Beer

In 1987 is was rather simple. There was Singha, Singha Gold and Kloster. Tourists, and people who thought it was important to look expensive drank Kloster. Singha Gold was about the same. And if you really loved Thailand, you drank Singha. There seemed to be Amarit, but you couldn't buy it anywhere.

But some day Carlsberg opened a brewery. Carlsberg got a part of the market, Singha en Kloster lost a part of the market. Boon Rawd Brewery, the brewers of Singha, thought they had found a solution, Singha Draft, draft beer from a can. You still can buy it, but it's no success.

You will not be surprised that Heineken followed Carlsberg. Heineken is popular, and that made Singha, Kloster and Carlsberg lose a part of the market. So Carlsberg introduces with Beer Chang, heavy and cheap. Boon Rawd had to follow, with Leo, less heavy but also cheap, and after a while Super Leo. And at the end of 1999 again with something else, Mittweida.

In 1999 Amarit introduced Black Tiger Lager, a dark beer. Not very succesfull because in 2001 we could not find it anymore.

In 2001 Boon Rawd found out that Super Leo was not the success they expected it to be. Exit Super Leo. At the same time they introduced a new brand, Super Lion, exactly the same beer as Super Leo, but a new name, a new label and new commercials.

And Heineken (brewed under supervision) followed with Amstel (brewed according to the tradition).

In the beginning of 2003 something has changed. There are some brands we didn't see anymore (don't be afraid, there is still enough beer in Thailand):
Kloster, Super Lion, Mittweide, Amstel and Singa Draft.
Some new brands were introduced, "Thai Beer" by Boon Rawd Brewery and Klassik by Amarit. Thai Beer is the new name for Super Leo and Super Lion. Klassik is not widly available, so we didn't try is yet.

In the beginning of 2004 we noticed some development on the beer market. Boon Rawd Brewery exists 70 years. To celebrate this they introduced a special beer, Singha 70. The taste is all right, not as much alcohol as ordinary Singha, it is sold in the familiar Singha bottles. The ordinary Singha beer has a new bottle, same as Heineken, not green but brown. A pity, it is now very hard to get rid of your empty bottles, nobody wants to buy them.
And we have seen Kloster Beer again, not very often, but it is still there.

In 2005 we have not paid much attention to beer. So nothing about that year. In 2006 some things have changed. Carlsberg is gone, some problems with a license. And Kloster is back, definitly. And there are a few new beers, we're not sure we mention every new beer, but we're sure we're not impressed. Asia Pacific Brewery launched Tiger Beer and Cheers Beer. San Miguel Beer (Thailand) launched Blue Ice Beer, Red Horse Beer, San Miguel and Sam Miguel Light. And another beer, Archa Beer, probably by Boon Rawd Brewery.

In supermarkets there is imported beer for sale. Often from Japan or Singapore. We don't mention that, because it's not brewed in Thailand.

What kind of beer do you have to drink when you are somewhere? The question is easy, the answer is not.
In a restaurant it's better to drink whiskey, specialy Johnny Walker Black Label or Chivas Regal. You'll get better and faster service. But if you insist, you really want beer, take expensive beer, from a foreign brewery. Don't get angry if your glas is filled with ice, that's the habbit in Thailand. And don't get angry when you regularly get a new bottle, even if you didn't ask for, that's also Thai habbit. If you want no more beer, just ask for the bill, you really won't get any more bottles.
In a bar for Thai, act the same way as in a restaurant. In a bar for tourists, you usually can ask for the beer you like most.
In food stalls along the road? They often only have one brand, so you can't choose. And if there is a choice, just take what you like.

You're still there? Now a nice overview:

Brewer	Brand	Our opinion	Price	Where to drink	Extra info
Boon Rawd Brewery	Singha	Heavy and good	Expensive	Restaurants and along the road	Also draft (from a barrel, not from a can)
	Singha Gold	Tasteless	Expensive	Restaurants
	Leo	Mild	Cheap	Along the road
	Thai Beer	Mild	Cheap	Along the road
Amarit	Kloster	Mild	Expensive	Restaurant
	Klassik
San Miguel	Kloster	Mild and good;	Expensive	Restaurant
	Beer Chang	Heavy	Cheap	Along the road
Heineken	Heineken	Mild and good	Expensive	Restaurants

To be continued.