Malaysia’s best bartenders have gained recognition by winning the ‘Best Performing Country’ Award during the Stella Artois World Draught Master Regional Finals 2013 at Sofitel So Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.

Three gentlemen, who represented the country, bested 16 other contestants from five Asian countries by successfully accumulating the most points throughout the Draught Masters competition on 22 October, giving them an excellent opportunity to snag the coveted award.

Kenneth Soh, General Manager of Luen Heng F&B Sdn. Bhd. commented upon accepting the award, “Perfected by the Belgians and rich heritage, the fine art of pouring does not only ensure that the beer tastes as it should but also adds theatre to the consumer experience. We are very honoured to have received such a notable award by Stella Artois. We believe that our Malaysian contestants clamoured through the World Draught Master relentlessly over the past month to showcase an outstanding performance of the 9-Step Pouring Ritual.”

Adding a medal to its trophy, Malaysian bartender, Leong Kar Fei emerged as the country’s number one pourer, among his team of two other participants, Tang Kum Loong and Ong Poh Wee. Leong a local tapster from Brussels Café, Malaysia has been automatically selected to battle for the eminent “World Draught Master” title at the 17^th international championship in Cannes, France in May 2014, along with the other winners from the five Asian countries during the Regional Finals in Bangkok.

“It is an amazing experience to be shortlisted as Malaysia’s best bartender and I’m truly appreciative to Luen Heng F&B and Stella Artois for providing this chance of a lifetime. The training and support has not only helped my skills in pursuit of executing the Ritual flawlessly but also as a bartender: A perfectly poured Stella Artois in a Chalice is a thing of beauty. As a bartender, I want to introduce to our consumers a perfect pour Stella Artois. It will be a privilege for me to rekindle beautiful moments with this special beer experience. Meanwhile as for the final challenge, this is just a start; there are more preparation works to be done for me,” shared Leong.

The Regional Final also saw the presence of Allan Schaiko, the 16^th Stella Artois World Draught Master conducting an intensive training session with the contestants. Schaiko, the Belgian lad flaunts the perfect pouring ritual, applying the finest methods to best use the Chalice’s frame, stem and signature rim, offering an exquisite Stella Artois experience. Whilst showcasing his expertise, he also shared his experiences as a beer tapping connoisseur through travelling to more than 10 countries worldwide.

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This place is found about 20~40mins by taxi from Bangkok’s main center on Rama II . I was very surprised by the size it was massive!! And the amount of people pouring into the place! Yes I thought! The holy grail of beer in Thailand must be here!

Well it was kinda…..

This place was very Thai orientated…. fair enough I’m in Thailand!! But in terms of a beer enthusiast looking for the western microbrewery experience you won’t find it here aye.. The main attraction is the big stage show with various choreographed dancing and singing shows  in Thai and also some English pop/R&B solo and duet songs are performed…. highly entertaining to be honest! The beer here is surprisingly fantastic though which is the main thing!

The place has absolutely nothing to do with Holland other than the crazy windmill out the front and the fact I assume those Dutch love their beer?! Well they made Heineken and Grolsch I spose….

The whole place is more so centered on the massive stage show and awesome food more  than the excellent beer on offer even though fermenters behind the bar themselves were clearly in view and big!

No one sitting round the bar, Just the wait staff collecting orders and filling up those incredible beer towers that you see round Thailand and Malaysia mainly in food courts…gotta love that!

So we ordered our food and I ordered the BEER! They had three brews on offer a dark Dunkel , a Weizen and a wait for it a…….. Lager!!

After a week of Lagers in beaut Chiang Mai I was craving a good ‘ol ale! Had a stein of the Dunkel to start off  nice roasty choc malt on the nose and a faint noble hop aroma. Wow… on the mouth full it was very malty and  caramelly in taste and smooth as! It was more like a robust porter beer than a German style Dunkle. The Weizen was very nice too! Big banana and clove notes on the nose  true to style, very cold creamy and refreshing going down as a good Weizen should be! It filled me up quite quickly though due to the wheat malts and having close to a litre of Dunkle before!  Now the Lager….

Now this was a big surprise! No big hop aroma but a subtle scent of a noble hop was there along with a good fresh somewhat pilsner malt grain tone. Mmmmm….nice and cold going down  like a Lager should be with a awesome very well balanced bitter after taste! Easily the best lager I had on my Malaysia/Thailand trip! I can see why this was the most favored brew at the venue! Could of drank it all night…and almost did!

I wanted to complement the brewer but found it hard to communicate this to the staff due to the language barrier. Oh well if you’re out there mate I think you make some of the best beer in Thailand by far!! Service by the way was excellent- as always in the land of smiles : )

The food was great. If you like your fresh seafood dishes this is a good place to check out if you are ever in Bangkok. We had the crab curry and rice  and it was a very good match for the Lager.  I’ll definitely be going there again next time I’m in Bangers..now to find a decent hotel on Rama II…….

Holland Beer

129/9 moo 6 Rama 2 Road
Bangkhuntian
Bangkok 10150
Telephone: +66 2-4531101-10

PROPERBEERMATE

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The Tawandang Microbrewery grand opening will be held this friday 5 June 2009. If you are asking who are they, they are the famous microbrewery from Thailand. Singapore will be welcoming another microbrewery to their country. They brew a selections of German style beer. With a mixture of German and Thai food, which will be amazing to the local market.

So if you are not doing anything this friday, just bring your self to check out the new microbrewery in town, at the same time enjoy some weizen beer! Cheers!

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Clear pale golden colour.
Floral and malty nose.
Sweet and rich in malt on the palate. Light-bodied
Perfect balance between hoppy flavour and sweetness in the finish (to my taste), simply outstanding.

Refreshing and easygoing beer, one of my favorite.

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The article in TheStar online, or you click here to read it, mention readers of The New York Times have chosen Penang as the second best destination among “44 Places To Go in 2009”. So how do Penang attract more tourist? One of my suggestion is to have more places that sell beer. Ok, some of you may not agree with me with this, but I think Penang beach should open up roll of pubs that cater to tourist, as it’s an attraction to enjoy the sea breeze while drinking beer.

This is from our own experience that we think selling alcohol can boost more tourism into the state. Beside drinking in the beach, the state government should also held some beach party for the tourist to enjoy the night scene with theme of local flavour. Another place that I would like to suggest, is to open pubs in Penang Hill. As tourist can enjoy beer at the same time a night scene of the Penang island. With the chill air, this will sure help to boost the tourist to go up the hill at night to enjoy the night scene. They can open some Starbucks or coffee bean but pubs and bar will cater more tourist from local to international.

Lastly, hope Penang will keep on dazzle us with their food. If you guys don’t know where is Penang, they are situated in Malaysia, northern side, not too far from Thailand. An island that full of people and many interesting food that can trigger your taste bud. Visit Malaysia. Cheers!

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