Craft Beer Movement in Thailand

[DonMoleon]

Here's a recent article on the Craft Beer Movement in Thailand, where I live. It also gives a bit of background on the history of brewing here and the legislative challenges brewers and distributors face when trying to enter the market.

http://www.coconutsbangkok.com/drinking ... r-culture/

As a home brewer and craft beer enthusiast, this is a very exciting time for me. For years I have had to settle for terrible local beers, or Heineken if I wanted to pay a little extra for an "import". Now I live minutes away from bars that carry well over 100 beers. Most of these beers are Belgian or German, with a few from the UK as well (cases of Fuller's London Porter are delivered to my house almost religiously), but US craft beers are beginning to make a presence.

[BeaverBarber]

Here's a recent article on the Craft Beer Movement in Thailand, where I live. It also gives a bit of background on the history of brewing here and the legislative challenges brewers and distributors face when trying to enter the market.

http://www.coconutsbangkok.com/drinking ... r-culture/

As a home brewer and craft beer enthusiast, this is a very exciting time for me. For years I have had to settle for terrible local beers, or Heineken if I wanted to pay a little extra for an "import". Now I live minutes away from bars that carry well over 100 beers. Most of these beers are Belgian or German, with a few from the UK as well (cases of Fuller's London Porter are delivered to my house almost religiously), but US craft beers are beginning to make a presence.

Craft beer bars in Thailand? I'd pay to see those bar room brawls.

[DonMoleon]

Here's a recent article on the Craft Beer Movement in Thailand, where I live. It also gives a bit of background on the history of brewing here and the legislative challenges brewers and distributors face when trying to enter the market.

http://www.coconutsbangkok.com/drinking ... r-culture/

As a home brewer and craft beer enthusiast, this is a very exciting time for me. For years I have had to settle for terrible local beers, or Heineken if I wanted to pay a little extra for an "import". Now I live minutes away from bars that carry well over 100 beers. Most of these beers are Belgian or German, with a few from the UK as well (cases of Fuller's London Porter are delivered to my house almost religiously), but US craft beers are beginning to make a presence.

Craft beer bars in Thailand? I'd pay to see those bar room brawls.

Hah, it's probably not what you'd expect. Because of the crazy import taxes craft beer is very expensive (your BrewDog beers can run well over $10 per bottle), so the clientele these places attract are typically well-off Thais and expat businessmen. If you want to see a brawl, go to a bar beer in one of the touristy areas of the city. Even then you're less likely to see a fight than you would at your average bar in the US. This is "The Land of Smiles," not "The Land of Busted Lips"

[Jack Mormon]

That's great for Thailand. I almost moved there in an alcohol infused decision when departing the Marine Corps. It was one of my favorite places to go but I have a hard time convincing my wife it was because of the beautiful beaches and amazing people. The beer was definitely lacking so I'm glad you have some ofthe good stuff now.

[chopper]

I remember gladly paying $7-$8 for a pint of guiness when I was there 12 years ago - it was at the end of a three week trip and I had had my fill of chang, singha, etc. then I found the brewpub at the airport as we were leaving and had a couple of pretty good pints as I remember for much less than the guiness. reading that article I see why the cost differential -- 400% markup just to pay the import tax and that's before any profit. yikes.

[12stones]

I drank a lot of Carlsberg and Singha in my visits there. My brother and I had fantasies of retiring from the Marines and living like kings in Thailand.

[McDougal]

I also didnt mind the Singha on my travels. But living there would be a different story. The more craft beer the better.
In Vietnam we found this amazing brewery restaurant that had some great beers and great food. The tables were all around a swimming pool and it was right on the beach. Copper kettle and large conical fermenters behind glass near the bar. Very classy.
There were a few microbreweries in Vietnam, couple of them with some pretty good beer.

[DonMoleon]

I also didnt mind the Singha on my travels. But living there would be a different story. The more craft beer the better.
In Vietnam we found this amazing brewery restaurant that had some great beers and great food. The tables were all around a swimming pool and it was right on the beach. Copper kettle and large conical fermenters behind glass near the bar. Very classy.
There were a few microbreweries in Vietnam, couple of them with some pretty good beer.

As of now there are 3 micro-breweries in Bangkok. Because of Thai laws, they can only serve in-house, no distribution allowed. The newest one is actually owned by the Singha guys, called Est. 33, which makes 3 lagers ("Black," "Copper," and "Lager"). Their website is still under development, but here are some photos:
https://www.google.co.th/search?q=est.+ ... 72&bih=493

There's also The Londoner brew pub, which makes a pilsner and a bitter, plus a mixture of the two:

http://the-londoner.com/

...finally, one of my all-time favorite places in Bangkok, "Tawandang." I make sure to take all my friends / family here when they come for their first visit tio Thailand. It's a German style brewhouse (the building is in the shape of a wooden barrel), with great Thai and Western food, live original music and performances all night, and 3 beers to choose from ("Lager," "weizen," and "dunkel"), of which you can get towers of up to 5 liters at your table. Add in Thai service (meaning your beer is re-filled for you by your personal server before you can drink half the glass), and you have an exceptional evening...

http://www.tawandang.com/eng/beer.html

I highly recommend you check this place out if you come to Bangkok. Make reservations, cause this place is packed 365.