Pop
into a bar in Bangkok and ask what type of beer they
have. The answer, invariably, will be Chang, Singha,
Carlsberg, Heineken, and, if you're lucky, a imported
German lager. The variety of beers at the local market
isn't much better.
Given the selection available, it isn't hard to determine
that Thai drinkers prefer inexpensive, light, lager
beers with relatively high alcohol content. Expatriate
imbibers of Thai beers, who haven't already designated
themselves Chang or Singha drinkers, are wary of the
Thai alternatives: e.g. Leo, Thai, and Klassic; beers
which seem generally cheap and inferior.
But certainly all beers are not created equal. Given
the overwhelming "similarity" of the brands available
here and the fact that most drinkers are hesitant
to experiment with some unfamiliar brands, I assembled
a panel of international judges for a beer tasting
and a few nights of brewery-hopping. What I discovered
was that although people often drink the beer they
think is the best, other beers are quite under-rated
and unappreciated. We also all discovered that there
actually are more than a few good beers available
throughout the city.
The Blind Tasting
Our international panel consisted of a Canadian, an
American, a Thai, a Chinese, and a German. I selected
14 different lagers (6 Thai brands, 4 Thai brewed
"imports*", and 4 imports) and, without providing
the judges with the names of the brands they were
about to taste, subjected them to a grueling 3 hours
of head to head blind tasting. The contenders: Singha,
Chang, Thai, Singha Gold, Klassik, Leo, Carlsberg(Denmark*),
Heineken(Holland*), Kloster(Germany*), Asahi(Japan*),
Budweiser (USA), Grolsch (Holland), Victoria Bitter(Australia),
and San Miguel(Philippines).
Notable first round losers: Budweiser and Singha
Pitting the best selling beers in America and Thailand
against each other produced interesting results. Prior
to the tasting, our lone Thai judge had selected Budweiser
as his all-time favorite beer. In voting, he was the
only one to select it (notably, with his highest overall
rating). Our Canadian judge, perhaps aware of the
joke relating Budweiser to sex in a canoe, actually
exclaimed "This isn't beer! It's water!" Chang 4 -
Budweiser 1.
In a contest I had originally felt to be a mere formality,
Thai beer, a relative new-comer to Thailand's beer
scene, upset veteran Singha 3-2. Again, our Thai judge
favored his pre-tasting designated favorite, a trend
that repeated itself throughout the judging, with
each taster voting in line with his or her previously
indicated favorites. Notable comment: "Drinking beer
'B' (Singha) made me seriously question my decision
to participate tonight."
Other results from round one, based on an overall
score from each judge regarding appearance, smell,
mouthfeel, and taste: Asahi 4 - Singha Gold 1, Carlsberg
4 - Klassik 1, Grolsch 4 - Kloster 1, San Miguel 4
- Leo 1, Heineken 2.5 - V.B. 2.5 (both beers advanced
to the second round.)
The Finals
The final round saw upstart Thai beer edge Chang 2
- 1, with two draws, establishing it as the night's
champion of Thai brewed beer. Heineken was voted best
of the European brews, in a close contest against
imported Grolsch, 3 - 2. Victoria Bitter routed Carlsberg
5 -1 to lay claim to best new beer on the block. And
San Miguel and Asahi played out to a 2-2-1 draw.
After hours of drinking Heineken, VB, Chang and the
like, everyone was starting to admit that it was getting
difficult to tell which beer tasted better than another.
Looking for a little variety, we decided to check
out the local brew-pubs.
