Seat of Our Pants

Our famous pig Bacon once said that “To know a country is to know its beer”. While that’s obviously not quite true, we did sample most of the available brands in Myanmar. Here’s all you need to know about Burmese beer.

The picture above shows a Dagon beer station. Dagon is the new, upstart brand in Myanmar. They produce a light, slightly fruity lager that’s best enjoyed on tap. We found it to be a bit on the watery side, but refreshing and pleasant, if a bit uninspiring.

Mandalay Beer is the nation’s #2, a position it holds because it’s cheaper than the other beers. It is faintly metallic in taste, with a rough-ish edge. I don’t have too much good to say about it, but it is certainly drinkable when there’s nothing else around.

Our winner is Myanmar Beer, the premium brand and the biggest seller. It is basically an anonymous, balanced lager that wins because it is the most pleasant to drink. If I have anything negative to say about it, it is that it’s a bit sweet. It is available in bottles, cans and on tap, and is best enjoyed cold.

There are also a few strong-beer variants: a Mandalay red that has close to 7% alcohol, and a Myanmar “double strength” that packs a whopping 10% ethanol. They both taste like beer with a shot of vodka: unpleasant.

So, not the best beer in the world, but perfectly enjoyable!

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