A pale lager brewed with local jasmine rice, and effectively the national drink. It was founded in 1973 as a French-Lao venture, nationalised after 1975, and is now the country’s dominant brewery.
It is one brewery’s commercial lager, and brewing beer at home is licensed or restricted in much of the atlas’s readership.
What goes into it
- malted barley, imported
- local jasmine rice as adjunct
- hops
- lager yeast
- Mekong water
How it is made
Barley malt and local jasmine rice are mashed together, the wort boiled with hops, then fermented cool with lager yeast and cold-conditioned for weeks before filtering and bottling. The rice is what makes it lighter and drier than an all-malt lager.
How long it takes: three to four weeks from mash to bottle
How it is eaten
Over ice, which is the Lao habit, with laap and grilled fish.
History
Founded in 1973 as a French-Lao venture, nationalised after 1975 and now Laos’s dominant brewery, using local rice alongside imported malt.
Frequently asked questions
What is Beerlao?
Beerlao is a wine & spirit from Laos: pale lager brewed with local jasmine rice, effectively the national drink. Founded in 1973 as a French-Lao venture, nationalised after 1975 and now Laos’s dominant brewery, using local rice alongside imported malt.
How is Beerlao made?
Barley malt and local jasmine rice are mashed together, the wort boiled with hops, then fermented cool with lager yeast and cold-conditioned for weeks before filtering and bottling. The rice is what makes it lighter and drier than an all-malt lager. It takes three to four weeks from mash to bottle.
Can I make Beerlao at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is one brewery’s commercial lager, and brewing beer at home is licensed or restricted in much of the atlas’s readership.
What goes into Beerlao?
Malted barley, imported, local jasmine rice as adjunct, hops, lager yeast, mekong water.
How is Beerlao eaten?
Over ice, which is the Lao habit, with laap and grilled fish.
