Beer in Thailand: history, traditions and breweries
A nobleman with a dream, a beer war between lion and elephant, and small brewers who ended up in court: Thailand’s beer history is young but full of drama.
History
Bangkok, 1933. A year earlier a revolution had ended the absolute monarchy, and the country was looking for its way into the modern age. At this time a nobleman dared to do something no one in Siam had tried: Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi wanted to brew beer in his own country, for his own people. Until then beer had only arrived by ship from Europe, expensive and for the few.
Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi travelled to Germany and Denmark to learn brewing and brought German brewmasters to Bangkok. His Boon Rawd brewery was built on the banks of the Chao Phraya. He named the first beer Singha, after the mythical lion of Thai temples. In 1939 the brewery was granted the royal Garuda emblem – an honour that still appears on every label.
Before that, people in Thailand had their own fermented drinks: sato made from glutinous rice, mild and cloudy, often brewed in the countryside for festivals, and lao khao, a clear rice spirit. For a long time beer remained a drink of the cities. Only with the economic growth of the 1960s and 1970s did it become popular across the country.
For sixty years Singha was almost alone. Then came the elephant. In 1995 the businessman Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi launched Chang beer: cheaper, stronger and with an elephant on the label. Within a few years Chang had overtaken the lion. Boon Rawd struck back in 1998 with the low-priced Leo. The “beer war” between lion, elephant and leopard still shapes the Thai market today. Chang’s logo even went around the world: from 2004 to 2017 it was on the shirts of the English football club Everton.
At the same time the state became stricter. Since 1972 alcohol may only be sold at certain times, and not at all on Buddhist holidays. Since 2008 alcohol advertising has been almost completely banned. The breweries found a way out: they advertise mineral water and soda water with exactly the same names and look as their beers.
Small brewers were hit hardest. By law, anyone who wanted to sell beer had to brew at least 100,000 litres (about 26,417 gal) a year in a brewpub, or a full ten million litres in a bottling brewery. For homebrewers that was out of reach. Many Thai craft brewers therefore had their recipes brewed in Cambodia, Vietnam or Australia and imported their own beer back home.
The resistance was started by Wichit Saiklao, a former soldier. On the small river island of Ko Kret near Bangkok he brewed his “Chit Beer” and taught many others to brew – he is called the father of Thai craft beer. In 2017 the homebrewer Taopiphop Limjittrakorn was arrested and spent a night in jail for brewing beer at home. Two years later he was sitting in parliament fighting for a new law. In November 2022 the minimum volumes were finally dropped. Since then small breweries have been springing up everywhere.
Traditions and drinking culture
In the heat, beer often comes with ice cubes in the glass. That is not a sign of bad beer but everyday life: the beer stays cold and drinks a little lighter. “Beer wun”, half-frozen beer with ice crystals, is popular too.
Beer always comes with small dishes, “kap klaem”: spicy salads, grilled skewers, dried squid. The toast is “Chon gaeo!”. Beer is only sold from 11 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to midnight, and not at all on Buddhist holidays.
Fun facts
- If you want to buy beer in a Thai supermarket at 3 pm, you are out of luck: sales between 2 pm and 5 pm have been banned since 1972.
- Because alcohol advertising is banned, Singha and Chang sell mineral water and soda water with almost the same labels – so the brand stays visible.
- Chang was on the shirts of Everton football club for 13 seasons, from 2004 to 2017.
- For years many Thai craft beers were brewed abroad and brought back into their own country as “imported beer”.
Typical beer styles
Beer cities and their stories
Bangkok
On the Chao Phraya, Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi founded the Boon Rawd brewery in 1933, Thailand’s first brewery. Today Bangkok is also the centre of the young craft beer scene, with bars offering dozens of beers on tap.
Ko Kret
This small river island in the Chao Phraya is known for its pottery – and for Wichit Saiklao. With his “Chit Beer” and his brewing classes he became the father of Thai craft beer, long before brewing was legal for small brewers.
Breweries and their stories
Boon Rawd
Thailand’s first brewery, founded by Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi. It brews Singha with the royal Garuda emblem and, since 1998, the low-priced Leo.
Known for: Singha
Chang (ThaiBev)
Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi launched Chang in 1995 and overtook Singha within a few years. His group ThaiBev is now one of the largest drinks companies in Asia.
Known for: Chang Classic
Timeline
- 1933Bangkok
Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi founds Boon Rawd, Thailand’s first brewery, and brews the first Singha.
- 1972whole country
Alcohol may now only be sold at certain times – there is a break from 2 to 5 pm.
- 1995Bangkok
Chang with the elephant is launched and soon overtakes the lion, Singha.
- 1998Bangkok
Boon Rawd answers with the low-priced Leo – the beer war is in full swing.
- 2008whole country
Alcohol advertising is almost completely banned. The breweries now advertise water with the same label.
- 2017whole country
The homebrewer Taopiphop Limjittrakorn is arrested for brewing beer at home. Later he fights for free brewing in parliament.
- Nov 2022whole country
The government drops the minimum volumes. Small breweries may finally brew legally.