Beerlao

Lager (left) and dark (right) Beerlao

Beerlao (Lao language: ເບຍລາວ) is the generic name of a range of beers produced by the Lao Brewery Company (LBC) of Vientiane, Laos.

History

Main article: Lao Brewery Company
Large Beer Lao bottle, Phnom Penh.
Large Beerlao bottle, Phnom Penh

The beer is based on locally grown jasmine rice; the hops and yeast used are imported from Germany.

Beerlao Original (5% Alc./Vol.), the original lager produced by LBC, is sold in 330 mL and 640 mL bottles and 330 mL cans. It is available throughout Laos, and in Western-style restaurants in Cambodia. It is increasingly available in bars in Thailand. As of 2013, restaurants in Laos charge upwards of a base price of 10,000 kip for a 640 mL bottle, which is a little more than US$1. In some places, the beer is available in draft form (on tap). This is referred to as biá sot ("fresh beer") by locals.

In 2005 LBC launched a locally produced Carlsberg beer and two new Beerlao products, Beerlao Light with a lower alcohol content (2.9%) and Beerlao Dark with an alcohol content of 6.5%. These both come in 330 mL bottles. Beerlao Light has been discontinued.[1]

In April 2008 LBC launched another beer brand, a 5.5% alcohol lager called Lanexang.[2] The term Lanexang means "Million Elephants" and was the former name of an historic Lao kingdom, 1354-1707. Since its launch Lanexang Beer has been continuously gaining popularity among local drinkers though it is relatively hard to find.

A new beer, Beerlao Gold, was introduced in 2010. Its distinguishing ingredient is "khao kai noy" rice, which is claimed to give the beer a "...good scent and non-sticky texture,..."[3]

The company claims to have a 99% market share of the national beer market in Laos, though this may have been eroded by the arrival of Singapore's Tiger beer on the market.[4]

Beerlao was an official sponsor of the 2009 Southeast Asian Games held 9–18 December 2009 in Vientiane as well as most sports events in the country. They are one of the main marketers in the country and issue one of its most popular calendars, showcasing the year's winners of the Bia Lao beauty pageant.

Beerlao has been awarded twice with a gold quality award (in 2006 and 2010) and once with a silver quality award (in 2003),[5] granted by Monde Selection, the first International Quality Institute founded in Belgium.[6]

Export

Beerlao is now exported to the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Ireland, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, France, Thailand, Denmark, Hong Kong and Macau, Switzerland, China, Singapore, and the Netherlands. It is available duty-free at most Lao border crossings, especially those with Thailand, where it is usually priced in Thai baht (from 20 baht per can, as of 2006).

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Beerlao Lager". Lao Brewery Co. LBC. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
  2. ↑ Lanexang Beer
  3. ↑ "Beerlao Gold". Lao Brewery Co. LBC. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
  4. ↑ About Beerlao
  5. ↑ Current News, beerlao.la
  6. ↑ Monde Selection

External links