FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Thai beer and the shrinking alcohol content

Thai beer and the  shrinking alcohol content

Re: “New tax could hit drinkers in the liver”, Have Your Say, September 5.

If the brewers of Chang beer continue to pursue their hateful Policy of Progressive Dilution, our livers may be spared.
A year ago, I gave up on Thai beers in protest at the continuing outrageous and underhand reduction in strength and bottle size, a point picked up by your blogger “inThailand”, and which I ranted about on this page at the time. But just recently, I was treated (if that’s the word) to my first small (very) bottle of Chang in a long while. Imagine my lack of surprise to find that the alcohol level has been reduced yet again.
In 1995, when Chang first hit the market, in bottles embossed with the Carlsberg logo (and there lies a grim and expensive story for another day), the alcohol content was an impressive 6.4 per cent, gaining the beer much kudos in the beer-drinking community.  Over the years it has been reduced to 6.0, then to 5.5, and now to a feeble 5.2 per cent.
Chang also produces a soda water which has an alcoholic content of zero per cent. I foresee a dismal future when the two 
products share the same non-existent alcoholic content, the 

only distinguishing features being that one is the colour of urine and the other isn’t, and one is taxed under the insane retail price system which ignores alcohol content and the other is tax-free.
It’s enough to drive a man to drink. Barman! Bring me a Beer Lao Dark, please.
Nigel Pike
Phang Nga 

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