Beer in Thailand

Various brands of Thailand's craft beer

Beer in Thailand was first brewed in 1933 when a licence was granted to the Boon Rawd Brewery, which still produces Thailand's best-known lager, Singha (pronounced "sing"), sold in standard (5 percent ABV), light (4.5 percent ABV), and draught versions.[1]

Singha's largest competitor is Chang beer, made by Thai Beverages, whose sponsorship of Everton F.C. saw its name and logo appear on the team's kit from 2004 to 2017.

The Thai Asia Pacific Brewery (TAPB) has brewed Heineken at its Nonthaburi plant since 1995, as well as Tiger, Cheers, and Cheers X-Tra (6.5 percent ABV). It is the Thai importer of Guinness and Kilkenny.[2]

Boon Rawd Brewery also makes Leo, a standard lager, and Thai Beverages Archa, a mass-market, non-premium lager. Boon Rawd Brewery also sold a global brand called Mittweida, but this was replaced by a beer brewed in partnership with InBev, Kloster. It also sells a 6.5 percent lager called Thai Beer.

Other Thai beers are Phuket Beer and Siam, both in Pathum Thani Province. Siam Beer exports Bangkok Beer abroad, but does not sell it in Thailand. Phuket Beer and Federbräu are the only Thai beers brewed in accordance with the German purity law, the Reinheitsgebot. Phuket Lager received the first gold medal ever for a beer from Thailand at the 2006 Monde Selection Awards.[3] Klassik beer is another local beer brewed in Pathum Thani Province.

Foreign beers are not very popular in Thailand, mainly because the government protects its domestic breweries by the imposition of import duties up to 60 percent.[4] In addition, all imported beer must bear an import sticker on the bottle cap. As a result, Thai brewers have entered into partnerships with Western brewers, such as Carlsberg's with Thai Beverages and Asahi's with Boon Rawd.

  1. ^ "Beer and Alcohol Products". Singha Corporation Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Background". Thai Asia Pacific Brewery. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Phuket Beer Asian beer brand" (PDF). Phuket Magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 16 Mar 2015.
  4. ^ Itthipongmaetee, Chayanit (22 January 2017). "THAI CRAFT BEER'S NEW STRATEGY: KEEP BREWING UNTIL LAW CATCHES UP". Khaosod English. Retrieved 24 January 2017.