Cheap beer deals?

[lordblackader]

On 7/16/2017 at 0:19 PM, heybruce said:

Beer promotions and buffets were common in Chiang Mai a few years ago, but no more.  The Gecko Garden deal may be the best you will find close to the old city. 

LOL. In a farang bar yes, in a Thai bar absolutely not. 180 for 3 large Changs is about the standard rate in a Thai bar . Examples close to the old city - the strip of restaurants/ bars just north of the pedestrian bridge opposite Kad Luang, numerous places around JJ Market and in Santhitam, and plenty of places in Chang Klan as well. There was once place I haven't been to for a while that was offering 5 large Chang for 250 in Santitham at one stage (been about 4 months since I was last there, use to go there fairly regularly last year.)

 

Moral of the story - farang bars will ALWAYS charge more than Thai bars. 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Just got this today...The 149 is before 21:00.  Anyone care to translate?  That is Nimman soi 7.  Spend 200 there, or 2000 two blocks away....up to you.

[heybruce]

5 hours ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Just got this today...The 149 is before 21:00.  Anyone care to translate?  That is Nimman soi 7.  Spend 200 there, or 2000 two blocks away....up to you.

Mirror Cafe.  I've tried it.  The garden outside bores me.  The door to the disco used to have a sign notifying people that there was a fine, I think it was 200 baht, for vomiting.  Charming.

 

Is the sign still there?

[Ruffian Dick]

If someone can take a photo of that sign, I'd love to see it.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Like a lot of the better promo places it can be half dead...and still people insist on starting late.  They have an excellent big screen outside...band isn't horrible, and probably a step up from Dayli, ambiance wise.  Last time I went to Moonmueang, there was a Chinese group with their kid standing on the table, and about ten old men brooding with one foot in the crematorium.  Oh, and zero pretties, and no promos....and that place is known as one of the friendlier, more consistent places around Thapae Gate area.  I checked out upstairs across from Addidas on Nimman...and prices were OK, no WiFi, and beer not cold enough...and you could catch a nap there, too, but not terrible.

[Adbro1]

8 hours ago, lordblackader said:

LOL. In a farang bar yes, in a Thai bar absolutely not. 180 for 3 large Changs is about the standard rate in a Thai bar . Examples close to the old city - the strip of restaurants/ bars just north of the pedestrian bridge opposite Kad Luang, numerous places around JJ Market and in Santhitam, and plenty of places in Chang Klan as well. There was once place I haven't been to for a while that was offering 5 large Chang for 250 in Santitham at one stage (been about 4 months since I was last there, use to go there fairly regularly last year.)

 

Moral of the story - farang bars will ALWAYS charge more than Thai bars. 

I have no qualms about drinking in a Thai bar/restaurant,I'm still fairly new to Chiang Mai and Thailand so 'people watching' still has an appeal to me.I've been to Tawangdang a couple of times and found it fascinating.

 

Not so sure what the Thai's think of a lonely farang drinking in their bars though? 

 

Edited July 18, 2017 by Adbro1

[KhonKaenKowboy]

You'll hear "farang" used at least five times...just like every place else not in a farang ghetto, they generally will be glad to have you, maybe a little chat or someone wants to try English.  A 20 THB tip gets you VIP treatment at those places.  I just get annoyed with them for bringing me beers that aren't cold, or barely.....when they don't turn on the cooler till 1900, they may actually never get cold, when closing at midnight. Try Oxide...mai yen, mai ow!

[Adbro1]

2 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

You'll hear "farang" used at least five times...just like every place else not in a farang ghetto, they generally will be glad to have you, maybe a little chat or someone wants to try English.  A 20 THB tip gets you VIP treatment at those places.  I just get annoyed with them for bringing me beers that aren't cold, or barely.....when they don't turn on the cooler till 1900, they may actually never get cold, when closing at midnight. Try Oxide...mai yen, mai ow!

But but,you can put ice in the beer to make it cold hahaha

[KhonKaenKowboy]

I think the 81 years they have had refrigeration in LOS is long enough for them to know hot to use it.  There is a shop in Sathorn that won't even sell them, unless they are frigid, and a place across from them starts rotating them into the freezer at 4:45...They will either do it correctly, or I will keep doing 68 thb large Heinekens in chilled glasses out of my LG.  There is at least 10,000 good lookers up here by CMU that don't even drink alcohol.  Doesn't mean they don't like Purple Persuasion.

[heybruce]

I don't understand people who acknowledge that Thai beer, at its best, is bland, yet insist that it shouldn't be sullied with ice.  Even if your large bottle is just above freezing when served, it will get warm in 15 or 20 minutes, which means high speed drinking if you want to finish it while it's cold.  I enjoy downing a few large ones over the course of an evening, but not all in one hour.  So I drink the bland beer (Tiger) or worse (Leo) with ice, avoid Chang and Singha, and enjoy a relaxed evening with food and pretties pouring my beer and adding the ice.

 

In short, in the US I drink quality ake and never add ice (quality ale shouldn't be served ice cold, it's best somewhere around the midpoint between freezing and room temperature).  In Thailand I drink the beerwater with ice.

Edited July 18, 2017 by heybruce

[Adbro1]

2 hours ago, heybruce said:

I don't understand people who acknowledge that Thai beer, at its best, is bland, yet insist that it shouldn't be sullied with ice.  Even if your large bottle is just above freezing when served, it will get warm in 15 or 20 minutes, which means high speed drinking if you want to finish it while it's cold.  I enjoy downing a few large ones over the course of an evening, but not all in one hour.  So I drink the bland beer (Tiger) or worse (Leo) with ice, avoid Chang and Singha, and enjoy a relaxed evening with food and pretties pouring my beer and adding the ice.

 

In short, in the US I drink quality ake and never add ice (quality ale shouldn't be served ice cold, it's best somewhere around the midpoint between freezing and room temperature).  In Thailand I drink the beerwater with ice.

Because the ice quickly turns to water,severely damaging the taste of the beer.I would much rather have a cold beer and 'neck it' than have a beer with ice in it.The whole concept of ice in beer is alien to me.Besides i dont think the beer goes warm that quickly if its served cold in the first place.

 

[NancyL]

4 hours ago, Adbro1 said:

Because the ice quickly turns to water,severely damaging the taste of the beer.I would much rather have a cold beer and 'neck it' than have a beer with ice in it.The whole concept of ice in beer is alien to me.Besides i dont think the beer goes warm that quickly if its served cold in the first place.

 

This is the appeal of a beer tower.  The beer is around a central ice core, but doesn't get diluted.  

 

Another good idea -- when we visited Siem Reip, I asked for ice for my beer and after a moment of puzzlement, the waitress brought an ice bucket and put the bottle of Angkor on ice like it was a bottle of champagne.  The French taught them something, I suppose.

[scottiejohn]

Put the ice in a clean plastic bag (self sealing pill/snack bags etc)or other small sealed plastic container with a weight in it (keeps the ice and container at the bottom of your glass) and pop into your glass, no dilution and no floating ice cubes.

 

Towers are great if you are in company who all drink the same beer but not so good for solo use.

Edited July 19, 2017 by scottiejohn

[heybruce]

7 hours ago, Adbro1 said:

Because the ice quickly turns to water,severely damaging the taste of the beer.I would much rather have a cold beer and 'neck it' than have a beer with ice in it.The whole concept of ice in beer is alien to me.Besides i dont think the beer goes warm that quickly if its served cold in the first place.

 

As my post made clear, the taste of Thai beers is nothing to savor.  In my opinion watery but cold bland beer is better than warm bland beer.

 

As to how fast a bottle of beer gets warm, you can easily check that by taking a large cold bottle out of your refrigerator, pouring half into a glass, then leave the half bottle of beer outside and see how warm it is in ten minutes.  It won't be room temperature, but it will be a lot warmer than you want to drink.

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, scottiejohn said:

Put the ice in a clean plastic bag (self sealing pill/snack bags etc)or other small sealed plastic container with a weight in it (keeps the ice and container at the bottom of your glass) and pop into your glass, no dilution and no floating ice cubes.

 

Towers are great if you are in company who all drink the same beer but not so good for solo use.

Do you bring clean plastic bags or sealed, weighted plastic containers that fit into a beer glass with you when you go out?

[heybruce]

2 hours ago, NancyL said:

This is the appeal of a beer tower.  The beer is around a central ice core, but doesn't get diluted.  

 

Another good idea -- when we visited Siem Reip, I asked for ice for my beer and after a moment of puzzlement, the waitress brought an ice bucket and put the bottle of Angkor on ice like it was a bottle of champagne.  The French taught them something, I suppose.

Beer towers are nice for groups, but a bit much for one or two people.  The beer will stay cold, but will get flat if not drunk quickly.

 

The solution employed in Siem Reap would be ideal if we could get bars to do that here.

[scottiejohn]

6 minutes ago, heybruce said:

Do you bring clean plastic bags or sealed, weighted plastic containers that fit into a beer glass with you when you go out?

Obviously!

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, scottiejohn said:

Obviously!

Happy that works for you.  You put a little more effort into your beer than I do, my focus is on finding places with friendly pretties.  I'll stick with putting ice in my bland beerwater.

[lordblackader]

14 hours ago, Adbro1 said:

I have no qualms about drinking in a Thai bar/restaurant,I'm still fairly new to Chiang Mai and Thailand so 'people watching' still has an appeal to me.I've been to Tawangdang a couple of times and found it fascinating.

 

Not so sure what the Thai's think of a lonely farang drinking in their bars though? 

 

Depends on where. I regularly see farangs in the strip of restaurants/ bars opposite side of the river to Kad Luang north of the footbridge, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. JJ Market you will stand out like a sore thumb...but there's some really good music places along that strip as well, Little Rock has a band that does decent 90s farang music covers for example. 

 

All that said though, as long as you're minding your own business, spending money and not causing trouble I don't think they'd even give you a stray thought let alone care. 

 

There is another thing that can be said for Thai places vs farang focused ones as well - the service in Thai owned places is nearly always impeccable, be it that in say a Thai bar with a Chang girl the reason they keep topping up the beer and ice for you is because they want you to buy more...but who am I to complain, besides it's nice "people watching" :)

[Sandy Freckle]

On 7/19/2017 at 11:35 AM, NancyL said:

This is the appeal of a beer tower.  The beer is around a central ice core, but doesn't get diluted.  

 

Another good idea -- when we visited Siem Reip, I asked for ice for my beer and after a moment of puzzlement, the waitress brought an ice bucket and put the bottle of Angkor on ice like it was a bottle of champagne.  The French taught them something, I suppose.

French ? Bah humbug...., dear lady, let me introduce you to the truth of this particular improvisation..., if it's beer and it's buried in ice, it's the Aussie way. 
I'll wait patiently on the side over there >>>>>>
to be either shot down..., or introduced to an alternative truth.

Edited July 20, 2017 by Sandy Freckle

[KhonKaenKowboy]

If you took a whiff of the beer tower, before it was filled, and it didn't smell like my fraternity house on a Sunday afternoon; I would personally be surprised.  Mai krap.

[Sandy Freckle]

Just out of interest, what quantity of beer was in said Tower ?
I said 'quantity'.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

1 hour ago, Sandy Freckle said:

Just out of interest, what quantity of beer was in said Tower ?
I said 'quantity'.

Probably 3 liters...a bit less than five large.  

[heybruce]

2 hours ago, Sandy Freckle said:

Just out of interest, what quantity of beer was in said Tower ?
I said 'quantity'.

 

44 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Probably 3 liters...a bit less than five large.  

Since this is a cheap beer topic, I'll point out that beer towers aren't always cheaper than bottles, and often are considerably more expensive.  I think their biggest selling point is they look cool.  It pays to do the math.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

11 minutes ago, heybruce said:

 

Since this is a cheap beer topic, I'll point out that beer towers aren't always cheaper than bottles, and often are considerably more expensive.  I think their biggest selling point is they look cool.  It pays to do the math.

Agreed, and I live by doing those kinds of calcs...I have never bought a tower in my life....pitchers a different story.  At club cafe they had bottles of Tigers for 65, large, and people would routinely pay 170 for a one litre jug.  I pointed this out...responses were anywhere from don't care to OMG, face palm, why didn't they tell me.  One dollar bud longnecks two blocks from the Whitehouse..budlights were 3.50....you would be amazed.

Edited July 20, 2017 by KhonKaenKowboy

[JaseTheBass]

"Are there any Thai made IPA's ,wheat beers or stout/porters?"

 

Yes & no.

 

All Thai ales are brewed outside Thailand due to the anti-competition laws that Thailand enjoys. There are quite a few good 'Thai' ales available, but its still more expensive than the tasteless lager crap that is manufactured in-country.

 

Have a look on Wishbeer's website. The Chalawan IPA is rather good.

 

Sent from my Cray II supercomputer

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JaseTheBass]

Putting ice in Thai beer is a must. The colder it is, the less 'flavour' it has.

Sent from my Cray II supercomputer

[geriatrickid]

Is it really a beer if it comes from one of the  main Thai producers?  Awful stuff.

 

[narkeddiver]

I like Chalawan - it's a shame that it can't be brewed locally to keep the price down

 

I also wish Chang and Singha would experiment with producing more premium beers although if I'm wishing for the impossible I might as well wish that the draconian anti-competition beer production laws were replaced with something more sensible

[Ace of Pop]

Is Beer supposed to taste nice.?.I drink it for the effect ,tastes bloody awfull compared to Vodka n Coke with some nice Pistachio Nuts.?[emoji481]


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