Hi folks,
We are back in Belgium from a truly fantastic 18 days of Thailand pleasures.
First of all, we didn't experience any poblems at all. Everything just went perfect!!! What a relief !!!
Not always an evidence when doing such an extensive trip.
The goal was to go low budget, but we still went for hotels with a private swimming pool.
Actually, they even weren't that expensive at all! The one at Krabi was €30.00 per night incl breakfast and the one at Koh Samui was €60.00 incl breakfast too.
Visiting Thailand is such a cheap experience all together, except for the expensive airport tickets.... damn.
When going local and avoid the tourist traps, nothing will be expensive. But somehow the farangs (=tourists) just want to be cheated. Very strange really.
After all, Farang prices are still a bit cheaper than in their homecountries.... hence the toleration.
First of all, the main Thai beers are Chang, Singha and Leo.
Katrien and myself have tried the Leo and Singha, but we prefer the Chang !
It is such a clean beer, without having that nasty bitterness that the Leo and Singha do have.
They are not really that pleasant hop bitter, and the aftertaste isn't really enjoyable too.
Chang has that cleanliness and no single off flavor too. Drinks soo smooth and so satisfactory in that hot humid Thai weather.
We nearly always ordered us the big 620 ml bottles. Cheapest price we got was 52 bath (that's just a bit more than 1 euro).
But be aware, at tourist locations, they easily ask 140 Bath for a big bottle, which actually isn't that expensive either.
Good to see that finally the craft beer scene has been legalized.
Before, it was forbidden to brew and sell, except for small exceptions !!! Hey, this is Thailand.
Brewery Bees Knees at Koh Samui to be that example. I've seen the brewery with my own eyes, and drank their beers.
But that was on a previous visit. The brewery actually has stopped to exist, which frankly is a true shame.
Maybe they (Englishman Jim Smith) will start up again in the future, who know.
The picture here above shows two big cans of locally brewed Thai craft beers.
Both were brewed at Mahanakhon Thailand Micro Brewery - https://www.mhnk.beer/
Tasted at Jodd Fairs market in Bangkok, a short walk from the hotel (FX Hotel Metrolink - Makkasan, Bangkok)
It is a street food night market, which is a true joy to visit and have local street food, incl. even quality beers like these!
Both are IPA's, and Katrien and I preferred the left one. That bit more body and flavor especially those citric hop flavors.
180 Bath each, which is about €4.71 for a big 490 ml can.
More quality beers at Jodd Fairs market!! The Father Beer !
Quite a surprise to actually see that beer stand, and so many Belgian beers too.
Be aware, they are not that cheap though according Belgian standards. Reckon to pay about 250 Bath for a Gouden Carolus classic. €6.50 something...
We rather would go for the 490ml can of Chang at 60 Bath though. after all, we can drink Belgian beer here in Belgium as much as we want at cheaper prices.
Anyway, what a joy to see that huge beer stall in the centre of Bangkok!
But we didn't see many people buying them. That's really too bad. For local Thai people, it sure isn't that cheap for them.. hence....
Another surprise was this van passing us when having some local street food.
The street food stall is actually located behind the van.
That's a beer delivery car from Smiling Bad Dog, and to my surprise it mentions Belgian brewery Sint-Bernardus!
It sure must have delivered some beer (not Sint-Bernardus) to that nearby beer joint, called Chicken & Beer. More from this place later in this message.
Here's another Thai beer we tried. 150 Bath (€3.93) for a 490ml can.
That's another citrussy tasty IPA. It seems the Thai beer scene has focused on citric IPA's.
No wonder, as the weather just asks for that style.... refreshing, fruity, citric thirst quenchers at lower alc.
Good beers, no doubt, but not the big wowzers that I'm used to drink.
Those big Changs are always such a treat.
We were always so thirsty, even already after a half hour walk in that humid hot environment.
Makes you so thirsty that a Chang is just that perfect need!
I must admit, we had ALOT of them
As said, one can go very low budget!
Here is an example. Not beery this time.
Next door to our hotel in Krabi, there was that Muslim community.
I did some Google research and found a place where you can eat a beef steak. Hipster Steak is the name of the place.
To my surprise I saw the price of a T-bone steak to be 169 Bath! (€4.42)
Ofcourse, That NEEDED to be done !!!!
AND! Tasty it was!
OK, you only get 4 frites, but the salad was delicious and the T-bone steak as well. Paired with a pot of pepper sauce.
I must say that the meat was marinated in a kind of herbal marinade. This made it so tender and so special in flavor. I liked it ALOT!!
That steak sure was one of the highlights during our stay.
And one can also choose a Ribeye steak at 99 Bath only (€2.50) ... next time..
No alcohol, but the lemonades were such a treat too. 20 Bath something.
Be aware, when hitting the toilets not to forget to put off your shoes
Time for a good Belgian beer!
Tripel Karmeliet and Gulden Draak Classic! 250 Bath each (€6.54)
Tasted at Diver's Inn Steakhouse at Ao Nang beach (Krabi) run by friendly German Juergen Weber - www.krabi-divers-inn.com
Mixed grilled meat for me...
With pepper sauce and a nice salad.
Massaman curry for Katrien.
A HIGHLY enjoyable restaurant which offers the best selection of Belgian beers in Krabi! Essential !!
Changwon Express - Chicken & Beer - https://www.facebook.com/changwonexpress/
That place is literally located at the doorstep of our hotel in Bangkok!
How convenient this is folks
Here's the tap selection, and they also have a fridge with bottles. About 30 beers something. No Belgian beer spotted.
The tap selection didn't attract me alot, but they do have a Stout at 8.8 vol%.
It's called Lion stout and brewed at SL ?
This needed some research. It's actually brewed in Sri Lanka!
Wow, I never had a beer from this country and it's an affordable 200 Bath (€5.00)
We ordered two of them and ended up with a total of three of the same... yes, they were that good
This stout was such a delight!! I'm not really a stout lover, but this one was a game changer!
Nothing dry or harch bitter here.
This beer went in soo smooth and sweet and that 8.8 vol% was that perfect touch.
Quite a fruity perfumy beer too. Yes, what a damn delicious beer this was.
...and paired with this mixed deep-fried chicken a true FEAST !!!!!
Jeez, how fast has time passed this time!
Going to Thailand is going to fast time passing, just because that country is such a true joy to visit!
In no time, our vacation came to an end.
This means ..... waiting for the next vacation to Thailand....which will take much more time, believe me.
Hope you like a bit of this article folks.
Ofcourse we did much more than drinking beer.
The food in Thailand is to die for, and so affordable too.
The people are so friendly and helpful, and the culture in Thailand is an example for so MANY countries!
Cheers,
Filip (BTW... another surprise: Cannabis has been legalized in Bangkok in 2020, and we've seen a massive load of cannabis shops, which we didn't try (ofcourse))
We are back in Belgium from a truly fantastic 18 days of Thailand pleasures.
First of all, we didn't experience any poblems at all. Everything just went perfect!!! What a relief !!!
Not always an evidence when doing such an extensive trip.
The goal was to go low budget, but we still went for hotels with a private swimming pool.
Actually, they even weren't that expensive at all! The one at Krabi was €30.00 per night incl breakfast and the one at Koh Samui was €60.00 incl breakfast too.
Visiting Thailand is such a cheap experience all together, except for the expensive airport tickets.... damn.
When going local and avoid the tourist traps, nothing will be expensive. But somehow the farangs (=tourists) just want to be cheated. Very strange really.
After all, Farang prices are still a bit cheaper than in their homecountries.... hence the toleration.
First of all, the main Thai beers are Chang, Singha and Leo.
Katrien and myself have tried the Leo and Singha, but we prefer the Chang !
It is such a clean beer, without having that nasty bitterness that the Leo and Singha do have.
They are not really that pleasant hop bitter, and the aftertaste isn't really enjoyable too.
Chang has that cleanliness and no single off flavor too. Drinks soo smooth and so satisfactory in that hot humid Thai weather.
We nearly always ordered us the big 620 ml bottles. Cheapest price we got was 52 bath (that's just a bit more than 1 euro).
But be aware, at tourist locations, they easily ask 140 Bath for a big bottle, which actually isn't that expensive either.
Good to see that finally the craft beer scene has been legalized.
Before, it was forbidden to brew and sell, except for small exceptions !!! Hey, this is Thailand.
Brewery Bees Knees at Koh Samui to be that example. I've seen the brewery with my own eyes, and drank their beers.
But that was on a previous visit. The brewery actually has stopped to exist, which frankly is a true shame.
Maybe they (Englishman Jim Smith) will start up again in the future, who know.
The picture here above shows two big cans of locally brewed Thai craft beers.
Both were brewed at Mahanakhon Thailand Micro Brewery - https://www.mhnk.beer/
Tasted at Jodd Fairs market in Bangkok, a short walk from the hotel (FX Hotel Metrolink - Makkasan, Bangkok)
It is a street food night market, which is a true joy to visit and have local street food, incl. even quality beers like these!
Both are IPA's, and Katrien and I preferred the left one. That bit more body and flavor especially those citric hop flavors.
180 Bath each, which is about €4.71 for a big 490 ml can.
More quality beers at Jodd Fairs market!! The Father Beer !
Quite a surprise to actually see that beer stand, and so many Belgian beers too.
Be aware, they are not that cheap though according Belgian standards. Reckon to pay about 250 Bath for a Gouden Carolus classic. €6.50 something...
We rather would go for the 490ml can of Chang at 60 Bath though. after all, we can drink Belgian beer here in Belgium as much as we want at cheaper prices.
Anyway, what a joy to see that huge beer stall in the centre of Bangkok!
But we didn't see many people buying them. That's really too bad. For local Thai people, it sure isn't that cheap for them.. hence....
Another surprise was this van passing us when having some local street food.
The street food stall is actually located behind the van.
That's a beer delivery car from Smiling Bad Dog, and to my surprise it mentions Belgian brewery Sint-Bernardus!
It sure must have delivered some beer (not Sint-Bernardus) to that nearby beer joint, called Chicken & Beer. More from this place later in this message.
Here's another Thai beer we tried. 150 Bath (€3.93) for a 490ml can.
That's another citrussy tasty IPA. It seems the Thai beer scene has focused on citric IPA's.
No wonder, as the weather just asks for that style.... refreshing, fruity, citric thirst quenchers at lower alc.
Good beers, no doubt, but not the big wowzers that I'm used to drink.
Those big Changs are always such a treat.
We were always so thirsty, even already after a half hour walk in that humid hot environment.
Makes you so thirsty that a Chang is just that perfect need!
I must admit, we had ALOT of them
As said, one can go very low budget!
Here is an example. Not beery this time.
Next door to our hotel in Krabi, there was that Muslim community.
I did some Google research and found a place where you can eat a beef steak. Hipster Steak is the name of the place.
To my surprise I saw the price of a T-bone steak to be 169 Bath! (€4.42)
Ofcourse, That NEEDED to be done !!!!
AND! Tasty it was!
OK, you only get 4 frites, but the salad was delicious and the T-bone steak as well. Paired with a pot of pepper sauce.
I must say that the meat was marinated in a kind of herbal marinade. This made it so tender and so special in flavor. I liked it ALOT!!
That steak sure was one of the highlights during our stay.
And one can also choose a Ribeye steak at 99 Bath only (€2.50) ... next time..
No alcohol, but the lemonades were such a treat too. 20 Bath something.
Be aware, when hitting the toilets not to forget to put off your shoes
Time for a good Belgian beer!
Tripel Karmeliet and Gulden Draak Classic! 250 Bath each (€6.54)
Tasted at Diver's Inn Steakhouse at Ao Nang beach (Krabi) run by friendly German Juergen Weber - www.krabi-divers-inn.com
Mixed grilled meat for me...
With pepper sauce and a nice salad.
Massaman curry for Katrien.
A HIGHLY enjoyable restaurant which offers the best selection of Belgian beers in Krabi! Essential !!
Changwon Express - Chicken & Beer - https://www.facebook.com/changwonexpress/
That place is literally located at the doorstep of our hotel in Bangkok!
How convenient this is folks
Here's the tap selection, and they also have a fridge with bottles. About 30 beers something. No Belgian beer spotted.
The tap selection didn't attract me alot, but they do have a Stout at 8.8 vol%.
It's called Lion stout and brewed at SL ?
This needed some research. It's actually brewed in Sri Lanka!
Wow, I never had a beer from this country and it's an affordable 200 Bath (€5.00)
We ordered two of them and ended up with a total of three of the same... yes, they were that good
This stout was such a delight!! I'm not really a stout lover, but this one was a game changer!
Nothing dry or harch bitter here.
This beer went in soo smooth and sweet and that 8.8 vol% was that perfect touch.
Quite a fruity perfumy beer too. Yes, what a damn delicious beer this was.
...and paired with this mixed deep-fried chicken a true FEAST !!!!!
Jeez, how fast has time passed this time!
Going to Thailand is going to fast time passing, just because that country is such a true joy to visit!
In no time, our vacation came to an end.
This means ..... waiting for the next vacation to Thailand....which will take much more time, believe me.
Hope you like a bit of this article folks.
Ofcourse we did much more than drinking beer.
The food in Thailand is to die for, and so affordable too.
The people are so friendly and helpful, and the culture in Thailand is an example for so MANY countries!
Cheers,
Filip (BTW... another surprise: Cannabis has been legalized in Bangkok in 2020, and we've seen a massive load of cannabis shops, which we didn't try (ofcourse))
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