Terrible news for beer lovers in Thailand: Plans to sell Beer Lao throughout Thailand have been put on hold… until 2011. That’s four years we’ll have to wait before we can drink one of my favorite beers when we please.
Lao Brewery had planned to expand its business in Southern Laos with the aim of the beer making its way to Thailand. However, the governments of Laos and Thailand decided that beer is “too sensitive” a product to be tariff free. While the beer market is protected, beer drinkers will miss out.
Tariffs will be kept on beer until 2011. A new beer plant being built in Southern Laos would have been the beginning of Beer Lao spilling over into Thailand. Let’s face it, Beer Lao tastes a heck of a lot better than Chang, Singha, Leo and even Heineken. This would have been fantastic.
It looks like Thailand is a bit protective of its beer market though, so don’t expect Beer Lao in a 7-Eleven near you any time soon. Beer Lao is just about the only branded product Loas is known for. Selling the product in Thailand would be a great step for Laos because of the high number of tourists who pass through here, most of who speak highly of Beer Lao, as reported by DPA.
Beer Lao rocks – what a shame!
Beer Lao can be found in many places in Thailand already so I guess someone is importing it illegally?
For readers in Bangkok, I know they sell it at Gullivers for sure and some other places too…
Random fact – the Laos script for 'Beer Lao' can be misread by Thai readers to mean something very different. Quite funny when u see farangs happily wearing their Beer Lao t-shirts around Thailand.
Never tasted it, will do asap.
But it is not that difficult to taste better than Heineken. Here in Holland we have many beers that do exactly that.
Beer Lao kinda taste like Leo, anyway.
Real shame, it's a nice beer.No great surprise though. Does anyone know if it's available in the UK??
Dude, beer Lao tastes nothing like, the extemely chemical tasting, Leo. Brrr, I get cold shivers just thinking about Leo. Actually all Thai beers have a wicked chemical aftertaste.
It's to bad Thailand won't be selling Beer Lao. For the most part you can't find good beer in Thailand. There are a few places that sell Guinness or Boddington's but Thai beer sucks, and Tiger isn't around enough. It's a good thing Mekong is everywhere.