Not sure about that but I don’t think I’ve ever posted anything on here about Thai beer before.

Back in the states I pretty much just drank Corona Light and had a squirter of lemon juice to tang it up. The taste is very light, and if the bottles haven’t been sitting out in the sun before they make it to the bar or restaurant the beer is very clean tasting. I’ve had sewer water Coronas too – but that’s for another article.

Thai beer is strong stuff. Typical alcohol in Thai beer is 5.5% – 7%. Typical beer in the USA has 2.2 to 3.5%. Thais drink their beer with ice – as it mellows the flavor – and keeps it ice cold. Both of these are appreciated… it’s often over 90 degrees F at night in Bangkok, so one gets used to ice in their beer after a while. I finally did about 2 years into my stay. Waitresses add it to the mug anyway – without asking, figuring ‘everyone loves ice in their beer’.

Eventually I think nearly everyone gets used to it. Thai beer is a little harsh. That extra alcohol has the effect of turning beer into somewhat of an industrial pain remover or something. When I first arrived in Thailand I wasn’t too keen on the beer. I never used the word ‘keen’ either. Thailand changes you. Now I really enjoy one of the Thai beers that at first I didn’t enjoy at all. Beer Leo. This is one of the cheapest beers at 35 baht per big bottle – about two twelve-ouncers. If I drink one I’m fine for a couple hours.

Here are some of the Thai beers and what I think of them:

Singha – the national beer it appears. Expats like this one. It’s a little more expensive than the others. It has a decent taste – with ice.

Chang – means elephant. A harsh beer you must have with ice. I had Chang draught (draft) before and it was VERY good. In bottles or cans it’s not so great. Highest alcohol content. Thais prefer this one.

Beer Leo – pretty good. I still need ice for it.

Beer Lao – awesome. Comes in two varieties – pale and dark. No ice needed or recommended. Both are my favorite beers of all time. Yes, this comes from Laos and I have it when I run across the border to renew my Thai visa. Highly recommended. Sometimes in Thailand the beer has been overheated and it tastes horrible. Best to get right across the border at Chong Mek as there is a Beer Lao brewery just a few kilometers from there. Awesome beer!

If you see Thai beer in a Thai restaurant in the states or wherever you are in the world – give it a try and let us know what you think!

Cheers!

(Photo credits: Singha Beer – Flickr.com user, AndyLawson; Beer Lao – Flickr.com user, Asia Edit. Thanks much!)

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Sawasdee Ka!

We decided to give away one of our eBooks for free when you purchase the original 101 page Thai food ebook.

Order Joy’s Thai Food Recipe Ebook here!

If you don’t know what an e-book is, it’s simply a Word file with photos and nice formatting converted into an Adobe PDF format that you can read on your computer, PDA, phone, or maybe even your watch. It makes the files easy to read on electronic readers too – you may have heard about Microsoft’s and Amazon’s new readers. They are e-book readers designed specially for reading e-books.

We are giving away a sample PDF file of the first 11 pages of Joy’s Thai Food Recipe eBook below. When you order you’ll receive 2 more free ebooks as well as a Buddhist pendant for your necklace and either two Buddhist bracelets or stickers.

Joy’s Thai Food Recipe E-book Sample, 11 pages, fully illustrated, fully FREE! This is to give you an idea what you’re getting. But there’s more…

If you order the above book you’ll get 2 more eBooks free:

• Joy’s Top 20 Thai Desserts eBook – 42 pages of the best desserts Thailand has to offer!
• Thai Photo Journal – a personal look at some of the amazing Thailand experiences we’ve shared.

and, a Buddhist pendant to wear on your necklace…

and, two woven Buddhist bracelets or stickers (you choose)…

Order here!

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Thai Iced Coffee! Gafe Yen! (a Thai food favorite…)

Gafe Yen means “Coffee – Cold” but we call it “Thai Iced Coffee”.
When I first got to Thailand I drank the coffee from the shops. I avoided Thai Coffee since I hadn’t tried coffee from a different country that I ever liked except Canada… which is same as USA coffee. I had tried Korean and Cuban coffee before and they aren’t that great.

When I went to Laos I tried their coffee which was EXCELLENT! They have lattes and others that were really nice.

Thai coffee – iced Thai coffee is a real favorite of the Thais. There are special stores that make it and usually there is only one or 2 favorite places among the people of the whole town so they sell a LOT of Thai Iced Coffee. In Thailand they sell it in a baggie. A clear plastic baggie and they give you a straw that you can use. There are handles on the baggie. The coffee is STRONG and SWEET. It also has a lot of ice so it’s very cold. I enjoy it – but if I had a chance I’d be drinking Starbucks or something similar! I’m American and I’ve never lost the craving…

Gather:

1/2 cup of dried roasted ground Thai coffee
5 cups of boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Half & Half cream or 1 cup Evaporated Milk (Thais use this)
small ice cubes (preferred)

Instructions:

Add boiling water to coffee grounds.
Add sugar and drain coffee through a screen or strainer.
Add the cream / milk and leave to cool.

Pour over ice cubes and top with more half and half.

Put it into a plastic bag for the more authentic experience!

Enjoy!

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