Thai Beer and Other Alcohol!

Though Thailand is a Buddhist country and Buddhism discourages the use of alcohol, there are 27 types of beer brewed locally and 18 imports to tempt the thirsty holidaymaker in Thailand. But be warned: most Thais drink their beer with ice, and without it they can be a little on the strong side.

Popular local Thai beers include Singha, Chang, Leo, and Tiger. For those that prefer imports you can usually find, depending on your location: Heineken (brewed locally), San Miguel, Corona, Warsteiner, Asahi, and more.

The Best of Thai Beers:

Chang Beer
This is the headbanger at 6.4% alcohol by volume, but it is palatable enough on the night even if you pay for it with a ‘Chang-over’ the next day. Chang is one of the cheapest Thai beers at around 100 Thai Baht (THB) at bars and as low as 35 THB elsewhere.

Heineken Beer
Heineken is available as a homebrew rather than an import, and is probably the cleanest tasting and not too strong at 5% alcohol. A big bottle of Heineken beer goes for over 150 THB in some bars, this is one of the most expensive beers in Thailand.

Many tourists drink only this beer as it’s familiar. The usual expat advice is to try the Thai beers because you might find one you like better.

Tiger Beer
Tiger contains a more reasonable 5% alcohol and has a slightly more refined taste than Chang. Strongly marketed in the last couple of years, Tiger beer sells for around 110 THB at tourist haunts.

Singha Beer
Thailand’s favorite is Singha, it is the most available and the one you’ll get if you just ask for ‘a beer’. One of the better quality drinks and potent enough at 6% alcohol, a large bottle of Singha beer will run about 150 THB at a resort.

Beer Lao
Deserving a special mention is an import from the country of Laos next door called, “Beer Lao”. Beer Lao’s classic 5% alcohol brew is a delicious golden brown beer that had my heart the first time I tasted it on a border run to Laos.

Beer Lao Dark is even more delicious than the regular and just might become your favorite beer in the world if you’re not careful. I say that because you’re only going to get it in limited venues across the world outside southeast Asia.

The Hard Stuff

A popular evening pastime in Thailand is to sit in front of the house with a group of friends and share a few glasses of ice,  generously topped up with the local spirits. It would be very polite to join one of these groups if invited, but getting really drunk is looked down on in Thailand.

Sang Som Rum
Sang Som is Thailand’s most popular liquor. Sang Som is distilled from sugarcane and exported to more than 20 countries worldwide. This 40% alcohol rum is often seen in plastic buckets mixed with Red Bull and cola at beach parties, but most drink it in bars with a glass of ice and coke.

Sang Thip Whiskey
Sang Thip drinkers like it cheap and slightly nasty. Sang Thip is a whiskey that’s a little rough. Wild rumors insist there are hallucinogenic ingredients added for a little extra kick. Rumors don’t stop there either. Similar to Soju in Korea, Sang Thip drinkers habitually lose memory at some point while drinking a lot of it.

Mekhong Whiskey
Mekhong looks like whiskey, but smells like something from a Home Depot. About the only way to drink this is with Coke. Mekhong Whiskey is named after a river that flows between Thailand and Cambodia.

Mekhong Whiskey is more like a rum at 35% alcohol content. It is reported to contain a clear liquid called glycerine which is used to artificially increase the alcohol content and which is known to cause blindness if consumed in large quantities.

Lao Kao
Lao Kao is taboo for foreigners. This is basically a legal rice moonshine which can be bought one glass at a time by the roadside for 5 THB, or by the bottle for 40 THB. It’s a local drink for local people and masquerades as a safe drink inside coconut shells during Songkran and other festivals. Beware the Lao Kao!

What Else Do I Need to Know?:

Alcohol is comparatively expensive due to high alcohol tax to discourage excessive consumption, supported by a ban on all alcohol advertisements which came into force in December 2006.

Still, domestic spending is increasing by around 12% each year and consumption of alcohol is a factor in some 45% of all traffic accidents.

The legal drinking age is 18 years old, and there is a strict enforcement of drinking times with bars being expected to close at 2 a.m. Also, alcohol cannot be sold by shops between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., or after midnight.Though if you do buy beer at supermarkets, you will pay a third of the price compared to a bar.

If your time in Thailand clashes with a major event such as a public holiday, election, royal birthday or religious holiday, there will be a complete ban on alcohol sales for the duration. Some planning ahead might be called for if you plan on imbibing during any such event.

Copyright ©2009 Vern Lovic, ThaiPulse.com. Publishing rights have been sold to other travel-related websites. This is the original article.

(Singha beer photo by “Photodreaming” member at Flickr.com)