Draft Beer

[DownLoLarry]

This thread is inspired by Ken's mention of wooden kegs and it's in the Cambosection because many bars offer dollar drafts..........some places as low as 50 cents during happy hour, that's 15 baht folks!

I prefer draft to cans or bottles if it's done right.

But what's right? Maybe some bar experts can help me out.

I suppose the draft system needs to be properly maintained. And at the right tempeture. I suppose the brand matters. Frosted mugs help.

What about wooden kegs, I've never seen them?

Why is the draft so delicious in Cambodia but often appaling at the Walking Street gogos?

[duke007]

I have tried a few beers on draught in LOS and the main thing springs to mine there lines are not cleaned enough. Hence the build up of yeast in lines making the beer have a foul taste.

I used to clean the line once a week and i believe Yates's only cleaned them every two weeks. Cider is caustic and can keep the line clean so I did that just once a fortnight.

Also the cooling system in LOS would have to colder than that of the UK.

I have yet to taste a good draught beer in LOS

I agree with you 100% OTS, TLC with the beer keeps a happy customer

Mind you I did nearly manage to poison Stogie once when one of my Bargirls served him with the absolute "dreggs" in a tilted cask of the Guest Beer

[pdogg]

Mardhi recently mentioned that they plan to offer draft beer at Bar Anaconda once the post flood supply chain gets sorted out.

Any ideas why draft is so much more popular in Cambodia than Thailand?

[mardhi]

Mardhi recently mentioned that they plan to offer draft beer at Bar Anaconda once the post flood supply chain gets sorted out.

Any ideas why draft is so much more popular in Cambodia than Thailand?

Probably because the brewers who control Thailand's market did not want it. namely Singha & Chang.

It was only when Asia Pac breweries started draft with Heineken and Tiger, that the others woke up to it. However to this days its almost impossible to get Singha draft except in their own beer garden places that pop up about this time of year for the cooler season. You can get Chang draft and also something called Federbrauer which Chang thought, "Well it sounds German, so we will call it German Beer". Most of them though are pretty grim taste wise.

AP Breweries have done a pretty good job with Tiger & Heineken though. They kept the draft containers smaller (20L from memory) and they fit inside a fridge unit connected to the dispenser. They come around once every week or second week as I recall to clean all the pipes. However don't quote me on that - its one or the other and just going on memory from 3 years ago when we had it in our restaurant (however it was not popular so we pulled it). It would appear Singha really do not want to get involved in all the maintenance hence you hardly ever see it. No idea about Chang or Federbrauer or whatever they are calling it these days. Singha is famous for adding formaldahide to their beer to prevent it going off - its basically so badly stored and often in direct sunlight - it needs it, but always make me smile to think of drinking embalming fluid in that way.

[Lefty]

I have tried a few beers on draught in LOS and the main thing springs to mine there lines are not cleaned enough. Hence the build up of yeast in lines making the beer have a foul taste.

I used to clean the line once a week and i believe Yates's only cleaned them every two weeks. Cider is caustic and can keep the line clean so I did that just once a fortnight.

Also the cooling system in LOS would have to colder than that of the UK.

I have yet to taste a good draught beer in LOS

I'm probably the furthest thing from a beer expert, so my testimony means little, but I did enjoy the Heineken draft beer at Corner Bar. For my simple tastes regarding beer it was as good as any beer I've ever drank in my life.

[KenW]

Why is the draft so delicious in Cambodia but often appaling at the Walking Street gogos?

You pdogg and onetruesaxon (and maybe others?) put up many good reasons like line cleaning, brand, temp, etc.

All valid & reasonable.

Whatever the reasons it is just damn fine beer. And so cheap, especially during happy hours (HH).

I have only drunk Angkor draft as far as I am aware - unless bb had me blotto drinking something else that I can't recall.

It is a genuinely delicious grog: right temp, gassy (the beer working as we say in Oz, as the bubbles stream northwards), big frothy white heads doing their job filtering the flavour.

I've only been in one WS gogo and can't remember what I drank.

Here in VN the only draft beer you see is Tiger draft which can be OK, can also be ordinary.

I can't wait for more of those HH sessions in PP in Oct - Nov.

[duke007]

Remind me, I gotto clean lines in the Pub today

[mardhi]

if only someone get properly organised on draft beer in Thailand but I don't think it will happen soon. Even beer lao keep having their shipments stopped and turned around at the border, despite the free trade zone coming into effect within ASEAN countries. Half the time you cannot order it and I forget last time the beer Lao dark was even in stock. You have guys 'trying' with English bitters but they seem to last all of 6-12 months then are gone. Very frustrating although I heard someone is now trying Fuller's london pride on draught. Nice pint of beer but I think it will be another 3 month wonder.

[KenW]

What about wooden kegs, I've never seen them?

Not surprising, for they generally tend to be relics of the past.

I don't know about the Old Dart but wooden kegs, which were a feature of my boyhood, have almost all gone, replaced by stainless steel ones.

I haven't lived in my home town, Brisbane, for nearly 30 years, but back then one top old pub that got heritage listed was granted Health Dept permission to continue to use wooden kegs (presumably they had an arrangement with the brewery), but all else & everywhere was steel.

I never saw a keg in PP, to my knowledge, but I presume they would be of the modern variety too.

There's a saying among the oldsters in Australia that there's nothing like beer off the wood. No drinker I ever met was pleased with the modern switch.

[KenW]

I went into town (Saigon) on Wednesday evening to watch State of Origin III (a football contest peculiar to Australia) at a sports bar. This is compulsory now as the new holder of broadcast rights (Setanta) does not carry to private cable, only to bars & clubs for some weird reason.

Anyhow, the upshot is that I was forced to drink Tiger draft at 30-odd thousand VND per handle glass (same size as the Phnom Penh handles). That's about USD1.80/glass give or take.

The beer was very ordinary. The booze at places like Mekong River (see pdogg's post in the Eating Out thread) is so much better, consistently so. And as he said there, a 4-handle jug for 3 bucks.

As I also said in another thread, though I forget where, bubba and I hit on a happy hour at one of those small bar/eatery joints down past the Foreign Correspondents' Club, where it was buy one jug get one free. So 8 handles for 3 bucks. If my brain is still up to mental arithmetic I make that about 37.5 US cents a glass. So 4+ of those glasses for one of my Saigon sports bar joint. Hoowee.

And the Angkor draft is so much better than the Tiger, winning - were it a race - by half the length of the straight, nowhere near close.

[iceberg]

There's a saying among the oldsters in Australia that there's nothing like beer off the wood.

Don't know about drinking from "wood kegs" as this is a bit before my time,but a lot of the "craft brewers(small batch)in the USA offer beers aged in "oak barrels" and I've always enjoyed every one I've ever drank!

Iceberg

BTW-Has anyone ever been to BeerVault in the Sheraton on soi 15 in BKK,as they have a lot of great Belgian Imports available,and I can't wait for HH there on Sept. 30th!

[Hefe]

KenW... isn't it typical in VN to drink draft beer warm with icecubes? Or is that just a certain kind of beer?

Here in the States there is a beer promoted to be drunk with a slice of orange in it (& suprisingly it is pretty good.)

[SiamSam]

I like my beer hoppy. The hoppier the better. I love a real, genuine IPA. In fact if the beer isn't hoppy I would rather not drink it. Two pints of authentic hoppy IPA and I am truly satisfied. Haven't found IPA in either LOS or Cambodia.

Ken, does IPA or facsimile exist in VN?

[KenW]

Ken, does IPA or facsimile exist in VN?

Not that I've ever seen or drank Sam.

[iceberg]

I like my beer hoppy. The hoppier the better. I love a real, genuine IPA. In fact if the beer isn't hoppy I would rather not drink it. Two pints of authentic hoppy IPA and I am truly satisfied. Haven't found IPA in either LOS or Cambodia.

Ken, does IPA or facsimile exist in VN?

SiamSam,

I didn't know you were my long lost brother happy to know there are others on here that "love" a great IPA as much as I do!

A bit of topic here but SS, if you get a chance please try "Ballast Point Sculpin" IPA if you can as it's in my top 5 beers I've ever tasted! So yummy!

[KenW]

I had never heard of India Pale Ale before. Amazing. Not in Australia - or not that I know of. And as I said earlier, I've never encountered it in Asia either.

[mardhi]

Funny enough I was looking at a pale Ale import from the UK just last week. I must admit I thought to myself - who would buy this? I think it was Marstons Pedigree or something that sounded the same.

The mention of Belgium beers was also something we considered in the past for BKK, as we did German Wheat beers. Unfortunately the current fridges could not handle it - GB is seriously short of cooling space as it is with its current range of beers. Anaconda has the space but I am not convinced they would sell - by the time you add on import taxes it becomes a 160-220b beer, so your double the price of Thai brewed beers.

[iceberg]

Good point on the price mardhi,as it would probably be cost prohibitive and not many would pay this price.I really like great beer though so I'd buy it,and most of the belgian imports are higher in Alcohol volume so it doesn't take as many to get a good buzz LOL.

The Carousell Bar on soi buckhoaw has a few available but the cost is a bit high (180-220 baht?? i think)so this is just a few times indulgence on my trip, although sipping a Duvel,Kasteel blonde and brown,and a cherry lambic last time I was in Pattaya was really nice.

Iceberg

[SiamSam]

Mardhi be careful. PALE ALE is not the same as INDIA PALE ALE. Totally different ales that do not taste the same at all. IPA is probably the hoppiest ale (beer) brewed. Pale ale is just another boring light golden beer. Nothing special about it.

Ken, I find it hard to believe you have never heard of IPA.

Iceberg, where is Ballast Point brewed?

[iceberg]

SiamSam,

Ballast Point is brewed in SanDiego,CA and they also offer another IPA called BigEye,most of their beers are named after fish LOL.

Just Google them or if you are a Facebook member then add them as a friend,like etc.

Trust me on this you won't be let down,as this is such a great beer, bright hoppy and with a bit of grapefruit notes,very refreshing and like I said before so yummy!

I do like my Imperial Stouts and IPAs the best,and this would be the only thing I'd miss if I lived in Thailand!

Iceberg

BTW-Have you tried "Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA" as this one is my go to standard when drinking IPAs! They are a Deleware Brewery in the USA and this is also really great stuff!

[SiamSam]

Thanks for the tips IB. Delaware's closer than San Diego so next time I'm there I'll try to find it.

[KenW]

So what, pray tell, constitutes a hoppy beer? I thought all beer was made with hops.

[iceberg]

So what, pray tell, constitutes a hoppy beer? I thought all beer was made with hops.

KenW,

You are correct in stating that all(or most beers)are made with hops. But an IPA is brewed with quite a lot of hops and not so much malt, this gives it an almost "tongue burning" taste but in a good way a really good IPA makes you pucker almost.5555

Plus most IPA's are higher in alcohol content than your standard lagers,etc. and so you don't need to drink as many to get that pleasant buzz.

I've tasted probably over 100 IPA's and they were all great although some are kind of dangerous as they really kick your ass(DogfishHead 120 IPA is an example as it's 21% alcohol by volume,compare this to say Singha which is about 5% and you understand what I mean 5555)

I love beer and am a real snob when it comes to drinking it now,and it's hard for me to settle for the Macro brews anymore at all.

Stay thirsty my friends,

Iceberg

[Lefty]

KenW,

You are correct in stating that all(or most beers)are made with hops. But an IPA is brewed with quite a lot of hops and not so much malt, this gives it an almost "tongue burning" taste but in a good way a really good IPA makes you pucker almost.5555

Plus most IPA's are higher in alcohol content than your standard lagers,etc. and so you don't need to drink as many to get that pleasant buzz.

I've tasted probably over 100 IPA's and they were all great although some are kind of dangerous as they really kick your ass(DogfishHead 120 IPA is an example as it's 21% alcohol by volume,compare this to say Singha which is about 5% and you understand what I mean 5555)

I love beer and am a real snob when it comes to drinking it now,and it's hard for me to settle for the Macro brews anymore at all.

Stay thirsty my friends,

Iceberg

Are beers that seem to have a bitter taste and leave more of an aftertaste, ones that are considered "hoppy"? I really dislike bitter beers, or what I perceive to be bitter.

I HATE Chang and Singha in bottles or cans for this reason. The draft Chang I've encountered on WS seems tolerable to me though.

[iceberg]

This is one of my favorite threads now, and not even Ladyboy related(?)

I got off work tonight and stopped by the 24 hr Grocery Store to pick up some beer,and to my surprise"Christmas actually is in July!!!!" 5555

They wer running an outrageous special on Mendocino IPA and Stout, these are high gravity(ABV) beers and so good, 4 pack cost were $3.99 USD WTF!!!! so I bought a case 3 IPA's and 3 Imperial Stouts!

I'm a happy man! May go back tommorrow and buy another case as this price is fuckin' incredible!