that mostly don´t have a cooling system in their trucks.
After that it comes to the shops that somtimes leve the boxes in the sun, sometimes only cool them with ice and somtimes turn on and off their coolers during night to save electricity.

That means that the beer you buy and drink has been affected by cold and heat to many times, which is what makes the difference in the taste.

I've had the same problem with San Miguel Lite from the local 7/11 lately. So flat I won't buy another from them after the 4 I've had to throw down the drain.

18 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

I don't think it's a fast seller - may have been on the shelf or in the stock room for a while. Did you check the date on the bottles?

 

Did you read the part where the OP said it had only been filled (bottled) a few weeks?

Need to check my local 7/11's. Did not realise that any sold it here but tried it in Nong Khai and was good. Have been a 'black' drinker most of my life.

it depends what part of the mountains they come from

who line up to piss in the kegs

It's pretty consistent at Pok Pok in New York City.

 

BOOM.

If a store where in the past the dark beer has disappointed also sells regular beer Lao (the usual lager-coloured one) you could do a comparison. As no one has commented to say the regular beer Lao is sometimes undrinkable perhaps it is a production-related issue with the dark variety. As I am based in the UK apart from occasional visits to the Kingdom and don't recollect seeing either kind of beer Lao in a 7-11 I gather from what the OP says it's fairly recently its become available. When I am visiting I always check out the beer selection in 7-11's and Family Marts etc and can't recall having ever having had a duff beer, having drunk Singha, Chang, Leo etc plus all the German-style lagers, so provided they can maintain decent QC either kind of beer Lao is something I would definitely buy.

14 hours ago, Get Real said:

cold

Never had this with singha or other major brew. 

(sorry for the bad quote. Phone) 

Edited November 29, 20169 yr by jackTheRipper

2 hours ago, jackTheRipper said:

Never had this with singha or other major brew. 

(sorry for the bad quote. Phone) 

No problem with the quote. It happens.

I had that problem a few times, but maby I am a sensitive guy when it comes to beer. LOL

On 11/28/2016 at 10:39 PM, chickenslegs said:

I don't think it's a fast seller - may have been on the shelf or in the stock room for a while. Did you check the date on the bottles?

 

They have only been in 7 for a while, fill dates are July now which should be fine. Tops are selling Lao gold but it's a bit pricey at over 80 baht for 330ml

Edited November 30, 20169 yr by thai3

Is Beer Lao regular widely available now? Haven't been over for more than a year and it wasn't then. Been throughout Lao many times and both seem pretty consistent. Bought a six pack of small Heineken  that was off in Luang Namtha about 6 years ago. Took it back and swapped for something else. The girl in the shop insisted, despite my "bor bpen yang's",  on giving a refund as well. Sometimes those Lao people are too honest for their own good.

Don't really understand the popularity of bottled Beer Lao...it's never really done it for me.  DRAFT Beer Lao, however (only available in Vientiane, and, as they say, "so cheap it's almost free"--as in 200 baht for a 3 liter tower) is really superb stuff...don't miss a chance to try it if you're in the Lao capitol.  Don't know if they have the dark version as draft, though.

On ‎30‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 9:37 AM, thai3 said:

 

They have only been in 7 for a while, fill dates are July now which should be fine. Tops are selling Lao gold but it's a bit pricey at over 80 baht for 330ml

 

On ‎30‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 2:18 PM, Shasta55 said:

Is Beer Lao regular widely available now? Haven't been over for more than a year and it wasn't then. Been throughout Lao many times and both seem pretty consistent. Bought a six pack of small Heineken  that was off in Luang Namtha about 6 years ago. Took it back and swapped for something else. The girl in the shop insisted, despite my "bor bpen yang's",  on giving a refund as well. Sometimes those Lao people are too honest for their own good.

Been available in 7/11s in Pattaya for well over a year now. There were previous threads about it but the "search" function does not appear to be as effective for me anymore........

Also available by the case in Makro.

I've been experiencing a similar problem with Pepsi Max and less often with Coke Zero. Sometimes flat or sometimes overly carbonated but with virtually no taste. Used to buy Pepsi Max in quantity if it could be found, but now only a bottle or two at a time since I don't want to dump an entire case down the drain.

Buy 1 get a date with a hot Loas girl at my local 7/11. Oh no! Not the one on the left!

Does anyone know where to get Beer Lao Dark in the Nong Khai area?

Lived in Thailand for five years , but been back in Oz for 2 , for the kids schooling etc.

Return every year for New Year but was disappointed by the seemingly drop in flavour of both Leo and Chang last year.

Noticed Beer Laos Dark in BKK and Pattaya 7-11s, but could not find it in Nong Khai.

Has anyone tried to order Beer online from out in the Boondocks yet.?

Sorry for being a bit off topic by the way..

 

Cheers

James

Never really cared for the taste of Beer Lao in the bottle; it tastes quite good in draft form, though...unfortunately, that's only available one place in the world that I know of: Vientiane.  Makes me look forward to my trips there, though.