Thai Craft Beer: Where to Drink It and Why It's Hard to Find

Featured image: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What Thai craft beer is and the quick answer

Thai craft beer means beer from small independent brewers, usually served where it is made. Styles run from German lager, weizen and dunkel to hazy IPAs, sours and porters. Most of it never reaches a convenience store. Mainstream lagers such as Thai Beer Guide: Singha vs Chang vs Leo dominate shops, while the small producers pour on tap in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan. Expect a venue visit to be the whole experience.

Why Thai craft beer is mostly drunk on-site

Thailand's 1950 Liquor Act sets two licence routes. A factory must brew more than 1,000,000 litres a year. A brewpub must brew at least 100,000 litres a year, sell on-site and not bottle. Brewpub beer cannot leave the premises. A 2000 finance ministry ruling added a limited-company requirement with at least ฿10 million in capital. In December 2016 a new law raised penalties for illegal production to ฿100,000, six months in prison, or both. Those rules are dated, and regulations may have shifted since. Treat this as background and check the Excise Department for current licensing. The practical result is simple. Small brewers pour on-site, and a few have worked around the limits with cans made through partner producers. Import duties of up to 60% and a cap-sticker rule also keep foreign craft scarce and pricey.

Where to drink Thai craft beer in Bangkok

Match the venue to the evening you want. Venue details come from a 2023 listing, so check current opening days before you go. Tawandang German Brewery has brewed since 1999 and pours lager, weizen and dunkel. Branches sit in Ramintra and Sathorn. Bootleg Brothers has operated since 2022 at the Escape rooftop on the fifth floor of EmQuartier in Phrom Phong. Brewave sits on Kanchanaphisek Road and is reachable by MRT.

• 12 Plato in Bang Na: 21 taps, with Thai beers such as Charmyai IPAs, plus live music.
• Mitr Brewery: up to 20 taps, from hefeweizens to sours and smoky stouts.
• Underdog Microbrewery in Samut Prakan: 18 guest and house beers, plus a pre-paid self-pour tap.
• United Peoples Brewery: 12 beers on draft, including Sandport's Broken Sword red ale.
• The Londoner on Phattanakarn Road: pilsner, pale ale and wit, served in towers.

Beyond Bangkok

Chiang Mai and Phuket have craft beer scenes, but this guide only names venues it can support. Call Me Papa opened in Nonthaburi in December 2022. Its hazy milkshake IPA is also sold in cans. Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok city limits, holds enough breweries for a relatively easy crawl. Beer Asia's Chiang Mai guide lists 15 spots and is a sensible lead for the north. Check each venue's current status before you travel.

Planning a visit: time, cost and access

Central venues suit an evening. Pair Bootleg Brothers in Phrom Phong with a dinner plan and one more stop. Far-out breweries such as Mitr need a half-day because of the trek. Rail helps at Underdog on the MRT Yellow Line and at Brewave, where the MRT runs almost to the door. Elsewhere, ride-hail beats guessing at buses. Traffic can swamp a plan, so allow slack between stops. Cost is easiest to judge in relative terms. Expect taproom pints to sit above mainstream lager, with towers and multi-tap flights as ways to sample more. Check menus for current baht prices, since none are published here. Opening days vary, so confirm before a long trip.

Craft versus the big brands

Start with what shops sell. Chang Beer: Taste, ABV & How It Compares in Thailand comes from ThaiBev. Boon Rawd, the maker of Singha and Leo, has brewed since 1933, when it received its licence. Read about Singha Beer in Thailand: Taste, ABV & How to Order for a sense of the baseline. Leo Beer in Thailand: Taste, Price and Leo vs Chang is the other big lager you will meet at street stalls. In 2018 figures, Leo held 53% of the market, Chang 38% and Singha 5%. Craft sits far outside those numbers. Singha-owned EST. 33 shows the overlap. Its Snowy Weizen appears in 7-Eleven stores, and its taphouses at CDC and The Nine pour other beers.

Mistakes to avoid

Do not expect shops to stock craft. A visitor who searches supermarket aisles will find mainstream lager. Do not plan a crawl without checking opening days. Do not ignore Bangkok traffic when stacking stops. Finally, verify current drinking-hour and sale rules before you plan a late night. For wider context, see our guide to Thai drinks. If you want a non-alcoholic break, Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen): What It Is and How to Order is the easy swap.