Beer drinkers of Bangkok rejoice! A recent flood of imported ales onto the market means we finally have a choice when it comes to knocking back a pint or two. Being your dedicated servants, we took on the task of testing out this latest craze by drinking the afternoon away, with a blind taste test.
Chimay Red
Belgian dubbel. 7%. B300/bottle
This is what dark beer should taste, smell and look like. It has complex flavors, but it would be better if there weren’t so much sweetness which probably adds to the sour aftertaste.
Hoegaarden
Belgian witbier. 4.9%. B200/bottle
Boasts a flowery aroma but the smooth finish and distinctive taste do set it apart from many of its competitors.
Leffe Blonde
Belgian pale ale. 6.6%. B200/bottle
Sweet and light. Smack dab in the middle of the taste spectrum. Not too shabby! It does have a wheaty, bitter aftertaste.
Maredsous 6 Blonde
Belgian pale ale. 6%. B210/bottle
This light beer certainly doesn’t have a “light” smell. Once you can get past the powerful aroma, you find an uncomplicated, if slightly sour, flavor that lingers in the bitter aftertaste.
Palm Royale
Belgian pale ale. 7.5%. B240/bottle
It is really bitter so it might put off many beer novices, but for the pros it is soft in taste and smooth in texture.
Palm Speciale
Belgian pale ale. 5.2%. B220/bottle
Not the best beer in the word, it ends up being slightly bland but it’s definitely smooth and leaves a hint of sweetness once you’ve swallowed.
Rodenbach Original
Belgian (Flanders) Red Ale. 5%. B240/bottle
Sourness all around, in the smell, taste—everything! It’s like someone filled a beer bottle with vinegar.
Stella Artois
Belgian pale lager. 5.2%. B190/bottle
That’s some nice beer. It has a sweet start with a bitter finish. A good ale for novice beer drinkers to start their education.
Tripel Karmeliet
Belgian tripel. 8%. B230/bottle
One for fans of flower power. The strong floral scent is carried over into the taste, which is not necessarily a good thing. It’s almost too overpowering, with strong hints of clove.
Corona Extra
Mexican pale lager. 4.6%. B113/bottle
Nice! Refreshing and has a good clean palate. It is bitter in the most classic way, light but satisfying: an all round nice beer. We were shocked and embarrassed when we saw it was a Corona!
Erdinger Dunkel
German dunkel. 5.6%. B138/bottle
The sour scent and light taste are outdone by the heavy feeling you get when you’ve finished this tipple.
Erdinger Weissbier
German weissbier. 5.3%. B138/bottle
Super taste! A very light touch with a hint of flowers making for a soft and mellow beer.
Schneider Weisse
German weissbier. 5.4%. B135/bottle
Average at best. It has a dry palate and a fruity taste. An utterly unremarkable beer.
Salitos
German tequila and lime flavored beer. 5.9% B109/bottle
Sweet, sweet, sweet. This is more like drinking a fanta or an RTD than beer. Easy enough to drink but you probably couldn’t stomach more than one.
Warsteiner Premium Verum
German pilsner. 4.8%. B118/bottle
This light beer has got a real woodsy ambience. It smells like oak and there’s a hint of charred wood in the classic, dark, slightly roasted taste.
Know Your Beer
Lager
Clear, crisp beers made with bottom-fermenting yeasts. Pale lagers are light to golden with an even cleaner, leaner taste.
Ale
A stronger, cloudier beer made with top-fermenting yeasts.
Pilsner
A pale lager with a more prominent hop (a flavorful flower) characteristic.
Witbier/Weissbier
Respectively the Belgian and the German names for ales that use a high proportion of wheat in place of the usual barley.
Enkel, dubbel, tripel
The three levels of strength of Belgian ales: basic, double, and triple (the strongest).
Dunkel
A dark, creamy, malty German beer (most commonly a lager).
Flanders Red Ale
A beer fermented with lactic acid and aged in oak, which both provide extreme sourness. The red malt gives it its color.
Essentials
You can drink all the Belgian beers listed here at HOBS (Thonglor Soi 16, 02-392-3513. Open daily 11-1am. www.hobsbkk.com).
For the other brands listed, most of the big supermarkets have a good selection. Try Tops Supermarket (try 191 Silom Complex, Silom Rd.m 02-231-3333 ext. 2007. Open daily 10am-10pm www.tops.co.th); Villa Market (try Villa between Sukhumvit Soi 33 and 35, 02-662-1000. Open daily 24 hours. www.villamarket.com) and Foodland (9, G/F Patpong 2 Rd. 02-234-4558. Open daily 24 hours. www.foodland.co.th).
