Best beers to try in Southeast Asia

Everyone loves Southeast Asia for the beautiful beaches, fascinating cultures and of course, the cheap drinks. However, their low price isn’t necessarily linked to low quality; in fact, there are a variety of lagers that everyone loves in Southeast Asia – and here they are.

Angkor Beer

Angkor Beer is the default beer in Cambodia - everpresent, extremely affordable, and ever-welcome when cold and imbibed just after a whole day exploring the ruins of the Angkor temples. The beer's flavor is somewhat low-profile with a distinct hoppy presence, but it packs a relatively high alcohol content at 5.5%.

Angkor has been made and bottled in Cambodia since the 1960s, and every corner store, restaurant, and dive bar serves the stuff in massive quantities. Cambodians are great drinkers - there are cave drawings in Cambodia showing drunkards sleeping off their rice beer hangovers - and in Angkor, they've got a beer to match their thirst.

Beerlao

Time Magazine called it "Asia's best beer"; the Bangkok Post named it the "Dom Perignon of Asian beers". Not bad for a beer brewed by one of Southeast Asia's least developed countries. Beerlao was first bottled in 1973 - four decades and a partnership with Carlsberg later, this beer is a favorite among expat communities for its subtlety and clean flavor.

The manufacturer claims that only the best ingredients go into their beer - German hops and dry yeast, French malts, and local polished rice. Easygoing and absolutely silken when imbibed cold, Beerlao seems inextricably intertwined with the laid-back ambiance of Luang Prabang.

Bia Huda

Almost every major Vietnamese town has its own beer. In Hue, the "official" beer is Huda, produced in partnership with Carlsberg. Huda is a light, crisp-tasting lager with a small head and a malty nose.

Like all Vietnamese beers, Huda is served cold, often with ice - an ideal internal refrigerator for the humid Central Vietnam weather. This beer is especially well-suited for Hue's spicy, greasy regional cuisine.

Bia Saigon

Bia Saigon, the Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation's flagship product, is produced (and mainly imbibed) in Ho Chi Minh City, South Vietnam - do not make the mistake of asking for it anywhere else in Vietnam.

A light golden lager with some notes of rice and boiled vegetable, Bia Saigon is a must-have when drinking with friends on Pham Ngu Lao. It makes a very slight impression, if at all: drinking it cold (with ice, as the Vietnamese like it) allows it to make its character felt only in passing.

Bir Bintang

Bir Bintang dominates the Indonesian beer market, which is surprisingly large; Indonesians are very big on beer despite their being culturally an Islamic country.

Bintang is manufactured under a partnership with Heineken, so the resulting beer tastes like it comes from the same family: a grainy aroma with notes of hops, honey, citrus, and malt. The beer is golden-colored, slightly sweet, and very carbonated: it goes down very easy in the tropical heat.

Chang Beer

Despite being one of Thailand's cheaper brews, Chang is still a good beer experience: a very pale gold liquid with a slight sweetness, malty flavor with hints of grains and hops.

Best when imbibed cold, Chang Beer is an excellent match for streetside Thai food.

Dagon Beer

While Myanmar has a catalog of local beers, Dagon Beer is considered one of the stronger contenders: it's light, sweetish and hoppy, with a somewhat metallic and malty aftertaste.

Dagon can be had in cans and bottles, but (naturally) the draft version offers the best experience of the lot, preferably imbibed in a historic watering hole like the long bar at the Strand in the Myanmar capital Yangon.

Reflecting on Myanmar's long history as a rice-growing power in Southeast Asia, Dagon Beer is brewed with rice. Compared to European beers, rice lagers tend to be lighter, crisper and a little fruitier, and Dagon Beer is no exception!

San Miguel Pale Pilsen

This golden lager owns about 90% of the beer market share in its native country the Philippines, and it's not hard to figure out why: San Miguel Pale Pilsen has been produced in Manila since 1890 and has found its way across Southeast Asia since then, achieving top market share in Hong Kong.

A full-flavored pilsner with hints of caramel and a malty top note, San Miguel Pale Pilsen is meant to be imbibed in warm weather and consumed alongside greasy Filipino pulutan (side dishes) like balut. When ordering in the Philippines, you can just tell the waiter to get you "Pale", just "Pale", and he'll know what to do.

See more: Top local drinks you should try in Indonesia

Source: Internet

9 cherry blossom flavored dishes to try this spring

Spring in Japan means sakura (cherry blossom) season. It's one of the most anticipated seasons of the year, with sakura viewing parties and decorations gracing many establishments throughout the country. It's also a time when you can expect limited-edition sakura flavored goods and products with sakura designs to pop up everywhere you go. Here's a list of 9 sakura flavored treats for you to try this spring.

1. Bitte, Sakura Flavor (Glico)

A dense, sakura-infused chocolate coating and sakura-flavored cream sandwiched in between 2 cookies, this dessert makes for the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee.

The biscuits are made with cultured butter which brings out a rich flavor that blends together nicely with the sweet chocolate and cream.

2. Sakura Milk Tea (Lipton)

A rich milk tea made with 100% Ceylon tea leaves. With a sakura fragrance, this milk tea has a delicate flavor that goes down smoothly. The packaging has vivid colors with a cute design that will make you feel like spring has come.

3. Dorayaki (Sakura & Sweet Red Bean) (7-Eleven)

Dorayaki is a type of Japanese pancake that typically has a sweet red bean spread. This special edition includes a filling of sweet red bean paste and whipped cream with sakura petals.

The combination of the fluffy, springy pancake with the decadently sweet spread makes for a truly luxurious treat.

4. Pocky Zeitaku Chocolatier, Sakura Flavor (Glico)

The black packaging and the gold colored font give off a somewhat elegant, mature look. Each box contains 4 packs of 6 Pocky sticks each.

The buttery pretzel sticks are covered in sakura-flavored chocolate, with bits of rock salt and sugar sprinkled on to give it a more complex flavor.

5. Branchul Mini Chocolate, Sakura Flavor (Bourbon)

The Branchul Mini Chocolate series consists of bite-size, square sandwich cookies with a layer of chocolate sandwiched between 2 cookies. For the sakura flavor, the chocolate bar is pink with the gentle flavor of sakura.

The delicate sakura chocolate flavor goes very well with the cookies. Eat it in one bite to fully enjoy the taste of spring.

6. Country Ma'am, Vanilla and Sakura Milk Flavor (Fujiya)

With this package, you can enjoy 2 different flavors: vanilla and sakura milk! Each bag comes with 11 vanilla cookies and 7 sakura milk cookies.

The sakura and milk flavors blend together seamlessly for a deliciously sweet treat. Country Ma'am cookies can be enjoyed in a variety of ways: baked, warmed up in a microwave, or frozen.

7. Starbucks Sakura Chocolate with Strawberry Jelly

You'll be able to enjoy creamy sakura and white chocolate flavored milk and strawberry jelly with this drink. The jelly has a great texture and flavor as it's made with strawberry juice. Even though these Starbucks drinks are pre-packaged, don't think that they are any less delicious than the made-to-order drinks you can get from brick and mortar Starbucks locations.

8. Chocolixir White Chocolate Sakura Lala (Godiva)

Godiva is famous worldwide for its exquisite, high-quality chocolate. Though most people associate their name with chocolate, they also have a range of other sweet products, like this spring special.

This sweet, frozen beverage has a vibrant red and pink color scheme. It has layers of whipped cream and sakura jelly and is topped with sakura sauce and eye-catching chocolate chips that resemble sakura petals. The distinct flavors of the sakura and cherry mixed in with the gentle flavor of the white chocolate make for a really great, refreshing drink.

9. PABLO mini Sakura Mochi (PABLO)

PABLO is very well known in Japan for its delicious cheese tarts and cheesecakes. It should be no surprise that their contribution to the sakura season follows the same cheesy theme - a sakura-flavored cheese tart! After the cheese filling is poured into the crunchy tart and baked, gyuhi (a soft, sweet rice cake) is placed on top of the cheese tart. To top it off, a pinkish sweet paste made with sakura leaves from Shizuoka is squeezed over it.

Read more: Fall in love with Cherry Blossom products in Japan

Source tsunagu Japan

Discover the hidden gems in Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Find the best destinations that you should not miss when visiting here. To make your vacation enjoyable and fun, plan your trip earlier with these following destinations.

Balik Pulau, Penang

Balik Pulau, the secret back garden of Penang, has gained fame for its durians but the place certainly has more than that to offer. Mouth-watering durians aside, Balik Pulau is also an ideal destination for those who want to simply put aside their worries and enjoy a rejuvenating kampung vacation.

Wander around the old quaint town, marvel at the traditional Malay houses along the beach, visit a dairy goat farm, a countryside horse stable and a nutmeg factory, indulge your stomach with traditional Hakka dishes at Hakka Village, and enjoy a killer bowl of Penang laksa. Just remember to take everything slow and easy for a full taste of Balik Pulau.

Sasaran, Kuala Selangor

If you are an active user of any social media, you have seen the above pictures for countless times already in recent months. Before Sasaran is unearthed by local media and travel bloggers a few months back, it is almost the best kept secret within the area, only known to the nearby villagers. So what are you waiting for? Book a tour, bring your camera and be the first few people to witness this masterpiece of nature at Sasaran before the place is flooded with tourists.

Pantai Cahaya Bulan, Kelantan

Although it is not known to many Malaysians from other states, Pantai Cahaya Bulan or Moonlight Beach is definitely a star player in the East Coast tourism industry. This is a fun and scenic place to laze off your weekend with friends and family. A few B&Bs have been opened up near the beach in recent years so you do not have to worry about overnighting in the area.

Sunbathing, water sporting and kite-flying aside, many people also come to Moonlight Beach for a lovely picnic. You do not have to prepare for your own food because there are plenty of food stalls lining up like a pasar malam right on the beach.

Read more: Bintulu, one of the hidden gems in Malaysia

Semenyih, Selangor

A day trip to Semenyih is never complete without summiting Broga Hill and savouring the famous ikan bakar or grilled fish. If you start hiking at around 6.15 am so that you can catch the gorgeous sunrise. You can end the hike by 8.00 am and then make your way to the Chinese temple area to kill time until the restaurant opens at 10.00 am. The ikan bakar at Broga is the best thing you can ask for a brunch.

Source Internet