Beers Around The World

I love travel.  I also love beer.  So getting to combine my two loves together and sample different beers from all the places we are visiting is an absolute joy.  And of course I only do so responsibly.

The beers I have had so far have been pretty good but I’m really craving a good pale ale like a Sierra Nevada.  Most of the beers in Asia are light and crisp.  Although with the heat we’ve been experiencing I couldn’t imagine anything else. 

So here is my sampling of beers from Hawaii to India…

Primo Island Lager – “Hawaii’s Original Beer” It wasn't too special but I had one while hanging out in a small dive bar across the street from the port we were docked in.  Craig, Nicole, Kelly and I were escaping the rain and talking to a crazy local guy.  I think Kona Brewery is the better of the Hawaii beer companies, especially the Longboard style.

Kirin Beer - A light beer that I sipped on while watching the sumo match in Tokyo.  The flavor was decent but somewhat lacking.  I'd compare it to a Miller Lite.  A good sporting event beer.

Tsingtao Beer – China’s second leading brewing company, Tsingtao is another golden yellow lager with a crisp taste and light body.  I picked up a few cans from the local 7-11 in Shanghai.  The flavor is okay but also somewhat lacking.

Kingway - China's leading beer maker is a pretty good brew.  Funny enough I didn't actually have one until we were back on the ship sailing from Hong Kong but since the ship restocked supplies, including beer, there I've been enjoying the "King" ever since.  It's got more flavor than the previous beers and I have enjoyed it.
Tiger Beer - The drink of Vietnam and most of Southeast Asia.  I can't tell you all the places I drank it, there were just too many.  It has been my favorite brew so far.  It is light but tasty and goes down smooth on a hot night while sitting outside on a small plastic chair people watching outside of a night market.
Myanmar Beer - Another lager from Asia that is great on a hot Yangon night.  It's light and smooth and I probably enjoy it so much because it means I am in Burma.
Kingfisher - The drink of India in my option.  I had two different varieties of it.  I picked up the Strong version in a cafe in the Little India section of Singapore.  It was very malty and definitely strong.  It gave me a slight afternoon buzz.  The Golden style lager I got in India was much lighter and more refreshing with a much lower alcohol content.

So those are my beers from halfway through my voyage.  I think I'm sampling the mass-consumed style of the country similiar to drinking Budweiser or Coors if I was visiting the US.  I'm hoping to find a micro brew or two in Cape Town and getting a more local experience.  Cheers.