Craft beers in Thailand??

http://www.mikkellerbangkok.com

 

I didn't get out their way, and Bangkok being Bangkok, no way was I going to cross town for a bar. (Maybe I'm spoiled by having access to Mikkeller at home.) But I was tempted to try their delivery service, if only I had some idle downtime in the hotel... I'm satisfied with Singha with the food but could've used a dose of hops at some point.

 

Zombie Dust was on tap in late December. About 3 months old when it arrived at Mikkeller bar.

They also had Dreadnaught on tap and in bottles (about $60 a bomber).

 

Anyone ever tried out Craft Beer Factory? It's a place in Chiang Mai. I'll be here for a bit longer and was thinking about checking it out. Let me know if you know anything about it!

 

I think Tiger is the best bet in Thailand..it's brewed in Bangkok...otherwise import taxes are Hell. I live in CHiang Mai.

 

http://craftbeerasia.com/thailand/ Thailand's Craft Beer Directory. Always updating so your feedback is valued. Cheers!

 

Thanks, @CraftBeerAsia! Good timing for me, as I'm heading back, in a couple weeks. So, it's time to check in, whether anything local has cropped up, or anything else I need to know for an occasional Singha break. This time, Chiang Mai as well as Bangkok. All the above noted -- with thanks -- so I'm just refreshing this request for updates or reports from the ground.

As before, my ideal would be some crisp new pils or a bit more of a dose of hops, nothing exotic or heavy -- am drinking plenty of that here in Brussels under the damp curtain of autumn... BUT, in a change from my past inquiry (excluding Belgians), this time I'm interested in hearing fresh reviews of the places stocking the Belgians, not for my own drinking necessarily but I have some other materials to drop off that might be appreciated in a belgocentric bar.

 

FWIW, in Bangkok I saw a (very) few places with a (very) few things other than Singha/Chang/Leo/Heineken. I tried one Pistonhead lager, twice (my first and last at the same time, haha!) saw some Belgians and a few other, unfamiliar, names in some random, hip places around Banglamphu. For example Gouden Carolus and a Japanese IPA in a place I've liked for a few years, called Dialogue, where I never noticed beer before. (And it was the morning, so, I may never know about that IPA.) I wasn't going out of my way in search of other places named above, so I take this as a sign of it creeping in generally. (At least where the hipsters gather.) Oh and a few (not many) more worthy imports at the big grocery/emporium in the Siam Paragon food court (don't judge me). I bought none and didn't check freshness labels. ... Now I'm in Chiang Mai where I might be likelier to wander past some of the helpful ideas above.

 

T-Bar in the Santitham area of Chiang Mai is doing 4 x 630 ml Tigers for 200 THB. It's across the street from Oxide. Just make it clear that you are too high class to put ice in your beer, and they will take good care of you. If you don't like beautiful waitresses in their early 20s, it might be best to avoid this place.

 

So, if I'm correctly reading between the lines, there is zero hope, all is lost, nothing to see here, move on? I was close-ish to popping over the river to check out the "Riverside Craft Beer Factory" with a perhaps indulgent definition of both "craft" and "factory." (I saw this, which looks much more like a press release than "news": http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/chiang-mais-beer-scene-matures-embraces-craft-brews/) Any point in that, at all?

 

In an effort to keep the few BAs in Thailand engaged, I'll bump this thread. I lived in Thailand in 1987-1988 (Chinorot Wittaylai), 1992-1993 (Khon Kaen U), and 2004-2006 (working in BKK). I still try to visit every year or two. Sadly, it was either homebrew, Singha, or Heineken back then. I remember the original opening of Tawandang (1999?), but it was better than nothing.
Keep posting, and I'll try to bring some good stuff to share next time I visit.

 

CRAFT on Sukhumvit 23 , wishbeer-homebar and mikeller. All worth a visit but steep prices.

 

Nice, I'll have to remember that next time I'm in Bangkok.

 

I've been in BKK since November of 2015. There are several more great places that I've found. Mikkeller is probably the best, but here are some others:
Hair of the Dog (near Ploen Chit BTS)
Fatty's Bar (Din Daeng)
Brew (Sukhumvit Soi 11)
Wishbeer (Between Ekkamai and Phra Khanong BTS)
Let The Boy Die (Chinatown - only local craft beers, but I had some pretty good ones)

 

chang beer,is that right?

 

It's very light...pretty plain, bitter, but not in a good way, in my opinion. Honestly, I'm not a fan at all, but some people like it. Try it once and see what you think. It's super cheap anywhere in Thailand.

 

Any updates on Bangkok or Chiang Mai? Headed to both in a couple weeks. I'm mostly interested in good stuff from Thailand or elsewhere in Asia that I can't easily get in the US.
From what I've gathered, some of the best spots are:
Bangkok: Changwon Express, Let The Boy Die, Hair Of The Dog, Mikkeller, HOBS
Chiang Mai: Beer Republic, Namton's House Bar, The Riverside

 

Please report and keep the thread going. (Lookin' at you, @Holweger.) I'll be back in BKK in September, finally going to get to go out of my way for a few beers. I may do an add-on to my business trip wherever in the country it's not raining but presumably nothing to ask about outside the capital and Chiang Mai. (Advise me if I'm wrong.)

Otherwise, Singha over Chang, every time.