Thailand's Beer Scene: What To Buy And Try

Thailand has a wide range of local and imported beers. The three most popular Thai beers are Singha, Chang, and Leo, which together occupy about 87% of the Thai beer market. Singha is the oldest beer in Thailand, dating back to 1933 or 1934, and is known for its strong malty flavour. Chang is a light pale malt with a classic lager taste and is popular with backpackers. Leo is a mid-range beer with a subtly sweet and fruity taste, and is also popular with travellers.

Other Thai beers include Archa, Phuket Lager, Thai Amarit Bangkok, Kloster, Cheers, and U-Beer. Foreign beers such as Heineken, Carlsberg, and Tiger Beer are also available but tend to be more expensive.

Singha Beer

Singha lager has an alcohol by volume (AVB) of 5%, although there is also a 3.5% light version available with a slightly bitter taste. The lager is delivered by the brewery in 30-litre barrels and has a more intense taste than the normal lager beer. Singha is typically more expensive than other Thai beer brands, costing around 37-53 THB per can or bottle in a supermarket, and 90-150 THB in small bars and restaurants.

The Singha brand is also associated with the game of mahjong, a popular pastime in Thailand.

Chang Beer

Chang is made from 100% malt barley, with rice also included in the recipe, giving the beer a distinctive taste. It is described as a European-style lager with a refreshing and balanced taste, making it easy to drink. The beer is brewed with a cold brew process, where it is filtered at sub-zero temperatures. Chang also has an espresso lager variety, which is infused with an original blend of arabica-robusta coffee beans sourced from Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

Chang is known for being very affordable, with a small can in a store costing around 33-35 THB. It is often the cheapest of the best Thai beer brands on offer, making it a popular choice for tourists and budget travellers.

Chang has an alcohol content of 5% by volume, although this can vary. Some bottles of Chang have an ABV of up to 10%, while others have less than 3%.

Leo Beer

Leo is a lager with an ABV of 5%. It is described as having a lightly sweet and grainy taste, with a smooth and pleasant finish. The aroma is malt and grassy hops, and the taste is sweet with malt, candy, and a slightly metallic flavour. It is considered an easy-drinking beer and is cheaper than Singha, but more expensive than Chang.

Leo is currently the most popular beer in Thailand, occupying about half of the local beer market. It is widely available across the country and is enjoyed by both Thais and foreigners. The brand is said to reflect the contemporary Thai character, with an easy-going personality.

Archa Beer

Archa is made from fine quality malt, rice, hops, natural water, and selected yeast. It has an alcohol content of 5% ABV, which was lowered from 5.4% in 2014. The beer has a slightly sweet taste and is known for its bubbly content, comparable to champagne. It is also said to have a grainy bitterness and sharp, biting overcarbonation.

Archa is one of the cheapest beers in Thailand, focusing on the economy market. It is available in most 7-Eleven convenience stores but is not very popular and can be difficult to find in bars due to low demand.

The name "Archa" comes from the Thai word for "horse", and the beer can be easily identified by its horse logo.

Phuket Beer

The beer has received several awards, including a gold medal in 2006 from the Monde Selection Awards—the first time a Thai beer had received this accolade. It went on to win gold medals from the same organisation every year until 2010, earning a high-quality award for its five consecutive medals.

Frequently asked questions