Draught beer and draught cider in Thailand have taken a big step forward in 2009 with the emergence earlier in the year of some top-quality beers from both the United Kingdom, France and also Australia. Bangkok-based importer Fluid Asia Pacific now has seven high-end beer brands that it is importing from these countries along with two English ciders. Most of these top brands are available in both draught kegs and bottles and the company has more imported draught brands than any other importer in Thailand.
The brands that are now available are Tetley’s Smoothflow, Victoria Pride Bitter, Stowford Press Cider and Weston’s Cider from the U.K., Kronenbourg 1664 beer from France and Foster’s, Victoria Bitter, Crown Lager and Pure Blonde beers from Australia. And, these brands are available in the major tourist and expatriate communities throughout the country with widespread distribution in greater Bangkok, Pattaya and the eastern seaboard area, Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai. There are now several hundred outlets in the country that carry one or more of these brands either in bottles or on draught.
By the end of the year Fluid Asia Pacific will be bringing in even more brands also, with Grolsch beer from the Netherlands and Peroni beer from Italy joining the company’s lineup. This is more good news for premium beer lovers and it may be hard to appreciate why this is so without a bit of explanation about the beer situation here in Thailand.
First, in the early 1930s the government granted a monopoly to one company, Boonrawd Brewery, to brew beer in the country which they did under the brand name of Singha. This monopoly lasted until the mid-70s when several other companies were allowed to establish breweries and foreign beers were gradually allowed to be imported. However, the market is still dominated by Singha, Chang – another Thai brand – and a locally brewed version of Heineken. If one of these beers isn’t one of your favorites then you’re out of luck in many places throughout the country, particularly if you’re somewhat off the beaten path.
Second, many of the companies that import beer into Thailand are small and underfinanced and frequently have supply problems resulting in pubs and restaurants not having stock for periods of time. Also, these companies tend to almost exclusively import bottled beers and not draught. Importing draught beer requires a much bigger expenditure of capital since the shipping of kegs is more expensive and there are high costs associated with providing the draught equipment needed to serve the beer. A more well-funded company like Fluid Asia Pacific has the capital to handle these extra requirements.
Anyway, these are some of the reasons why it’s newsworthy to beer drinkers in Thailand when new brands, especially ones from some expats’ home countries, make it to the Land of Smiles. As time goes by, the beer selection in the kingdom slowly gets better and with the addition of top-quality brands like the ones that Fluid Asia Pacific brings in the lot of beer drinkers here has taken a major step forward in a short period of time.
