The original Thai beer is a clean, crisp lager and is immensely popular in Bangkok. The German-stlye lager has a mild, light taste which makes it perfect for the hot weather and hot food in
Thailand, although some find the flavor a little too light. Nearly all restaurants stock Singha, which is pronounced “Singh” without the –a at the end.
Drinks for Thai Food
We are often asked for recommendations on what's best to drink when eating Thai food. Everyone has their own viewes on what they like, but for those thatare unsure, here are some recommendations.
At Thai Lanna, we aim to offer the Thai experience and this is not limited to good Thai food. However, we want to offer quality and value. Meeting this criteria, you will find Singha and Chang Thai beers on our menu, but not Thai wine. We constantly monitor the market and the drinks stocked will change with time.
Beer
Visitors to Thailand will notice that there are several beers on the market - all of them lagers. Beer has been brewed in Thailand since 1934. These include:
| Singha |
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| Chang |
Thailand’s number one selling beer, which you can spot by its distinctive green label adorned with two elephants. In Thai, Chang means elephant and that’s a good name for this beer since Chang
Classic really packs a punch. Chang is also a lager, though the malt flavor is a little more intense than Singha’s. A lager beer that bitter drinkers often find palitable.
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| Heineken | Brewed under license by TAP, this is a popular beer in Thailand. Heineken is a refreshing, lager style beer. |
| Leo |
Leo Beer is made by the same company that brews Singha and has a similar light, crisp taste. Leo is a cheaper beer than both Chang and Singha and is marketed towards labourers and those living
outside of big cities, so it’s rarely found in high-end shops/restaurants.
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| San Miguel | Originating from the Philippines, but brewed throughout the Far East including Thailand. It has its followers but faces stiff competition from other Thai beers. |
| Tiger | This is a Singaporean beer once again brewed under license by TAP. Less bitter than Chang or Singha but more so than Heineken. Tiger has a nice malty taste. |
At Thai Lanna, we stock both Singha and Chang. They easily compete with UK premium lagers and are second to none to accompany Thai food. We used to stock Carling, but demand declined in favour of the Thai beers.
Cider
Cider is not commonly found in Thailand. This may be because apples are not a native fruit in Thailand, or because the acidic taste is not ideally compatible with Thai food. I am sure some will dissagree with this. In recent years cider has been imported into Thailand, and small local cider producers have appeared.
At Thai lanna we hold a small stock of British cider for those that prefer it.
Wine
Wine is increasingly popular in UK, and is also increasing in popularty in Thailand. Thailand has several vinyards producing local wine.
Thai Lanna used to stock Thai wine, but price hikes by the importer resulted in it not meeting our value criteria, so it was discontimued. Instead, we chose to work with our Wine merchants Colombier Vins Fins to produce a wine list that complemented Thai food. This involved several lengthy sessions, eating thai food and tasting wine (tough job, but someone has got to do it!).
The result is a wine list that is matched to the food. In general this eliminated the light, subtle wines which were overpowered by the food, and the very heavy, fruity wines which overpowered the food.
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