Bangkok as a Beer Destination

Two and a half years ago, I boxed up my things, packed a pair of bags, and moved to Bangkok. The food—as expected—was phenomenally good, the omnipresent heat took some getting used to, and the beer, well, I hadn't counted on any surprises. Then I discovered the Belgian beer bar in Ari, my new neighborhood. I couldn't afford to drop by as often as I wanted to, but just knowing a place with Leffe on tap existed in Thailand made me that much happier to be there.

Earlier this year, I returned to Southeast Asia to see friends and research several assignments for a few different magazines. One of these articles covers Bangkok's beer scene and appears in issue#78 of BeerAdvocate (July 2013). Not only did I enjoy going back to old favorites like House of Beers, I also happily spent time at newer bars and beer focused restaurants like Brew Beers & Ciders and Shuffle at Rain Hill, a recommendation from Brian Bartusch and Aaron Grieser, the guys behind Beervana Trading Company. Sitting around their busy Bang Na office while drinking a Poleeko Pale Ale, I got the sense that craft beer had become more than something trendy to add to menus catering to a moneyed clientele. Slowly but surely it's earning a place in Thailand's sophisticated food culture. I can't wait to see what's changed the next time I visit.

Intoxicating Bangkok

Not long after I moved to Thailand's capital city in late 2010, I discovered something I hadn't counted on: a beer scene on the rise. With each week that went by, another European import (and even the occasional microbrew) would turn up on a menu or tap list somewhere. For a beer advocate like me, this was good news. Last summer, Beer Connoisseur published a feature story I wrote on the growing number of brewpubs and trendy beer bars in Bangkok. In it I mention Tawandang German Brewery and Est. 33 by Singha, two businesses that have since opened new branches at Siam Discovery Center and The Nine on Rama 9 Road.

As far as I can tell, the pace of change hasn't slowed much, if at all. Chris Foo, of House of Beers, or HOBS, recently launched BREW Beers & Ciders in Thong Lor, while Silom has added The Pintsman and The Nine made room for Einstein Café, yet another place to find witbier and pale European lager on tap. American brands haven't joined the party yet, but friends tell me that it is possible to track down an IPA (by which I mean Carlow Brewing's dry-hopped Irish Pale Ale). My article isn't online, but here's a brief excerpt:  

"Built to be the "ultimate lifestyle design district" with dozens of showrooms peddling fine furniture, expensive kitchen and bath products, luxury house ware, and modern home entertainment accessories, CDC [the Crystal Design Center] has surprisingly emerged as an oasis for beer buffs as well. Restaurants soon followed interior design companies to this shopping complex, and then at the beginning of the year, Est. 33 was joined by the Aston Gastro Bar and Beerology. These specialty bars aren't trying to compete with the typical Thai beer garden crowded with tin tables and taste-alike beer; they're aiming to attract tastemakers. In a city where a bottle of Chang is usually about 70 Thai baht of $2.30, they charge closer to $8 for a bottle of Tripel Karmeliet."

Need a Physician? Bring a Passport

No, that's not a hotel interior. It's a VIP suite at a medical facility in Southeast Asia. And not even the most expensive inpatient accommodation available at Bumrungrad International Hospital—that would be the Premiere Royal Suite. Honestly, I found it difficult not to be a little gobsmacked the first time I saw rooms like this in person.

I mention this because I wrote a short article on Thailand's medical tourism industry last year. My editor at Tropical magazine called it "Comfort and Care: Thailand's Perennial Allure to Health Travelers," and at the end, I quoted a source who claimed that countries such as Poland, Hungary, and Costa Rica are challenging heavyweight healthcare destinations like Thailand. Many months later, flipping through the "Journeys" issue of the New Yorker, I found myself reading James Surowiecki's financial column before any of the longer travel features. This in spite of the fact that I hadn't eaten dinner yet and the magazine included an intriguing story on Russia's lost culinary heritage.

Thailand's Ice Cream Innovation

With less than a week remaining in February, the temperatures have begun to creep up in Bangkok. This is of course, a sure sign of one thing and one thing only—the approach of the Hot Season. Gone are the tolerable eighty-degree days when a welcome breeze might stir the bougainvillea on a quiet soi in Ari. Slowly but unquestionably they're being replaced by oppressive humidity and baking heat. Needless to say, this isn't good news for anyone, least of all those of us who break a sweat just thinking about the long walk to the SkyTrain. 

Fortunately, like the people themselves, Thai street food has adapted to the climatic extremes of Southeast Asia. And so, where a lemonade or a granita might do in another city, there's only one warm weather treat that can offer adequate relief for Bangkok's steamy afternoons: Coconut Ice Cream. Served in a cake cone or (preferably) on a hot dog roll, this inexpensive, frozen confection is typically cold enough to make your teeth ache with their first frigid bite. For the full experience, order it with roasted peanuts, sticky rice, sweetened gelatin, candied sweet potato, and to top it all off, a generous pour of condensed milk.

Live From Bangkok

It was quite possibly the darkest, heaviest version of "Every Breath You Take" I've ever heard. Almost as if Joy Division and Metallica had decided to collaborate on a song that Sting himself admits to being his most sinister. But the rock band playing the Grammy Award-winning single wasn't British or even American for that matter, and probably count few fans outside of their native country. 

In fact, Ynot7 is a talented group of Thai musicians that recently emerged from a lengthy hiatus in an attempt to recapture some of the success they enjoyed with their previous albums. On Sunday night, I caught the first concert in their weekly residency at Parking Toys, an eclectic venue in Bangkok's Lat Phrao neighborhood. In addition to a bunch of originals I didn't recognize, they covered "Enter Sandman," "Smoke on the Water," and "Another Day in Paradise." Recordings of these songs aren't available online, but you can watch the official video for "On the Wall," their newest single, on YouTube.

Bangkok's Belgian Oasis

In a way, the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie was strangely appropriate. But it was pure coincidence that HBO happened to be showing Street Fighter when I sat down at the newest branch of Bangkok's House of Beers and ordered a Leffe Brown. Deciding I wanted something other than noodles for lunch, I had wandered down to Aree Garden in search of pub grub and a malty ale. Little did I know that the Muscles from Brussels would be on the menu, too.

I also didn't anticipate the range of beers that I'd be able to choose from, with nary a domestic brand among them. Besides predictable draft standards like Hoegaarden and Stella Artois, HOBS carries more than two dozen Belgians in bottles, including Trappist ales from Rochefort, Orval, and Chimay. In fact, they claim to have the greatest Belgian beer selection in Thailand.

True or not, I expect to be back in the near future, probably on another quiet afternoon when splurging on a drink seems like a good excuse to leave the house. With tax and tip, my bill came to 601 Baht (about $20) for the Leffe and a croque madame accompanied by fries and a small salad. Not exactly a bargain, but definitely worth it if I can watch Timecop on my next visit.