Tag Archives: Asian beer

My Beer

My Beer

My Beer

www.singhacorporation.com/mybeer

Brewed by Singha Corporation Co. Ltd (Boon Rawd Brewery)
Style: Pale Lager
Bangkok, Thailand

My beer is manufactured in Thailand by the Singha Corporation Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of its parent company, Boon Rawd Brewery, Thai Brewery giants and kingpins. 

Review: 490ml can of My Beer 4.5% vol.

My BeerFormerly known as Singha Light, comes in cans and bottles. Mine is a none descript can, with the lettering of M-Y standing out, all very boring.

Aroma is nearly non existent, not getting much at all, just light lager aroma, malty and grainy, with corn. 

The appearance is a bit better, looks ok on the pour, some nice carbonation resulting in a nice clear golden coloured beer with a decent white creamy head. Looks good.

My BeerTypical lagery taste I am getting, ok I guess, not bad at all and pretty smooth to drink.

Grainy, malty, some fruits and light bitterness.

Slight astringent and metallic taste and a little sour but will do. 

Passable, one to drink if nothing else around. 

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Snowy Yuzu Beer

Snowy Yuzu Beer

Snowy Yuzu

www.singhacorporation.com/snowyweizen

Brewed by Boon Rawd Brewery
Style: Weissbier
Bangkok, Thailand

Snowy Yuzu BeerBoon Rawd Brewery is a Thai brewery based in Bangkok and was created in 1933 by Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi (Boonrawd Sreshthaputra). Their best-known product is the pale lager Singha, found up and down the length of Thailand and popular with ex-pats especially. Other well known beer brands it produces are Leo, U, Snow, and Asahi. It also produces soft drinks and bottled drinking water.

Review: 490ml can of Snowy Yuzu Beer 4.5% vol.

Cans that can be bought anywhere really, but always to be found in Thailand’s ever reliable 7/11’s!  Snazzy logo on the can, a bear with some tree tops or even hops on its back, who knows, but its a nice looking can all the same. 

Snowy Yuzu BeerOn cracking open the can I immediately get the smell of fruit……. very strong on the nose, coming at you straight off the bat! Of fruits and citrus.

In fact the smell is probably of the Yuzu (hence the name), a citrus fruit that looks like a small yellow orange found in China and Japan, and with a similar aroma to a lemon and a grapefruit. I don’t know but it is what I was picking up on the nose anyway. Smells a lot like a fizzy lemonade.

On appearance, it looks cloudy and hazy on the pour with a golden colour emerging, some fast and lively carbonation too.  The white head does die a death. Not a great looking beer if truth be told.

Sure enough the taste is similar to a lemonade….. overloaded with citrus and fruits why wouldn’t it be anything else! One can definitely taste the orange peels. 

A harmless drink to try, not sour or bitter or any rough tastes, generally smooth to drink albeit it is slightly sickly with all the sugar and I doubt I could drink too many without getting a little bored of it. Basically its a lemonade with some beer. It says 4.5% alcohol, but its extremely well hidden as there is no kick to this, very light to drink. 

Mild and inoffensive, like a weak shandy. Charming and perhaps interesting for a try for one or two, but nothing else. Not a great looker but drinkable if nothing better is at hand!

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Full Moon Malt Strawberry

Full Moon Malt Strawberry

Full Moon Malt Strawberry

www.fullmoonbrewwork.com

Brewed by Full Moon Brewwork (Natural Malt Brewing)
Style: Flavored – Fruit
Patong, Phuket, Thailand

Full Moon Malt StrawberryFull Moon Brewwork, opened since 2010, is a micro-brewery and restaurant situated in Patong, on the resort island of Phuket, southern Thailand. They produce German lagers, English style bitter ales, and classic Belgium “weiss”  beers amongst some more novelty brews and craft cocktails, all at the same time as running a fully functional restaurant and bar on site of their brewery. 

The artisan brewery combine traditional beer brewing methods and modern craft beer styles mixed in with local Thai influences and creativity. By adding local ingredients such as Thai GABA rice, Thai black sticky rice, and the peel of Thai tangerines, distinctive “Thai” flavours are achieved in their colourful and exciting craft beers.

Review: 490ml can of Full Moon Malt Strawberry 5% vol.

Full Moon Malt StrawberryComing in a very nice and colourful strawberry red can, doesn’t look much like a beer at all but more a can of soda. 

Like the coloured can, the beer also has a stark red appearance, but also, surprisingly I guess, a decent sized white head…. which does maintain relatively well. 

Naturally as it is a strawberry beer then of course the expected aroma is to be of strawberries, and yes that is what one gets, but its slight and a bit astringent too on the nose.

A little chemically on the nose. bit like burnt sugar and too sweet!

But overall the aroma is on the low level……not a whole lot overall to smell to be honest. 

Full Moon Malt StrawberryThe taste was disappointedly bland. For all the talk of strawberry there was not so much of that at all to savour or taste. 
A slight taste of malts but not so much. A very chemical taste as so often you can get from these kind of fruit beers, they tend to be overload with artificial sugar and sweeteners, or at least that’s what it tastes like.

Very carbonated too. Took a while to settle, giving it a very bubbly and fizzy taste.

Taste more carbonated , bubbly in taste. Overall not very good at all. Very artificial and chemical.  Forgettable, sorry to say.  

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Red Horse Beer

Red Horse Beer

Red Horse 

www.sanmiguelbrewery.com

Brewed by San Miguel Brewery
Style: Strong Pale Lager
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Red Horse BeerRed Horse Beer is an extra-strong lager brewed by the San Miguel Brewery from Manila in the Philippines. 

San Miguel beer was first produced by La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel, a small brewery in the Philippines, which began its activity in 1890. In 1963 the brewery was renamed San Miguel Corporation to today where it is Southeast Asia’s largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 18,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific. It is also among the fastest growing conglomerates in the world with key investments and new business ventures in fuel and oil, aviation, energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, mining, properties and banking.

San Miguel is the undisputed leader in its home market Philippines, with over a 90% market share domestically for beer. The brewing division operate six breweries in the Philippines and plants in Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. San Miguel is also exported to over 60 countries worldwide and they produce a wide variety of beers, from the usual glut of lagers to fruit flavoured beers, to the non alcoholic beer varieties, to standardized soft drink fruit and cola beverages. 

Red Horse BeerNow I am sure you are thinking you drank plenty of San Miguel on a beach in sunny Spain. Yes there is a relationship between this brand and the one in Espana. 
As part of its overseas expansion, San Miguel began its foray into the Spanish market in 1953, setting up the company which would later become San Miguel Spain. In the early 1950s, Enrique Suárez Rezona, Ramón Vidal and Jaime Muñiz from the medicinal company, La Segarra, made contact with Andrés Soriano, then president of San Miguel Brewery, to allow them to produce beer under the San Miguel name in Spain. In 1953, San Miguel Brewery, Inc. signed the “Manila Agreement”, with the Philippine brewer setting up a new Spanish brewery, La Segarra, S.A.. The company would later be renamed San Miguel Fábricas de Cerveza y Malta, S.A. in 1957, an affiliate of San Miguel Brewery, Inc. which initially held 20% equity share via its Hong Kong subsidiary.
The company was acquired by Mahou, S.A. from Groupe Danone in 2000, combining to form Spain’s largest brewer, the Mahou-San Miguel Group. On 26 February 2014, San Miguel and Mahou-San Miguel signed a co-operation agreement to promote jointly San Miguel Beer and expand its global footprint. All a little confusing, just better to think of them as two competitive brothers fighting on the same team, the global club of beer drinkers.

Review: 330ml bottle of Red Horse Beer: 8.0% vol.

First brew from the Philippines, lets see how it goes. Comes in a nice bottle with the logo of a red horse, bit of a retro look to it. 

Red Horse is San Miguel’s high alcohol beer brand. Introduced in 1982, its extremely popular in the Philippines, can be found in cans and bottles, and pretty much about everywhere and anywhere in the country, on tap and can even be served in buckets!

The alcohol by volume differs depending on region, with the export version for international drinkers coming out at a high 8%, while it is 6.9%. for the home market. Either way its marketed as “Extra Strong”

On pour it is flat, no carbonation resulting in no head and a golden colour, a very flat terrible looking effort here on the eye……

Getting a hoppy smell on the nose, its not strong and pretty faint overall, but its there. Getting the earthy hops and the sweet fresh grains….

Onto the taste, first impressions are good, tastes not too bad. Has a bit of a tangy taste with the hops and there is some character there alright.

Hoppy and with dark fruits detected in the initial few mouthfuls. Also getting a sweet corn flavour coming out too. Full bodied. Barley malts, hops, sweet. 

Has some interesting flavours and a unique taste but cant say it is winning me over. Doesn’t overly excite, but for an Asian beer its a very good effort. 

Not much from the bottle which is always annoying, not much at all.

Might be a nice beer to sip at a bar on a beach in the Philippines, like all these exotic beers tend to be. Not bad really, not sure what I think of it to be honest, it was ok I guess. Not something I would buy again in a hurry as it wasn’t as smooth as it should be, that with the high alcohol content, but as I said, for an Asian beer and half way around the world, it isn’t too bad.

It is a cheap beer from Asia that has some flavours and a taste to it, is not overly offensive and for that alone it is impressive. Might try again…..

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Leo Beer

Leo Beer

Leo Beer

www.boonrawd.co.th

Brewed by Boon Rawd Brewery
Style: Pale Lager
Bangkok, Thailand

Leo BeerMade by Boon Rawd Brewery, a well-known Thai brewery and beverage company founded by entrepreneur Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi (Boonrawd Sreshthaputra, his birth name), the county’s first brewery. Boonrawd toured Germany and Denmark to learn how beer was made. On his return, he constructed his brewery in 1933, and the first bottles rolled off the assembly line in 1934. The brewery remains under the management of his descendants, who use Bhirom Bhakdi as their family name.

The Garuda on the bottle’s neck of their Singha brand shows Boonrawd Brewery’s royal approval, which is granted only to companies with a long-standing favorable reputation. It received this on 25 October 1939, by a royal warrant signed by King Rama VII’s Regent. Boon Rawd is the only brewery in Thailand to receive such a right.

The brewery produces a variety of beers, soft drinks and bottled drinking water and their best known product is the pale lager, Singha. Other well known brands include Leo, U, Snow, and Asahi. Roughly ten percent of its production is exported.

Review: 330ml bottle of Leo Beer: 5.0% vol.

In cans and bottles.

Leo Beer, very cool logo, it’s a leopard though and not a lion which is slightly confusing for me, since Leo is the star sign with the zodiac symbol of a lion, bit silly, unless it means something different in Asia. Says on the bottle that the major Thai beer conglomerate, Singha corporation co. Ltd, own this brew. 

Leo BeerThe colour is a pale golden yellow with a small white head, that does die a death very quick. Some carbonation and the general look is ok.

Lovely aroma on the nose, a nice beery smell, a little sweet but nice, even if its a little faint. Sweet corn, the hops and yeast and mild grains……

A lager taste is there for sure, but on the low level, watered down and with minimal hop presence. Light grains and that’s about it really.

Also a bit raw and a slight astringent aftertaste.

Not nice, no flavours and not smooth or crisp enough to be enjoyed. A nothing beer.

Rubbish beer, forgettable, tasteless, not enjoyable, I will pass on this……

Have tried Chang and Singha Premium and I have to say this is also a Thai beer that doesn’t do it for me. Perhaps it’s better in Thailand, but I can only go on what I get in the local off license and this beer is pretty tasteless, typical of Asian beers in general. 

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Saigon Export

Saigon Export

Saigon Export

http://www.saigon-beer.co.uk/products

Brewed by Sabeco/Saigon Beer Company 
Style: Rice Lager
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Saigon ExportSaigon Export beer is the only authentic Vietnamese beer brewed in Vietnam and sold in the UK and in the US. Brewed by Vietnam’s Saigon Beer Company ( “Saigon Alcohol Beer and Beverages Corporation” or its abbreviation of “Sabeco”), based in the southern city of Ho Chi Minh City (or the old name “Saigon”). Sabeco is Vietnam’s leading beer producer, and is state owned under the authority of Vietnam’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. Its main brands are Saigon Beer and 333 Beer, and it has about 50% of the market share of the country. 

Review: 355ml Bottle of Saigon Export: ABV: 4.9%

Saigon ExportThere is some rice in this with a dab of malt, or so they say….. 

On pour, we get a nice clear light golden colour, looks fantastic, bubbling along with some decent carbonation.
A nice decent frothy white head that sticks around, a small bit of lacing. A good looking beer……………

On the nose I get a lovely beery smell, very piercing aroma of the rice but nice, with traces of lemon. Not a bad aroma…….

On taste, actually not much to taste at all, very very watery.

Saigon ExportA bit hoppy, with a light bitter aftertaste, but its slight.

Very watery, did I say how watery it is!

Cant really taste the alcohol…..but on second thoughts I did find some alcohol and tastes of grain in the second bottle….. 

Overall not great, a pretty shit light bodied beer…..and I found it hard to drink it…..its not terrible, just nothing to hold it all together…some flavour or tastes would be nice, instead of water masquerading as a beer………

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Singha Premium Import

Singha Premium Import 

http://www.singhabeer.com

Brewed by Boon Rawd Brewery Co., Ltd 
Style: Premium Lager
Bangkok, Thailand

Singha Premium ImportSingha is a 5% abv pale lager produced by the Boon Rawd Brewery in Bangkok, Thailand. 

A popular beer in Thailand, brewed since the 1930’s, it has a big rivalry with Chang to see who has the number one spot in the country. Singha is generally considered to be a bit more upmarket than the cheaper Chang beer. 

Singha Premium ImportLike Chang, Singha is easy to get in Thai and Asian restaurants and supermarkets all across Europe. 

The Singha is a powerful mythological lion, found in ancient Indian, Hindu and Thai stories. 

Anyway about the only thing interesting about this beer is that the one and only Shane MacGowan did a song about Singha beer….”Singha beer don’t ask no questions; Singha beer don’t tell no lies”.

Review: 330 ml Bottle of Singha Premium Import: ABV: 5%

Singha Premium ImportThe bottle top has Singha’s dragon logo which looks pretty cool and there is a yellow lion on the front of the bottle. We are also told that this is “The original Thai beer since 1933.”

On pour we get a light gold looking beer, very clear, that produces a massive frothy white head which eventually flattens afterwards to die out. It is very fizzy and lively, a lot of carbonation.

Singha Premium ImportNo lacing but a perfectly clear looking beer….

Has a very nice beery smell, faint but pleasant. Of grains, light malts and lager hops. Ok…….

The taste is a bit sweet at the start…….caramel and malt sweetness.

Bitter after taste, which is a little strong, a little too hoppy.

It is sessionable alright, but there really isn’t a whole lot of good tastes in the beer.

Could work as a session beer, but might get sickly after a while, can taste a bit like washing up liquid if you ask me……not a great beer overall. 

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Sapporo Premium Beer, Japans oldest brand since 1876

Sapporo Premium Beer  

http://sapporobeer.com/

Brewed by Sapporo Breweries Ltd
Style: Japanese Rice Lager
Tokyo, Japan

Japanese beer, Sapporo Premium Beer, Sapporo Breweries Ltd, Seibei NakagawaNot the first Japanese beer I have had, that honour goes to Kirin Ichiban, but it is always interesting to grab a beer from the far east. Sapporo, the oldest beer brand in Japan and one of its most popular, was first brewed in Sapporo city, way back in 1876 by the German-trained brew master Seibei Nakagawa for the Kaitakushi Brewery (became Sapporo Beer Company in 1886).  A high quality lager, using some of the locally produced beer ingredients and authentic brewing process, made the beer an instant success, not just in Sapparo, but throughout all the country. The company now has five breweries in Japan, one in both Canada, and the U.S, and Sapporo Premium has been the number 1 selling Asian beer in the States.

The iconic star, that you can see on the silver can, represents the spirit of the early beer pioneers of Sapporo. This pioneering spirit continues at Sapparo as, in 2006, the company created a one off limited Space Barley brew. Using barley grown from seeds which spent five months on board the International Space Station, they auctioned off six packs of the space beer at a price of 10,000 yen, or about $90/£62.

Review: Can of Sapporo Premium Beer: ABV: 4.9%

Japanese beer, Sapporo Premium Beer, Sapporo Breweries Ltd, Seibei NakagawaComing in a very distinctive shiny silver can, it certainly stands out in the off licence.

Appearance: The appearance was of a lovely clean looking golden yellow colour, with a pretty good white frothy head on pour
Head does die a little, no real lacing
Nice carbonation, bubbling along throughout.
Is definitely a nice looking beer, even if the head is non existent.

Aroma: Not trying to be funny but thought it smelt of shite, ha ha, now I know that’s obviously the sweet rice mixed around with the hops, grains and sweet malts. but Jesus I didn’t like the smell one bit at all, very stinky smell, bit of a generic beer smell too, Japanese style, but not very appealing.

Japanese beer, Sapporo Premium Beer, Sapporo Breweries Ltd, Seibei NakagawaFaint initial taste of the malts , not much to saviour, but very clean and smooth, very easy to drink

Taste only really kicks in at the back end, with the rice and the grassy hops kicking in

Has a slight kick to it alright, can definitely feel the alcohol, sweet and bitter, but not overbearing.

Ok beer, not a bad beer, nothing offensive, not much taste, but very smooth and easy to drink, but it would be nice to actually taste some real flavours…….something……anything at all….come on! And not just a bland generic taste of nothingness

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lion strong beer, sri lanka

Lion Strong Beer

Lion Strong Beer

http://lionbeer.com/

Brewed by Ceylon / Lion Brewery Limited 
Style: Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager
Biyagama, Sri Lanka 

A beer from Sri Lanka? Now there is a novelty. And the beer bottle looks enticing too. A big lion on the bottle looking angrily at me, “buy me, roar!

Lion beer

Lion beer

Lion Brewery is a Sri Lankan owned and operated brewery that produces Lion Lager, a bestseller in both Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Lion Strong BeerThe Ceylon/Lion Brewery was the first brewery established in Sri Lanka. In 1849, Samuel Baker, the famous British explorer and officer, set up a small brewery mainly to cater for the local expats and other well to do types who were making their money on the tea plantations in the beautiful cool climate of Nuwara Eliya, with its perfect natural spring water. It was only until 1881 that the brewery started to get serious and began brewing on a commercial basis, with the Ceylon Brewery Company officially taking over the operations.
In 1993, the Ceylon Brewery was took over by Carson Cumberbatch & Co Ltd, a diversified group of Sri Lankan businesses. This group turning the brewery into Sri Lanka’s leading beer brand. This success didn’t go unnoticed and in 1996 the Carlsberg Group acquired a 25% share in the brewery.
To note, the company is called Lion Brewery, with the Ceylon Brewery remaining as a holding company.

Also the brewery now has its headquarters and operates out of the town of Biyagama, just outside the capital Colombo, with the Nuwara Eliya operations now closed.

The brewery rules Sri Lanka with an impressive 82% of the market share, and apart from the extra strong lager they also produce a regular lager and a stout. Lion can be bought in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia amongst others.

Review: Bottle of Lion Strong Lager  8.80% ABV

A Gold medal winner in 2012 from the Monde Selection, the Michelin Guide version of beer, the lager came in some pretty impressive imagery, the bottle showing a very intimidating lion face. I guess signifying strength and prowess. Perhaps his name is Cecil?

Lion Strong BeerOn Pour we have a dark golden colour,  with a nice sized white head that dissipates quick enough, leaving pretty good lacing . Looks decent, like a proper beer.

Got a very fruity aroma, an apple and a lot of sweet smelling malts. The smell was quite strong, all that fruit!

For a lager that is 8.8%, it was very well hidden, not feeling the true strength at all.

There is a very fruity taste to this beer, very overpowering. The taste lingers in the mouth, very sweet with a good grain taste. Some bitterness in the aftertaste.

Interesting beer alright, could actually be a decent session beer considering the ABV. as it was very easy to drink. I had four of them, and was fine! (I think!).

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Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited, 青岛啤酒股份有限公司,German style Chinese lager, Qinqdao

Tsingtao Beer, China’s most famous beer

Tsingtao Beer 

https://www.tsingtaobeer.com/

www.tsingtao-beer.co.uk

Brewed by Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited 青岛啤酒股份有限公司
Style: Premium Lager
Qinqdao, China

We all love to have a Chinese after a few beers, nothing better. But how many of you have actually dared to try out the  beers that you might have noted behind the counter? Or did you even notice in your hazy intoxicated state that there is indeed some fine Chinese beer available and all you had to do was ask!

Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited, 青岛啤酒股份有限公司,German style Chinese lager, Qinqdao

Waiting for an ass (bus)

It’s funny we all know about the wonder of MSG laden Chinese dishes, but I have never really seen anyone drink Chinese beer. I myself only know about some of the Chinese beer brands because I lived and worked in China for a few years back in the day, and got a taste for the local brews.

But yes China does have some decent beers, and the most widely known of them (at least to the beer connoisseur and the backpacker) is Tsingtao beer from the lovely seaside city of Qingdao (same pronunciation, the beer has the English spelling, the city the Chinese version!), situated in Shandong province.

The brewery in Qingdao dates way back to 1903, founded jointly by some German and British settlers, and even today uses the same unique processes and yeast strains as was used over 100 years ago.

Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited, 青岛啤酒股份有限公司,German style Chinese lager, Qinqdao

China’s finest beer

Tsingtao Beer is a well-hopped typical pilsner of 4.7%. Brewed using a combination of the best yeast and barley from around the world, and, of course, rice which you would expect as it’s China after all! To round everything off fresh spring water from the famous Laoshan Mountains is added. The Laoshan Mountains are said to be the birthplace of Taoism.

The brewery also produces a number of other beers, mostly for the local market, but it’s Tsingtao Beer that accounts for most of the brewery’s production.
First exported in 1954, the Tsingtao brand is now sold in over 60 countries and regions around the world and accounts for more than 50% of China’s beer exports.

Of course Tsingtao is ideal when having a meal, so why not give it a try next time you are sitting down to some noodles, Spring Rolls, dumplings, or even that traditional Chinese favourite, curry chips!

Review: Bottle of Tsingtao Beer: 4.7%ABV

Tsingtao, the German style Chinese lager, with great flavors, a smooth taste and which is always recommended when eating Asian food.

Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited, 青岛啤酒股份有限公司,German style Chinese lager, Qinqdao

Smooth

It comes in a lovely looking green bottle with a distinctive logo. I guess its the Chinese writing that attracts, also there looks to be a picture of the brewery overlooking a river, which I’m guessing is meant to signify the water from the Laoshan Mountain

A decent looking beer which has a clear yellow appearance, with a good nice frothy head, that unfortunately doesn’t stick around too long.

Loved the smell. Was pretty strong. Pure acidity, malts, skunk, and of course the rice, all combining to give a very sharp alcohol aroma.

The initial taste was quite strong, a little sour, and thereafter some malts and hay, a bit grainy with the rice making an appearance. A nicely balanced beer, not overbearing, with a lot of subtle flavours. Not much in the aftertaste, but overall this beer was very smooth, and not at all heavy. The crisp and refreshing taste makes this one of the most sessionable lagers you can find in my opinion.  I like Tsingtao Beer, its not going to get you wasted, but you can drink a lot of them without having to worry too much about the night, or indeed not expect a bad hangover.

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