Thai Beer brands

Thai Beer brands test

Nothing is more important than a good glass of beer especially when you're in Thailand relaxing on the beach. Basically every beer is available somewhere in a specialized bar but since you probably don't go to the same bar all the time lets discuss the most widely available beers in Thailand meaning you should be able to buy them at any 7-eleven.

There are two major Thai brewers; Singha and Chang, Singha also has a cheaper brand named Leo. Furthermore there are the international brands Heineken and Tiger brewed by Thai Asia Pacific Breweries. They recently introduced a new lower market beer named Cheers.

Singha Beer

Singha is the oldest Thai beer and used to have a 80 percent market share until Chang came along. The white and gold can looks nice with a sign of a lion, the color of the beer can be said to be medium yellow and there are sufficient bubbles in there. The taste is really "normal" meaning it could go for almost any other brand you know and there is no specific character for this beer.

Look: A golden lion, cool!	Price: Average
Taste: Beer taste	Status: Good
Alcohol: 6%	In Thai: Bia Sing
Overall: It's BEER!!

Chang Beer

Now this is what I call beer, weighing in at 6.4 percent alcohol it's nice and strong. The can shows 2 elephants but the colors look a little bit cheap. The color of the beer itself is a bit darker than usual what probably explains the bitterness and strong taste. The get drunk quick factor combined with their low prices has made Chang one of the most popular beers in Thailand. In high class bars people frown upon it though so it won't be sold in there but the criteria here was 7-Eleven availability.

Look: Elephants, fun!	Price: Cheap!
Taste: Strong and bitter	Status: Bad
Alcohol: 6.4%	In Thai: Bia Chaaang
Overall: We have a winner!

Leo Beer

Singha's second brand aimed at the lower end of the market and they made it taste like this! Adding as many bubbles as possible to hide the real taste (watery and chemical) does not fool us (I'm not that drunk yet)! Perfect however for getting those nasty stains out of your carpet and removing dirt from your windshield.

Look: A Panther?	Price: Cheap!
Taste: Soda water	Status: Bad
Alcohol: Is there any? 5.5%	In Thai : Bia Leeohh
Overall: Boooohhh

Heineken Beer

You probably all know the taste of this one, Heineken is promoted as a premium brand and became extremely popular mainly because of their excellent marketing. It is actually classified as a local beer since it's brewed locally under the name of Thai Asia Pacific Breweries.

Look: Green like grass	Price: Expensive
Taste: Good	Status: Excellent
Alcohol: 5%	In Thai: Bia Heineken
Overall: A fine beer

Cheers Beer

A newcomer on the Thai beer market brewed by Thai Asia Pacific Breweries meant to get a share of the lower end market. The taste is not bad at all although opinions differ, smooth, sweet or fruity are terms to describe it probably. It could remind you of white beer like the Belgium brand"Hoegaarden" The can looks simple, bright blue with Cheers on it. I agree, why all these difficult names? Cheers mate!

Look: Blue Blue Blue	Price: Cheap
Taste: Sweet, fruity	Status: Unknown yet
Alcohol: 5.6%	In Thai: Bia Cheers
Overall: You either like it or not

Tiger Beer

A couple of years ago Tiger was bought by Thai Asia Pacific breweries and now serves as their middle market beer. Another one with a predator on the can, it seems to go well with the Thai public. The beer itself is a little bit more bitter than Heineken but not as bitter as Chang. I find hangovers from this beer to be the worst so be careful.

Altogether Chang is the best choice if you want to try a Thai beer as it has a nice strong taste, is cheap and gets you drunk quickly due to the higher alcohol percentage. Cheers is a good runner up with it's distinct taste that will keep you puzzled for a minute before you decide if you like it or not.

Look: Tigerblue	Price: Average
Taste: Weird aftertaste	Status: Normal
Alcohol: 5%	In Thai: Bia Tigehhh
Overall: Not spectacular

Thai Whiskey

Besides getting drunk on beer you could also be brave an surrender yourself to a good bottle of Thai "whiskey" God knows why they call it whiskey as in fact it is just a cheap kind of rum. Most popular (and infamous) are Sangsom and Mekong, both available at any 7-11 in either a small bottle around 100 Baht or a larger one around 300 Baht. One of these bottles is all you need, make sure to mix it well with plenty of soda and coke as taste was not the brewers priority.