The Thailand expat forum for Travel, Lifestyle and Fun.

CharleyFarley

Just had my first one last week in Maesai at lunch time and thoroughly enjoyed it. Back at the village I was still on the old stuff, until today when I bought my first case of Classic. 6.4% but it still has a light refreshing taste, like what Singha was years ago, before they messed around with it.

Haven't had a session on it yet, so don't know what the hangover is like.

CharleyFarley

Noone took the bait.

I posted this just to see if anyone would say how much nicer 'classic' is.

It ain't nicer, it is exactly the same beer as before, just more nicely packaged.

Clever fukkers at Thaibev know what psychology is when it comes to marketing.

somtamslap

^ Yep, still same old chang. First time I was given one by the shopkeeper I mistook it for chang light and promptly demanded a real bottle. Good idea to change the packaging every so often, makes the consumer feel alive again.

Another first for me today was a chilli dog from 7/11..nay three bad I must say.

withnallstoke

After 6 years of drinking Chang, i have finally seen the light. I have turned into a poof and started drinking weaker beers. Don't get as pissed, but the changovers are far more bearable. Chang in large quantities definately makes me do daft stuff, although i rarely remembered the end of any heavy session. Maybe i'll try again now the label is a bit prettier.

Mad Hatter

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/DELLUS%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.png[/IMG]Please don't tell me you've turned into a POOF! For the past few weeks I have searched high and low, up hill and down dale in search of one of the most perfect beers known in the civilised world [i.e. Lancashire].

This beverage is as rare as rocking horse sh1t - it is generally sold draft in 1/2 or 1/3 pint measures, so great is its potency - and now you say you are off the strongish stuff like Chang.

Well even so I've got some in BOTTLES. I refer of course to:
ZING! BOOM! TANTANTARA!

OWD ROGER,

brewed to a recipe believed to be over 500 years old, it is Marston's award winning 7.6% strong ale. Most definitely not for poofs.

Let me know - should I drink it or if you relapsed your poofery I will cellar some for you pending my next visit to the LOS. MH.

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Honi soit qui mal y pense

Happyman

Not really a beer drinker ,but ,when I do indulge I like Chang .

When I first came to Thailand my favorite was Kloster but hav't seen it for ages.

sabang

I had a Chang the other day, by mistake actually. Nothing wrong with the taste, in fact it made a nice change from my ubiquitous Leo. But it definitely knocks you around, every beer drinker knows that. It's said to be because of the preservative they use.

I think when I just settle down for a maximum two bottles, I'll Chang it now and again for a change- but Leo will remain my safe, easy regular drink.

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Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

CharleyFarley

There is something about Leeeo that doesn't agree with me.

Glad to hear there isn't any beer snobbery around.

AntRobertson

Ahem, nowt but Heineken for me.


Actually in all seriousness I'm increasingly finding that beer, any beer, is kicking my arse. Only takes me 4 or 5 now and I wake up with a hangover.

melvbot

I spent years drinking Heineken because of a bit of beer snobbery, then I realised it had no taste and was twice the price of anything else. Oh, and its a lager, lager's for pooves.

DrAndy

That passed me by, never noticed any change

urban myth, it is just the alcohol

garye

"Bia Chang" my head is hurting just thinking about the stuff. A mere 17 or 18 years ago there was only Singha,Kloster,a little bit of Tuborg,and my favorite Amarit. Amarit was the first(I think) bottler to market "Bia Sot" (literally Fresh beer ie draught)

Blake7

As I have always maintained any beer produced in Thailand is going to give you a a headache. Note that none of these local beers - including heineken or asahi whiich is brewed in Khon kaen - has a sell by date on the bottle. All these beers are full of preservatives (some reckon formalhydryde) and as such give you a real chemicial hangover. the only answer is to drink imported beers but these are quite pricey.
Beer Lao is ok.
If I have to go local I go Leo.

sabang

So it's said, but you can certainly drink more Leo without a hangover compared to Chang & Sing. I'd say I'm living proof.

withnallstoke

Problem is, after drinking Chang, everything else is tasteless, apart from that Acah(?) which just tastes shite.. They've got guinness in cans in the local Macro, but at 195 bht a tin, i'd rather buy wine.

garye

Slightly off the subject but still related to booze....anyone know of a "real" Yaa Dong" maker.????????
Until the govt changed the rules about 10 years ago"Yaa Dong" makers distilled their own alcohol and then blended ,sometimes infused,their own special herbs etc.
Now those that are left have to use govt issue alcohol as the base,which kind of ruins the flavour,no matter how much "Naam Peung" you add.
Maybe this could be a new thread... "Yaa Dong memories and experiences ... past and present".
There must still be some(probably bootleg) real stuff out there??

withnallstoke

I will relapse and/or prolapse my poofery in order to sample once again the delights of Owd Roger. More of a barley wine style than an ale though if my alzheimers serves me correctly.

Mad Hatter

I have set aside a suitable quantity, [i.e. Thai customs legal], of this elixic beverage. You may not know but Marston's is now the official beer of England - it carries the Royal Crown and Tripple Lion motif.

It may well be like barley wine - but it comes in big 500ML bottles. Two of those and I reckon you will be anybody's / flat on your back

As an aside how does downing Owd Roger compare to your recent activity of Sheep Shagging? MH.

Rattanaburi

Wasn't Chang the product of the Thai government screwing Carlsberg back ten years ago. Carlberg left and the 'Thai' Chang emerged around then. Anyone remember this?

Nowadays, I prefer Beer Lao or Tiger. I love the local microbrewery drafts like at the Londoner. Nothing beats a local 'homemade' beer if it isn't too expensive. I'll drink Chang is that's all that is around but I never get excited about it. It's nothing special anymore. Who knows maybe it too will move on to be replaced by something a bit more popular. Was there anything before Singh beer? That was the number one beer when I got here.





Garye, As for Yaa Dong I haven't noticed any special changes for the sellers of that. You may be right but the stuff I see here on the outskirts of BKK seems the same as it has always been to me. There might have been a crack down on the homemade grain alcohol that was being made here and there. 15 years ago, I remember a Thai friend bought a plastic bag filled with this clear sparkling liquid that looked like gas line antifreeze and tasted like it. It was made locally by some woman who would sell it dirt cheap. Once was enough for that paint remover. I haven't seen it since but back then there seemed to be a lot of it kicking around up country.

garye

Many changes in the Chiang Mai area regarding Yaa Dong since my first experiences in 92.There used to be little shops everywhere,the elixir's displayed in a row in clay or silver(?) pots or tureens.A little menu would indicate which "Yaa Dong" was good for what....for heart and liver...for power and stamina....for relax and sleep well....backache....etc...etc...served in little silver cups. A "Yaa Dong" shop always looked and lit little different from a regular bar,the seating arrangments were different,it was considered a step up from a "Lao Khao "shop.
Mostly the base for the blends were homemade ,but the good makers in the north really distilled a pretty clean "everclear" kind of alcohol,unlike the rather nasty govt. issue "Lao Khao" used nowadays. Some of that stuff was really amazing hooch! Better than Jagermeister......the herbal blends were very varied,some recipes guarded secrets.
And if you drank the "make power" recipe you could get a hard on that a cat couldn't scratch or a dog couldn't chew!
lol