I love a good beer. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is try the local beers, and if there are any, the local microbrews. I don’t drink everyday, or even every week, but when I travel, tasting the local beers for me is one of the elements in embracing the local culture.
Imagine my shock when the first country I get assigned to in the Foreign Service is a dry country that doesn’t produce their own beer. Sad Panda.
Thankfully, neighboring Senegal, Morocco, and Cote D’Ivoire DO brew their own beers, so my time in Africa wasn’t wasted.
Like much of the world, the beer scene in Africa was light tasting lagers without much variety. Each brewery might have a token “stout” or “dark” beer, but the real meat and potatoes were these clear beers meant to quench your thirst on a hot day. I get it. It doesn’t really appeal to me after a day of exploring a city or area, and sitting down to a heavy, malty beer. Give me something crisp and refreshing.
Thankfully, Myanmar DOES brew their own beer, and has a small but decent microbrew scene in Yangon.
Myanmar beer is the obvious choice for adventurers coming to the country. Like other countries, it’s a light a refreshing lager, perfect for a hot monsoon day. It has a pleasant aroma and a nice /crisp after taste. Unfortunately, factions close to the junta government of Myanmar control the brewery, so it’s often advised to avoid drinking it, and you will see many popular businesses avoid carrying it, often out of protest. Needless to say, once I learned the backing behind the beer, I have steered clear.
Myanmar is also unique in that they have laws that limit all beer sales to those that have been brewed domestically. What this does is limit any imported beer in the country, but also means some interesting breweries exist. Danish beers Carlsberg and Tuborg are brewed in Myanmar, as are Chang (Thailand), Heineken (Netherlands), and Tiger (Singapore). Every once in a while you’ll see a Corona or a Kirin infiltrate a restaurant, but for the most part, it’s local brewed international brands, or not at all.
Locally, there is a great micro brewery called Burbrit that brews traditional and unique beers with local flavors such a Dragonfruit. They have multiple locations in Yangon and it is so successful they opened a location in Bangkok. Highly recommended if you ever find yourself in Yangon, or perhaps in a safer environment like Bangkok. Very tasty.
It’s great to be in a place with its own local beer scene. I look forward to sampling everything the region has to offer. -Nick
