I just had my first Cambodian beer, an ice cold Angkor. This appears to be the mainstream, mass-distributed “beer of Cambodia.” It’s a lightly-hopped, 5% pale lager. In the grand scheme of beers, this one doesn’t stand out in any way, but after a long day, it definitely hit the spot.
It did get me thinking – many tropical climate countries seem to have one mass-produced national beer to compliment all of the imports. And they all tend to be VERY similar. Costa Rica has Imperial. Panama has “Panama” beer. The Bahamas sport Kalik. Guatemala has the infamous Gallo (rooster). What’s the story behind these?
Are they all owned by a multi-national company that has tapped the “domestic” beer market (and all the nationalistic pride that comes with that) in places that don’t have a thriving brewing community? Is there some “How to Start a Successful National Brewery in Your Developing Country” guide out there, with just a single recipe? Or, probably more likely, maybe there’s just a constraint on available ingredients in these countries, so all of the breweries end up using lots of 2-row, a generic yeast, and a minimal amount of hops resulting in similar tasting beers. I haven’t had a chance to look into this, but I’d love to know the answer.
Anybody get the” joke” in the title? In quotes because I’ll admit it’s pretty bad.