The Three Main Thai Beers in Thailand

Now as this is a personal blog and as this is about the beer in Thailand, so this is about my personal tastes of the beer when I was in Thailand a year or two ago, you may disagree, but so be it.

CHANG BEER
My favourite beer is Chang beer, you will recognise it as it has two elephants on the green label. Chang means Elephant and the chiang in Chiang Mai does not mean anything, just like Bangkok does not mean anything either it’s just a name. So they may sound the same to the European ear they are different.

Chang beer comes is various sized bottles, from the 640ml and 330ml n the bottles and 500ml and 330ml in the cans. I find that Chang beer has a cleaner, smoother stronger flavour with more taste. There is an urban myth that Chiang beer is made from formaldehyde, which is totally not true.

Chang beer also comes in three different types:-
Classic, 6.4%proof, (My favourite) which is the green and gold label and a green label on the top of the bottle neck. The can is green and gold in colour. I find this a refreshing drink, and cannot be beaten, cold on a hot humid day.
Export, 6% proof, and comes in a white and gold label with the word Classic on the label and a gold label on the top of the bottle neck. The can is gold and silver in colour. I find this beer very happy and filling and could not drink a lot of it compared to the classic.
Draft, 5% proof, this comes, well in draft as well as the normal size bottles and cans. The cans and bottles are in the green and silver label and a silver label on the top of the bottle neck. The can is silver in colour. The proper draft is great cold and goes wonderful with Thai food, unsurprisingly.
Chang Light, 4.2% proof and comes in a green and gold label but with a green label in the neck of the bottle. It says it a light, so be aware, light normally means reduced alcohol content, but 4.2% in the UK and in the States is still higher than most beers, so do not get confused by the word light.

SINGHA BEER ( Pronounced Sing)
Singha, a Thai mythical creature in the form of a Lion has been a part of Thai history and nation for as long as anyone can remember. In actuality, it is an animal regarded as King of the Jungle. it has been the only beer allowed to display the Royal Thai Garuda symbol on its neck

 

This beer is refreshing and goes well with your Thai food, its available in the UK as well as the States. So give it a try as see for yourself.

Singha beer 5% proof and is in a white label with the gold animal called Singha on the front. It comes in large bottle 640 ml. Medium bottle 500 ml. (Bottle return) Small bottle 330 ml. Small can 330 ml.

Singha Light 3.5% Comes in a 33ml bottle and a 330 can and has the word light in blue across the container.

LEO BEER

Leo Beer is 5% proof. After the two big Thai beers comes Leo. Leo is the favorite Thai beer of many expats because it is not too sweet and not too dry. Its brewed in the same factory as Singha Beer. Leo can sometimes be hard to find at many popular tourist bars since its brewers want to promote Singha, and not it’s cheaper little brother The bottles and cans have the picture of a have the Large bottle 630 ml. Small bottle 330 ml. Small can 330 ml.

There are other beers available in Thailand so I am sure you can find your favourite tipple. I love Guinness in some pubs but it is very expense.

BEER GIRLS

You will find these lovely ladies in some restaurants, their sole duty is to sell their companies beer. You can find several girls from different companies all with the sole purpose of selling as much of their beer as possible.

When we went to a restaurant we were greeted by tho ladies one from Chang and the other from Leo, well we decided to take the Chang beer, so from that point one, these ladies ( There will most likely be more than one) will come over and refill your glasses. Its wonderful, you drink away and before you know it these attentive lovelies will keep you well watered. All you have to do is ask and more beer is on its way. So be on the look out for these ladies , they are pretty and very friendly.

BEER and ICE

When you ask for a beer in Thailand, you will get the beer and along with it lots of ice. There are several problems with this , apart from keeping your wonderful brew cold and refreshing, it has a few down points.

1)  If you are in a chilled mood and just having a beer to relax or keep cool, and you drink in a leisurely pace, well you may find that your tasty beer is now mainly water. So if the bottle is nice and cold, just ask for no ice and they will oblige, and if it needs filling, then ask for ice. This way your beer will be nice and fresh.

2)  If you go to some off the route restaurant, ask if the ice is bought and not made on site . The water in Thailand is drinkable, but sometime it does upset the tourists tummy, so be aware. The ice is normally in repacked bags so it’s not normally a problem but something to be aware of, not just for the beer but in all drinks.

Below are a few typical pictures of these beer ladies, they were various different outfits, and normally short skirts. They obviously hope that they will see more of their beer if they do that. How narrow-minded they must think we men are, only ordering a beer from the prettiest and the one with the shortest skirt.