Galway and The Great Irish Beer Festival - Part 3

After leaving the festival we moseyed back into town to see what was happening and somehow ended up in a packed bar with poor beer. The place was heaving with no room to move. The antithesis of what I was looking for.

Not my kind of place.

I made my excuses to all and left by myself for a better look around town.

 I decided to cross the river and head towards the Bierhaus. It was busy there too but at least you could get a drink at the bar. The music was a bit loud (maybe it’s because I’m pushing on!) and it was hard to make yourself heard. I  spotted  ‘New Belfast Beers’ on the specials board and asked for a Clothworthy Dobbin but they had none left so I settled for a Bitter & Twisted  from Harviestoun instead. This was served in a Bitburger tankard that suited it well and the beer was not too chilled, it was perfect.

On draught were London Porter, O’Hara’s, Becks, Staropramen, Leffe, Hooker and others I couldn’t get a good look at. They had a good few beers in the cooler too.  I still wonder why the beers are not separated in different coolers, with one temperature for ales, etc and one for lagers and the like. Or maybe that’s just me.

Hunger was taking a hold now and I headed out to see if I could find something spicy to fill me up. I was heading back across the river when I spotted the Salt House and the mention of international beers. It was a bit late and I was a bit hungry so I decided to leave it until the next night.

Back across town I found a nice kebab shop, ordered a Lamb Shish and took a seat. It was very quiet and I took the time to chill out and relax. The food was exactly what I need, nice and spicy with plenty of sauce. I decided to call it a night and headed back towards the hotel.

Passing Sheridan’s I noticed they were still open and couldn’t resist a second visit. I ordered a Leffe, served in a Leffe glass, to wash down my Shish and took a seat.  This place was busy too but in a better way, people could talk and listen without having to shout or use sign language.

Now if I only had someone to talk too.......

Galway and The Great Irish Beer Festival - Part 2

My comrades Beer Mat and Beer Goggles turned up in due course and after they got a bite to eat we headed up to The Black Box to the festival, stepping around the broken umbrellas and puddles as we went. I have never seen so many dead umbrellas in any city, there were hundreds of them. A testament to the earlier weather and the lack of concern for littering and rubbish in this country. (and many others of course.)

We arrived around six and the place was fairly packed. We headed first to the Gordon Biersch/Speakeasy importer to see what was on offer.

I had read about these on the ICB site and thanks to The Beer Nut so decided to try the Gordon Biersch range first, beginning with the Hefeweizen. The tasting notes had mentioned banana and bubble gum but I didn’t believe it until I took a whiff. Well it certainly did smell of both, the taste being a little more subtle with a little malt and spice coming through. It was a really nice beer, refreshing and easy to drink. Next up was the Marzen, a sweet, spicy beer without being cloying. A fine and tasty beer indeed. I had decided that I would not try the Blond Bock as I thought it might be too rich and sweet but I was splitting bottles with BG so I said I’d try it. It wasn’t bad but not to my taste, perhaps it was after the Marzen, which was so good. A great start to the day, this was a great-tasting range. We decided to move on to another stand and leave the Speakeasy until tomorrow.

Seating was a bit disastrous at the event. There was a scattering of picnic tables and a few chairs. Apart from that you had to stand at tall tables or sprawl on the ground.  Certainly not an ideal arrangement, surely a few more picnic tables could have been bought. It’s been a bad summer, they’d be cheap now!

We snuck in on a tall table that was quite full already and had a look at the list I had printed out. (Yes. I am that sad/efficient! Delete as applicable.) We decided on the Gulpener Korenwolf. With its blue bottle and hamster on the label it certainly looked appealing. Taste wise we thought it ok but didn’t blow us away. I got a bit of spiciness but not as good as I thought it should. A mix of flavours with a bit of lemon to the fore but the taste didn’t seem to last. I think I might have to try it again in other circumstances as I feel I might have missed something.

Next up was the Well’s Banana Bread Beer which was ok actually. I really did exactly what it said on the bottle. I’m not sure I need to say more.

After that, we moved on to the Weihenstephan range. BM and I had tried them at a tasting in Kilkenny and I was keen to try them again. We went first for the HefeWeissbier Dunkel and it was nice to get these in proper glasses and not the plastic ones. This caught me by surprise as I smelled of the seashore! It was quite rich in taste though with flavour of bitter banana and spices, perhaps a bit of clove and a touch of lemon. Not bad at all.

As we drank we commented on the amount of young people there and decided this was a good thing. They were experiencing something other than ‘the usual’ in the pubs. However much you would lament the lack of Irish beers there, it would still seem that this festival was a good thing. Not perfect but still a good thing.

The food was quite good.  One stand selling German style food and another selling a mixture of continental style sandwiches and stews. BM and I had the Krakeaur (Bacon sausage) and BG had a chick pea and roasted vegetable stew. All were excellent.

We decided to continue on the Weihenstephan beer and picked the Vitus next. Wow this was good! It was sweet, tasty and spicy but, again, not in a sickly or cloying way. Loads of sweet barbecue banana with cloves and a bit of malt. A super beer, this would be hard to beat.

By now we had been joined by The Cider Girls and another mate from Dublin. The CGs were working their way through the cider on offer and the odd beer. Time was pushing on and we decided to have one last beer  here for tonight.  BM picked a Maisel Weisse Dunkel to keep us in the same general area. It was smooth, very smooth and subtle. I couldn’t pick up a lot in taste but I think that we had maybe gone one to far here so I will reserve judgement for another time.

It was now ten and most people still here were either very merry or worse but there was no hassle.

 I have to say that I was quite cheery myself but not too bad really. Just in need of a walk and some more food.

So off we toddled into the night.

Galway and The Great Irish Beer Festival - Part 1

I almost missed the connection to Galway.

Going from Carlow to Galway involves going east to head west, changing trains in Kildare.  When I booked the ticket online I had 25 minutes to spare before the Dublin-Galway train arrived. Unfortunately I never reckoned for the first train running so late so I arrived in Kildare with 2 minutes to spare. I would like to think that Irish Rail held the train, were super efficient and conscientious and knew that there might be people on my train needing to change in Kildare but I think that would be one leap of faith too much. I think I was lucky.

I ended up opposite a rough looking woman who smelled of feet. I don’t think it was just her feet that smelled of feet it was kind of all encompassing. She also had two black eyes and a strange bearded husband with a small head and large hands. She had a strange habit of lying flat across two seats and sticking her feet out in to the aisle causing the odour to waft around the carriage in an almost visible manner, like the stink lines in a cartoon. I should really have changed carriages but I was too fascinated by the woman to move and I thought she might do something worth hanging around for, like spontaneously combust. 

I was wrong. She left in Athlone. Her smell got off in Athenry.

When I arrived in Galway it was spilling rain. It was noon and Beer Goggles and Beer Mat had not left Dublin yet. They had a wedding there the previous day and were driving across the country at some stage. Although I got soaked getting to the hotel I was keen to get back out and get in to Sheridan’s on the Dock as soon as possible for a pint of Hooker. I quickly dried off and made the short dash along the quay and went inside.

I was greeted by friendly staff and a ferocious back draft from the lit open fire. I sat up at the bar and took a look around. It was a nice place with two separate rooms as well as the main bar area. Not very big but that seemed part of the charm.

The list on draught was quite impressive, for me anyway. As well as Galway Hooker they had Leffe, Erdinger, Staropramen, Budvar , Hoegaarden and others.  They also had a nice range of beer in bottles including specials on Sierra Navada Pale Ale and Menabrea. This was the first pub I had been in that served a decent selection of beer, I’m not the Beer Novice for nothing you know!

There was a nice mix of hearty food on the menu too, ranging from stews to meat and cheese platters.  I spotted a Rare Beef Sandwich and immediately knew this was the perfect compliment for a pint of Galway Hooker. I was quickly served with my beer and my food followed soon after.

Well what can I say, it was without doubt the best lunch I have had in years. The beer was suberb. I had previously tasted it at Septemberfest in Farmliegh and had liked it then but somehow, sitting at a bar in Galway with rain pummelling down outside, it was fantastic. The fact that my beef sandwich was superb helped. It was fat slices of beef in generous proportions, crammed between thick slices of bread with salad inside and on the side. Words can’t express how good it was. The fresh, hoppy taste of the Hooker combined with the rich beef was a perfect combination. This was Nirvana.

I wasn’t just the food and the beer, it was the whole sense of comfort, homeliness and satisfaction.

So as the smoke billowed out of the fire I relaxed and waited for BM and BG, who were on their way at last.

Brooklyn Lager - (Insert stereotypical New York saying here. Use a name like Vinnie and words like 'soy-ten-lee')

I have to say that I wish that there were more American craft beers available over here. From what I've read, America seems to be the place for variety, inventiveness and quality.

(And to think the make Bud Lite too!)

I have really only came across a few and I don't think Sam Adams counts anymore. This might be remedied soon according to Mr Beer Nut and I hope to try some in Galway at the weekend.

In the mean time, this one has been sitting in my fridge for a week or so and it seemed like a good idea to give it a try.

Good idea indeed. When I poured it, it looked great. A really nice, fine, foamy head and a lovely deep colour. Mrs Beer Novice took and sniff and declared that it was quite 'perfumy' and I know what she meant. It had quite an intense scent that reminded me of another beer, Whitewater Belfast Lager. Surely that could only be a good thing, for me.

My comment about nettles and the Belfast brew came back to me as I got that intense hoppy (I presume) flavour and scent. As well as that I got an aftertaste of citrus, like really tangy mandarin oranges, which I seem to be picking up in the last few beers I've had so could be down to my palate. Whatever the reason I liked it. It seemed a more bitter brew than the Belfast one too. I will have to try them side by side soon. (Any excuse!)

Oh and also, it also had a strange smell towards the end, a bit like wet dog but not in a bad way(!?)

The Verdict

I liked this beer, I liked it a lot. Will certainly have it again.

Brooklyn Lager - 35.5cl - 5.2% alcohol - USA

De Verboden Vrucht (The Forbidden Fruit)

I think I might keep this review short and sweet. A bit like this beer.

It's an ok beer if nothing special. It has a sweet and sour thing going on , which might appeal to some but I didn't really appreciate it. I got a citrusy, fruity taste that reminded me a little of Tango (or at least I think it was Tango) or some other orangish beverage. There was a little spice there too that does suit my palate but it seemed a bit lost in the sweet and sour thing. I got a slightly funky taste too that I couldn't shake off.

Maybe I was having an off day. Oh well, no harm done.

The Verdict

I just couldn't get enthusiastic for this one. Might try it again if I'm stuck.

De Verboden Vrucht - 33cl - 8.5% alcohol - Belgium

Schneider Aventinus - My Faith Restored....For Now

I had picked up a bottle of this with the Ayinger Doppelbock that I had a couple of weeks ago. I was a little scared of it after the Ayinger until The Beer Nut and Adeptus eased my worries.

I'm glad they did.

This is a gorgeous beer and means that I might try other Doppelbocks in future. Although it might be hard to top this one.

It was smooth and slightly sweet and left a tingle on my tongue. It had a nice maltiness with no trace of bitterness. The alcohol content is 8.2% but there is little sense of the strength because it blends so well with the flavours. This is good stuff!

There's a strange fruity taste there too perhaps like a little banana with burnt oranges, I'm not sure. What a smooth tasty beer, not to mention a decent size bottle. Not good stuff, great stuff!

The Verdict

A great beer. This goes in high on my list.

Schneider Aventinus - 50cl - 8.2% alcohol - Germany

Leffe Triple - The Ugly Older Sister?

As ye know by now I have a bit of a soft spot for Leffe beers in general. Yes, I know there part of InBev and as ubiquitous as a old bike in an Irish theme pub but I still like the Blond, Brunette and the Red Head.

With that in mind I was really looking forward to the Triple. I mean really.

I waited for the perfect evening and pulled out the bottle. I gently peeled away the foil and carefully eased the cap off. I tilted my glass and let it slip gracefully and easily in with just a slight gurgle. It eased up towards the rim and at this stage I could feel my heart pounding. I picked up the glass and eased it to my quivering lips, the sense of expectation palpable in the subdued lighting.

(Is it getting hot in here or is it just me?)

I took a swallow and then, and then, and then...feck!

It wasn't good. Like finding out that, up close, the girl of your dreams is not really that attractive and has a slight nasal twang that you never noticed before. Feck!

All those dreams you had about her should have stayed that way. Just as dreams. You admired her from afar for so long and now you wish that it had stayed that way, Afar. Feck she's ugly up close!

Will ok, maybe ugly is a bit strong but Leffe Triple is a bit harsh for my taste. The alcohol is over whelming, it gets up your nose it's that strong. I've had stronger beer than this but never had the same uncomfortable feeling. There's a strange metallic taste too (Maybe she's wearing braces?) so that between both of these issues you loose the lovely spicy, mellow after taste of the others. I couldn't get it at all. The last mouthful was sweet and sticky and really was the last straw. Feck.

Oh well, at least from now on I won't be wondering.......

The Verdict

Shocking disappointing. Feck again!

Leffe Triple - 33cl - 8.5% alcohol - Belgium

Edelweiss Weissbier - An Alpine Treasure?

Velky Al mentioned this one a while ago so when I saw it on one of my beer fetching trips to Kilkenny I said I'd give it a shot. It's a nicely branded and well presented bottle, which I know doesn't count for much regarding taste but at least it shows a bit of professionalism.

This had a nice deep colour and certainly looked the part in the glass. The first thing that struck me was a little sweetness, which I didn't expect, that lingered a little on the tongue. There was a slight metallic (to my taste buds) tingly taste there too that was not unpleasant. It has a smooth and silky texture that makes it very easy to drink combined with a nice fruitiness of a little lemon or maybe mostly lime.

This is quite a complex beer and well worth investigating.

(I was back in Kilkenny last Friday and they were out of stock! But Liam gave me a glass to make up for it.)

The Verdict

A really nice wheat beer that might become one of my favourites. The sort of beer that I could bring 3 or 4 to party no bother. Not to share though!

Edelweiss - 33cl - 5% alcohol - Austria

Menabrea Bionda

Anything Italian seems to attract me like a moth to a flame so this was one I had to try. My previous experience of Italian beers have been Nastro Azzuro, Moretti and one in Sicily that escapes me. Messina perhaps? I tried these first in Italy and I would tend to have them fairly regularly when out for an Italian meal here. I had never spotted this in Italy but that is probably because I wasn't looking at the time!

I noticed that it had a darker colour than either of the before mentioned beers so that appealed to me on some level.  It's quite a sweet beer with an almost grapey taste. It has more body and flavour than N. A. or M. and certainly lingers longer on the palate. It's a well made beer I guess although it seemed to go flat quite quick but that could be just me. (Or my glass.)

The Verdict

It's a nice beer that I would probably choose over any other Italian one in a restaurant (although I still have a soft spot for Nastro Azzuro) but not one I would go out of my way to drink again.

Menabrea Bionda - 33cl - 4.8% alcohol - Italy

Spaten Premium Lager

I had this at the weekend because I fancied a nice lager and, well, that's what I got.

I have to say that I don't think it was anything special but as lagers go it was good. Very refreshing and tasty. Sorry I can't say more.

I think the issue is that my tastes seem to be gravitating towards slightly heavier beers. Ales, stouts and fuller bodied brews seem to be more my thing, apart from wheat beers which still appeal to me..

I don't think there was anything wrong with Spaten Lager and perhaps in the right location and atmosphere it would fit the bill but for now I think I'll stick with what I prefer.

Mind you I still have a few to get through.

The Verdict.

Nice lager I guess but not for me at the moment.

Spaten Premium Lager - 50cl - 5.2% alcohol - Germany

Xingu Black Beer - Have a Brazilian. Go on...

Black beers are always a surprise to me as I never know what to expect from them. Will they be sooty or smokey? Will they be bitter? Will they be smooth or sharp?
More importantly, will I like them?

This did not taste how I expected. It didn't really taste like beer, more like a soft drink. It reminded me of cola with a touch of treacle to give it a syrupy quality. It's lightly carbonated and very smooth so it lacks the throat cutting effect of a soft drink.
I guess it's just a very, very mild beer.

One thing that worried me were the E-numbers E224 and E316 with E405 thrown in for good measure. Now call me old fashioned but do E-numbers really have a place in beer? I have to say i don't get to worried about them in general but there's a place for them and IT'S NOT IN MY BEER!

E405 seems to be giving it the syrupy quality if not the taste and E224 is a bit bizarre as it says:

"Side effects: Due to its oxidising effect, it may reduce the vitamin content in products. It is reduced in the liver to harmless sulphate and excreted in the urine.
People who are intolerant towards natural sulphites should also avoid added sulphites (E221-228). It alleviates the effect of a hangover."

Is this the world's first beer with a built in hangover cure? Wow!

The Verdict.
Even with the E-numbers I kind of liked this. It's an easy drinking laid back kind of beer. Anyway, I need to test my theory....

Xingu - 12fl.oz.! - 4.6% alcohol - Brazil

Whitewater Belfast Lager - Mind out for the Nettles

When I was young, I lived out in the country and one of my favourite times of the year was late spring. All the flora and fauna of the countryside were starting to wake up and make their presence felt in the landscape. I wasn't one for telly then, or homework come to think of it, so I usually wandered through the fields close to our home. I'm not really sure what I was looking for but I didn't find it. 

Perhaps it's just nostalgia kicking in but it seemed then that the sights, scents and sounds had a different quality. Somehow sharper, crisper and more intense.

My real taste of Belfast lager brought all of this flooding back. (I had sampled a little of it at SeptemberFest.)

I have already had the Clotworthy Dobbin from the same brewery, which is one of my favourites, so expectations were very high for their lager. It didn't disappoint.

It was the smell that hooked me in. It had that fresh, clear, fragrance that I didn't think you could bottle. I could get the smell of crushed nettles and the taste of sour sorrel as I took my first sip. Sip? Well a gulp. A full flavoured lager with a nice hint of bitterness.

This is what a lager should be because, well, firstly it has taste, secondly it's really refreshing and thirdly because I said so.

The Verdict.

Another good one from Whitewater. Decent size bottle too!

Whitewater Belfast Lager - 50cl - 4.5% - Northern Ireland

Ayinger Celebrator

Yikes this is sweet!

This is my first Doppelbock and I didn't know what to expect. It was slightly out of date which might explain why it was slightly flat. It was quite smooth but tasted liked, well, treacle I guess. I'm not sure what else to say ................ ah ................ ah ............ it might be nice on a cold night in front of the fire.

Did I mention it tasted like treacle?

The Verdict

Doppelbocks are not for me! An acquired taste no doubt. Feel free.

Ayinger Celebrator - 33cl - 6.7% - Germany

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil - Get Lubricated

I spotted this on the Harviestoun website after I had the Bitter & Twisted from the same brewery. It sounded the business so I decided to give it a shot when I spotted it in my favourite haunt.

This is marketed as a dark beer as distinct from a stout or a porter but to my taste it's a stout. Mind you, descriptions count for nothing sometimes.

The taste reminded me of dark plain 70% chocolate, even down to the balanced bitterness. It has a wonderful smokey flavour, as distinct from burnt. A lovely creamy taste, tiny bit of spiciness and light carbonation are the other appealing characteristics of this beer.

It's a winner in by book (or blog).

The Verdict

This is one of my favourite 'dark beers'. Very tasty, pity the bottle's not a bit bigger....

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil - 33cl - 6% alcohol - Scotland

Whitewater Clotworthy Dobbin

This was one that I was eagerly anticipating for the last few weeks. I tried it at Septemberfest in Dublin on cask and it blew me away. I was in Kilkenny at the weekend and spotted it in The Wine Centre so I grabbed a bottle along with a few other that were new (to me) ones.

As I mentioned before, sometimes your mind plays tricks on you and I wondered was this as good has I had remembered?

It was.

It really is a mouthful and a half. The same wonderful fresh, fruity taste that I remembered from before that almost defies description. You get a beautiful malty flavour with just a hint of bitterness and a lightly burnt taste that still reminded me of confectionery.

Having said all that I still preferred the cask version. It had a smoother more velvet quality that suits my palate better. I felt the bottle was a bit sharper perhaps.

But anyway, it's still bloody good!

The Verdict

A great, great beer. 

Whitewater Clotworthy Dobbin - 50cl - 5% alcohol - Northern Ireland

Peroni Nastro Azzuro - Memories are made of this....

I was fully preparing to my usual bit about this one when I realised something. Sometimes it's not about the taste, it's not about the flavour, it's not about how it looks. None of that is important.

It goes deeper than that.

One of the first holidays we ever went on was to Sorrento many years ago. It was one of the places I had always wanted to visit. It was a great holiday and we have a lot of fantastic memories about it. 

Back then, I was not to pushed about beer. I just saw it as a thirst quencher that gave me a nice buzz. Nothing more nothing less. More often than not, in restaurants I'd have wine not beer but would often have one beer at the start of the night.

One night, before we went for our meal, we went for a drink in a bar at the top of our hotel. The bar had a narrow balcony with spectacular views over to Vesuvius and the island of Ischia in the distance. We both asked for a beer and the waiter arrived back with two Nastro Azzuro and we sat quietly drinking and nibbling on the snacks. It was a perfect evening. The lights started to appear along the coast like twinkling stars and a light breeze came up from the sea to cool us down. We were in a perfect place.

I have had the same beer many times since in Italy as we continued our love affair with the country. Now, every time I have it, whether in an Italian restaurant or at home, my mind 

wanders back to Italy and particularly that evening in Sorrento.

Maybe that's what beer should be about? Reminding us about that perfect holiday, that certain someone or a perfect feeling.

So what about the beer? It's a better than basic lager and it's fine. Nothing special in one way but special to me.

The Verdict?

Need I say more?

Peroni Nastro Azzuro - 33cl - 5.1% alcohol - Italy

Rochefort 8 - Halleluja!

My first encounter with this beer was in Brussels a couple of months ago. I did a bit of research before going over and I remember reading somewhere that Rochefort was a must drink beer. This turned out to be the case as I remember having it and thinking I had died and gone to heaven.

I had previously tried the Rochefort 6 but had come to the conclusion that it was not the one I had in Brussels. (I forgot to take notes at the time. It was before I started down the road to being a real, and proud, beer nerd.)

This was the one. The subtleness of flavours, the velvety quality and the hint of spice. Holy Moly there is a god, and he brews in Belgium.

What struck me most about this beer is that no one flavour or ingredient over powered another. They all seemed to dance on my palate in perfect harmony. Even the alcohol, at 9.2%, didn't take over the taste. It was just deliciously smooth and subtle, like a well blended whisky.

The Verdict

Fantastic. A beautiful beer.

Rochefort 8 - 33cl - 9.2% alcohol - Belgium

Timmermans Framboise Lambic - Berry Good?

This was another one I picked up for the missus. Not that I'm insinuating it's a lady's drink but she enjoyed the Kriek I got her before.

I didn't get much of a look in but I got a quick taste.It was a little sweet for me but was certainly tasty. I felt the raspberries overpowered the lambic a little but that's just a question of taste. It was a little gassier than the Kriek but not too much. Timmermans do a Kriek too so will pick that up next time.

Who knows, I might get more than a sip of that one.

The Verdict

Nice and tasty. A hit with the Missus.

Timmermans Framboise Lambic - 33cl - 4% alcohol - Belgium

Flensburger Weizen

I've had mixed feeling about Flensburger beers. The pilsner was good but the keller was a bit ordinary, I felt, so I was open minded about this.

The taste was quite mild compared to other wheat beers but nice in it's own way if a little watery. I thought I got a slight metallic taste from it but ,thankfully, that disappeared after a few tastes. It had an unusual quality, maybe like malty banana?

I know that wheat beers have a proportion of barley in the mix but I couldn't help the feeling that this fell between two stools. Either not enough wheat or not enough barley.

Maybe it was just me.

The Verdict

Not a bad beer my any means but I know there are better ones out there.

Flensburger Weizen - 50cl - 5.1% alcohol - Germany

Singa - Fancy a Thai?

I know there's nothing terribly unusual about this one but I guess I've started down a road so I want to stop at every door.

I have had Singa before in restaurants but never thought to much about it. Probably because it was with food and it was before I had any regard for the complexities and variations of beer. I do remember I liked it.

I still like it, a little anyway. It's not a blow your mind kind of beer but it's an improvement on the 'macro swill', as others have called it, available in most pubs.

Or maybe it's just a macro swill from another continent. At least it's imported, unlike other Asian beers I've tried.

It has a sweet, fruity taste reminiscent of grape juice or to be more accurate a sweet wine like a Loupiac only not as intense. It was a nice, pleasant tasting beer to start but seemed to fade badly as I got in to it. Some ales I've had seem to improve as you drink them but this lost a lot. It even went flat quickly. Maybe I'm drinking to slowly these days.......

The Verdict

Would be ok in a Thai restaurant with a meal but I wouldn't go out of my way to drink it.

Singa - 33cl - 5% alcohol - Thailand