Chang Beer

Recently I had some friends of mine return from a holiday to Thailand which naturally prompted the all important travel question, “what did ya think of the beer?”

Last year I went to Phuket in Thailand and enjoy a healthy quantity of Singha beer so I thought they would be commenting in Singha.

“Mate the Chang was great!”

Chang – hmmm I had heard of it but didn’t partake it so when I saw some in the local supermarket liquor outlet I was compelled to get some.

It is a refreshing lager, honey golden in appearance with a distinctive aroma of malts and barley.

It has more flavour than Singha and also more body with subtle aftertaste and is very smooth across the palate. Combined it has the qualities to keep you coming back for more.

Brewed in Thailand, it is a beer aimed for the tropics and hot weather and does the job of thirst quenching really well.

But there is a little catch, it is 5 percent alcohol so it is a strong beer but not overbearing – just don’t plan on doing too much after a few.

It tends to be a bit ‘heavier’ in the gut that your current fare of summer beers but that doesn’t detract from its sessionability which rates high.

As you might expect, this beer is ideally suited to spicy Asian dishes and would also lend itself well to curries.

I found it a crisp, Moorish drop as did my neighbour Andrew and it had me dreaming of lazy days in Thailand where Chang is both plentiful and cheap.

It’s a good summer beer and ideal for parties or relaxing at the end of the day.

And it’s a cheap and pleasant way of bringing a little bit of Thailand to your place.

MY TIP

Serve this lager very cold and make sure you have a couple on standby. As you might expect, this beer is made for Asian or Indian foods but it could also do well at the humble Aussie barbie. At around $15 per 330ml six pack, it’s also very affordable (though not as cheap as it is in Thailand).