Drinking Beers Around The World

To say that beer is universally popular would be an understatement. I mean, there is an app that’s sole purpose is to tell you how to ask for a beer in almost every language. All around the world, almost every country or region has their own special beer that they make and enjoy.

I started keeping track of each different beer I tried using the Untappd app (username iamcpg…let’s be beer friends.  Apple Store  Google Play Store). I was surprised to find most of them in their database, even the Kenyan beers.  The app is a lot of fun and full of information.  You can toast to your friends, earn different badges for types of beer you have consumed plus many more things.  I recommend it to even the casual beer drinker.

Out of all the beers I tried, I think I only had one of them back in the states.  Some of these may not be unique to the region I had them in, but they were new to me so they are on the list.

So here is my very unprofessional review on the beers I have sampled so far.  Cheers!

 

Sampled in Kenya

BEER: Tusker
COUNTRY: Kenya
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 4.2%
TYPE: Pale Lager
TASTES LIKE: Very light/mild flavor with a little bitterness
IS GOOD FOR: Day drinking, wildlife watching
GOES GOOD WITH: Goat stew and ox tail soup
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Palatable beer that you can drink all day to hydrate with no worries.

BEER: Pilsner (there was no other name on the bottle)
COUNTRY: Kenya
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 4.7%
TYPE: Pale Lager…wait…not a pilsner? Hmm…
TASTES LIKE: Mild flavor, very carbonated
IS GOOD FOR: Everything…great after a hot safari or watching a tortoise cross the driveway.
GOES GOOD WITH: Again, everything from a French fry omelet to grilled goat ribs.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My favorite beer I had in Kenya that went well with any and all activities.

BEER: White Cap
COUNTRY: Kenya
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 4.2%
TYPE: Lager
TASTES LIKE: Tusker
IS GOOD FOR: Not sure…I only had one with a sandwich and I don’t remember what the sandwich was.
GOES GOOD WITH: I only had it with that sandwich so we will go with that.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: With an alcohol content slightly above water, it’s a good hydration choice, like Tusker.

 

Sampled in Sri Lanka

BEER: Lion Lager
COUNTRY: Sri Lanka
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 4.8%
TYPE: Lager
TASTES LIKE: Very mild in both sweetness and bitterness
IS GOOD FOR: Day drinking, with dinner etc
GOES GOOD WITH: The beach
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Was the go to day beer in Sri Lanka due to low alcohol content and drinkability.

BEER: Lion Stout
COUNTRY: Sri Lanka
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 8.8%
TYPE: Dark Ass Stout
TASTES LIKE: Sweet Chocolate Motor Oil
IS GOOD FOR: Engine lubrication
GOES GOOD WITH: A nap
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I am not a fan of stouts but this one was OK and had a nice sweet chocolaty taste to it and the alcohol is well disguised. Having more than one would have been a challenge.

BEER: Lion Strong
COUNTRY: Sri Lanka
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 8.8%
TYPE: Lager/Strong Ass Pils
TASTES LIKE: Kind of fruity and malty…hides the alcohol well
IS GOOD FOR: Pre-gaming, falling asleep
GOES GOOD WITH: Anything
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I found this beer a few weeks into our Sri Lankan trip at a wine shop and at ~$2/bottle I fell in love.

 

Sampled in Malaysia

BEER: Kingfisher Extra Strong
COUNTRY: India?
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 8%
TYPE: Pils/Strong Lager
TASTES LIKE: Malty grass with a bit of fruit
IS GOOD FOR: Mixing epoxy
GOES GOOD WITH: Some Rolaids
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: While not a terribly tasting beer, the only redeeming quality is the 8% and I don’t think it cost me $1.50 for a tallboy.

BEER: Bison
COUNTRY: Belgium.  I saw online it was made there because if I didn’t, I would have imagined it was concocted by Lucifer in the pits of hell.
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 12.5%
TYPE: Strong Pils/Lager
TASTES LIKE: Nuclear death
IS GOOD FOR: Pre-gaming and a substitute for paint stripper
GOES GOOD WITH: Gasoline
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: It isn’t the strongest beer I have ever had but you start to notice right away that it’s not a day drinking beer nor was it made with any type of concern for the human consuming it.

BEER: Tiger
COUNTRY: Singapore
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 5%
TYPE: Lager
TASTES LIKE: A lager, sweet with some light malty flavor and sweet notes
IS GOOD FOR: All day everyday beer
GOES GOOD WITH: Conversation
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This was a dinner beer for me at the Doubletree happy hour in the KL and our disastrous quiz night in Chiang Mai. It went good with everything and no complaints, except it didn’t make me any smarter.

BEER: Skol
COUNTRY: Worldwide
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 4.7%
TYPE: Lager
TASTES LIKE: Mild beer…nothing of note here…just a decent beer
IS GOOD FOR: Eating, day drinking
GOES GOOD WITH: Everything really
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Such and average beer I have nothing to add here.

 

Sampled in Thailand

BEER: Chang
COUNTRY: Thailand
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 5.5%
TYPE: Lager
TASTES LIKE: Not particularly good malty water
IS GOOD FOR: A cheap alternative to Singha
GOES GOOD WITH: A cup of ice to water down the flavor when it is 100 degrees out
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: A 3 pack of big boy bottles is $4 and change so it’s a good beer to relax with and watch a movie with some take away Pad Thai as long as you aren’t expecting anything exceptional

BEER: Cheers
COUNTRY: Thailand
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 5.0%
TYPE: Lager
TASTES LIKE: A mild lager, moderately sweet
IS GOOD FOR: College parties and day drinking
GOES GOOD WITH: Lays satay flavored ridged potato chips
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Came in a wonderful zip locked 2 pack, complete with a handle for ease of transportation to say a local parade or fireworks display

BEER: Cheers X-tra
COUNTRY: Thailand
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 6.0%
TYPE: Lager
TASTES LIKE: Some fruity notes with a mild/strong lager finish
IS GOOD FOR: Sitting here thinking ideas for a blog post
GOES GOOD WITH: Another Cheers X-tra or Pringles
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Like the regular Cheers, it comes in a handy zip locked 2 pack that makes it simple to carry around looking for some street food or lantern launching party

BEER: Singha
COUNTRY: Thailand
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 5%
TYPE: Lager
TASTES LIKE: Someone paid attention to the ingredients, smooth hoppy flavor with enjoyable aftertaste
IS GOOD FOR: Everything
GOES GOOD WITH: Anything
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My favorite beer that I have had in Thailand and it can do no wrong to me

BEER: Leo
COUNTRY: Thailand
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 5%
TYPE: Lager
TASTES LIKE: Light taste that I can’t really figure out
IS GOOD FOR: If Singha isn’t available
GOES GOOD WITH: The need to hydrate after spicy food
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I am not a huge fan of this beer but I won’t rank it as the worst so far

BEER: FREE
COUNTRY: Who knows?
ALCOHOL CONTENT: Not sure
TYPE: Looked like lager
TASTES LIKE: Heaven
IS GOOD FOR: Drowning your shame after losing convincingly at a quiz night in a foreign country
GOES GOOD WITH: Embarrassment
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This was our prize for being the worst team at the UN Irish Pub Quiz night in Chiang Mai…by prize I mean the ‘felt sorry for you guys for embarrassing yourselves’ offering at the end of the night.

 

Remember, I sacrificed a lot to bring this information to you.  This was a lot of hard work, sweat (a lot of sweat) and tears (no such thing as sweatproof sunscreen).  I enjoyed every minute of it.  As our travels continue I will continue with these review type posts.  It may not be beer all the time but I would like to bring a little bit of what we are experiencing to you all that are reading this.

Leave some beer suggestions in the comments and tell me what the best beers you have had around the world are!