Beerlao
Encyclopedia
Beerlao is the name of a range of beer
s (lager
, light beer and dark beer) produced by the Lao Brewery Company
of Vientiane
, Laos
.
; the hop
s 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 2007, restaurants in Laos charge upwards of a base price of 8,500 kip for a 640 mL bottle, which is a little more than US$1. In limited places, the beer is available in draft form (on tap). This is referred to as biá sot ("fresh beer") by the locals. As of March, 2011, restaurants in Vientiane charge around 10,000 Kip for a large bottle, which is approximately 40 Thai Baht or $1.33 USD.
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
Also, in April 2008 LBC launched another beer brand, a 5.5% alcohol lager called LaneXang. 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.
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.
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.
, the United States
, Canada
, Australia
, New Zealand
, South Korea
, Japan
, Vietnam
, Cambodia
, France
, Thailand
, Denmark
, Hong Kong & 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).
Beerlao is very popular with foreign travelers in Vientiane
. Many guidebooks
recommend enjoying a cold Beerlao at one of the riverside restaurants by the Mekong River as a 'must-do' experience when visiting the city.
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
s (lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
, light beer and dark beer) produced by the Lao Brewery Company
Lao Brewery Company
The Lao Brewery Company Ltd. is a producer of beer and bottled drinking water in Laos headquartered in Vientiane.-History:...
of Vientiane
Vientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
.
Beerlao
The beer is based on locally grown jasmine riceJasmine rice
Jasmine rice , sometimes known as Thai fragrant rice, is a long-grain variety of rice that has a nutty aroma and a subtle pandan-like flavor caused by 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline.Jasmine rice is originally from Thailand...
; the hop
Hop (plant)
Humulus, Hop, is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The female flowers of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer...
s and yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
used are imported from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
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
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. It is increasingly available in bars in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. As of 2007, restaurants in Laos charge upwards of a base price of 8,500 kip for a 640 mL bottle, which is a little more than US$1. In limited places, the beer is available in draft form (on tap). This is referred to as biá sot ("fresh beer") by the locals. As of March, 2011, restaurants in Vientiane charge around 10,000 Kip for a large bottle, which is approximately 40 Thai Baht or $1.33 USD.
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
Also, in April 2008 LBC launched another beer brand, a 5.5% alcohol lager called LaneXang. The term LaneXang means Million Elephants and was the former name of an historic Lao kingdom
Lan Xang
The Lao kingdom of Lan Xang Hom Kao was established in 1354 by Fa Ngum.Exiled as an infant to Cambodia, Prince Fa Ngum of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong married a daughter of the Khmer king. In 1349 he set out from Angkor at the head of a 10,000-man army to establish his own country...
, 1354-1707. Since its launch LaneXang beer has been continuously gaining popularity among local drinkers though it is relatively hard to find.
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.
Beerlao was an official sponsor of the 2009 Southeast Asian Games
2009 Southeast Asian Games
The 25th Southeast Asian Games was held in Vientiane, Laos, in December 2009.This was the first time Laos had held the 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.
Export
Beerlao is now exported to the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Hong Kong & Macau, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. 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).
Beerlao is very popular with foreign travelers in Vientiane
Tourism in Laos
Tourism is the fastest growing industry in Laos. It is governed by a ministry-level government agency, the Lao National Tourism Administration, located in Vientiane.-Vientiane:Refer to main article Vientiane.* Buddha Park* Haw Phra Kaew...
. Many guidebooks
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
recommend enjoying a cold Beerlao at one of the riverside restaurants by the Mekong River as a 'must-do' experience when visiting the city.
External links
- Beerlao official site
- Beerlao USA
- Beerlao UK
- Beerlao Switzerland
- Distributors of Beerlao in Thailand official site