Country #4: Turkey

OK I'll admit I know very little about beer consumption in Turkey. While it is a predominantly Islamic country, it's a fairly moderate one, and there are plenty of alcohol producers and consumers there. I was at a nice Turkish restaurant in Glebe (suburb of Sydney's inner west) and noticed they had a Turkish beer available, called Efes (apparently the dominant brand in the country), so I grabbed a bottle. And it turned out to be quite good! A lightly hopped pilsner, it was tasty and refreshing, and washed my dinner down nicely. Go the Turks!

Name: Efes
Country of production: Turkey
Style: Pilsner
Taste: Lightly hopped, crisp nutty palate, slight bitterness on the finish
Cost: about AUS$8
Availability in AU: Low
Cred: Low-Medium
My score: 7 out of 10 Janissaries

Country #3: Thailand

There are basically three beers in Thailand: Singha, Chang and Leo. That's in descending order of quality; the Wikipedia article on beer in Thailand describes Leo as a "non-premium" larger; I'd describe it rather as "wretched filth, only to be used as a melee weapon". Singha and Chang are pretty good, however. Chang is a lighter, crisper lager and can be easily quaffed in large quantities. Singha is a richer larger with a fuller, slightly fruity taste, and I really like it. It can be purchased around the world but is only produced in Thailand. Here I am at a little bar in Sukhumvit, just north of the city centre in Bangkok, having a nice cold Singha on a sweltering hot day.

Name: Singha Lager
Country of production: Thailand
Style: Traditional Lager
Taste: Fairly rich, fruity lager, slightly toasted finish
Cost: usually about 50 baht ($1.70)
Availability in AU: Low
Cred: Low
My score: 7 out of 10 elephants