I was over in Malaysia and Thailand the last couple of weeks for holiday an sampled the local brews along with some fantastic food too. You guys in malaysia have it sooo good- Nasi Lemak is awesome stuff! Got to meet up with Kenny and enjoy a few beers and laughs too! The following reviews are short sweet and ranked to my personal opinion and what I got to try out while I was there.
1. Guinness Draught (Malaysia Brewed)
What a surprise this was! I had my first sip and was astonished Guinness never tasted so good! I got a hint of hops and roasty malt on the nose and a well rounded bitter after taste with a awesome creamy mouth feel..On top of that sooooo refreshing in the Malaysian heat. I have a few Guinness Draughts over the years this the Malaysian Brewed version is the best yet! The aussie version just seems to watered down for my tastes.Maybe they brew accordingly to the regions palate? Who knows.. but when I’m back in Aussie-land I will try my best to sought out the best Guinness Draught that lives up to this fantastic example! Had this with kenny at the Social KL Bar and Restaurant@G Tower on Jalan Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur…Big thanks to Jerry and his staff for a great night out!!
2. Danish Royal Stout
Brewed by Carlsberg Malaysia and a very drinkable stout at 8% ABV …Good coffee/choc/mocha malts on the nose and a well balanced mouth feel bittered appropriately with a great satisfying aftertaste. You really feel like you’ve had a PROPER stout after finishing this one off! I have had this several times over the years on stop overs in KL and it doesn’t cease to disappoint! Clearly aimed at the Guinness Foreign Extra Stout drinker market I actually prefer this over the better known Extra Stout when in Malaysia. Just wish Carlsberg would have a draught/on tap version that would be bliss! There also was a Ginseng infused version a few years back which was awesome..sadly I couldn’t find it this time. Picked up this can at a random supermarket in KL.
3. Carlsberg Gold
A very refreshing lager which I believe has the edge over its much more popular sibling due to its slightly higher ABV of 5.5%. More of a malt backbone to this and fuller mouthfeel. No big hop aroma here to appreciate just pour a chilled can into a cold glass and quaff down ! Extremely drinkable in the humid warm weather it goes down very nicely with some spicy chicken or satay. I found in supermarkets and convenience stores this brew is priced the same as regular Carlsberg- being an Aussie I thought bargain! An extra 0.7%Abv for free!
4. Heineken
The default beer for many people when they travel as it seems to hold its quality and sustain a certain consistency wherever you go. The Malaysian version is a very good example of this consistency. The malts you know are there, the Heineken hop twang on the nose/after taste is there also.A very refreshing lager as always. The only real stand out I found from this brewed version was a slightly more bitter aftertaste than the Aussie or Thai versions I have tried which tend to be more sweeter. Closer to the importehttps://beerbeer.org/files/d dutch version in this respect. hard to detect when drunk ice cold though which is the way you have this beer! goes good after a long walk around kl with some fried noodles! had it off tap and also out of the can…gotta love that logo with the e’s smiling back at ya though gotta soft spot for that : )
5.Tuborg
Brewed by Carlsberg Malaysia. A good refreshing pilsener/Larger very balanced and extremely easy to skull down when chilled properly. We used to have this in Australia back in the mid 2000′s but it didn’t seem to make a impression and can’t be found anywhere here now unless you find some dusty imports. My mate at work told me on his trips to Denmark this is the the more popular beer over there. So when I saw this at Isetan KLCC I grabbed a few bottles to try out. Inoffensive and drinkable- I like it!
6. Carlsberg
Again a good thirst quenching larger! Went well straight out of the cold can from the hotel fridge which I had to meddle with to get the temp down! An ever so slight bitter after taste and very smooth going down due to coldness and freshness that what a larger should be. I really haven’t drunken much Carlsberg in Australia other than skulling a few at a BBQ and having a imported danish bottle about ten years ago so I cant really compare. I would though say from what I saw probably the most popular beer sold in supermarkets/convenience stores in Malaysia. I didn’t get to try it off tap though, the bars I visited seemed only to have Heineken/Guinness products on tap..Oh well there’s always next time. Carlsberg is another worldwide larger that seems to be a favorite staple beer among all. I hear that this Malaysian brewed version is making its way to Thailand in the form of draught to cater for the big expat/tourist markets who love this danish drop over there. Picked up a six pack at Carefour at Mid Valley Megamall- came with a free glass!
7. Tiger
Had this off tap at Malones bar KLCC just before we flew back to Australia and after my last Malaysian Guinness draught!
The National Lager Beer of Malaysia and Singapore. Have had it in Australia too out of the bottle …This one has abit of a earthy hop after taste that reminds me alot of Aussie lagers. Pride of ringwood hops come to mind when drinking this beer. A little watery on the mouth feel but it suits the climate very well. Not much head retention on this one at all due to the pour. Easy to quaff down in the hot Malaysian sun! Still I don’t see my self drinking alot of these as the earthy hop twang just isn’t a favorite quality that I personally enjoy. But if you’re a fan of Aussie macro lagers or Craft brewer Mountain Goat’s Steam Ale and you find yourself in beaut Malaysia give this one a go.
8.Carlsberg Special Brew
A very strong lager beer. About 8.8% ABV and way too sweet! Some people like that kinda thing- not me. No hop aroma at all to give it some kind of significance. The brew is totally out of balance the sweet malts dominate this brew and while you can drink it slowly the alcohol kick knocks you round way too much. (just take my blurry snapshot as an example) It really didn’t push any of the right buttons for me at all…. apart from the appealing label and cap. Drink if you wanna go to bed early.
9. Starker Aromatic (Jaz brewery)
Sorry no Snapshot of this one guys…..
I really wanted to like Starker as it was touted as the Malaysia’s first craft brew and the fact it is served from mini beer barrels which added to my anticipation. Had this one off tap… Slight fruity aroma on the nose and malt sweetness. Mouth feel was okay again with the taste of un-fermented malt sugars which turned me off abit. Was refreshing but it did reminded me alot of a young kit -made homebrew. Had quite a twang. Really disappointing. Had one pint and that was enough. For 30.00MYR a pint not worth it. Good marketing though gotta give them points for that!
Hopefully Starker/Jaz can redeem themselves in making a decent locally brewed wheat beer(weizen/heffe) to win me over next time instead of a silly homebrew twang larger.
That’s what I think would be great in Malaysia and what is really missing in the market over there. Almost everyone I know who drinks loves a wheat beer. German brewed Paulaner is killing it at the moment in tap wheat beer market share in Malaysia( a great beer by the way! One of my favies!).
But in the end it’s time for a Guinness when in Malaysia!
PROPERBEERMATE
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