The American Club Rangoon, a place of overly long shorts, snapbacks and pastel-coloured polo shirts. But also a place of varied “cold ones” when an event called the United Nations General Assembly of Beers hit town earlier this year.
Not quite the international gathering of beers that we were led to believe—no frosty tipples from Brunei, Eritrea or Sao Tome and the Principe—but certainly a ticket out of the Golden Land for an evening of European and American pale ales, stouts, and lagers. Sadly, it was a return ticket.
Amid the swilling and guffawing, it struck me like an imperial stout to an empty stomach: one of my companions had months before proclaimed the king of beers in Myanmar was in fact Yoma.
Why would someone in my company that evening— someone with malfunctioning taste buds—even want to douse their tongue with the dank, piney joy of a New England IPA or the bold, complex notes of a porter?
An argument ensued. He fought his corner. I fought mine. The third member of our trio agreed with me. But being a man of science, I did not want to treat my opinion as fact and call it an argument won, no.
Instead we decided a test of rigour and reliability was required, where biases are void and opinions transformed into a decimal figure and entered into a spreadsheet. Yes, the three of us would do a blind tasting to truly get to the bottom of the topic du jour: which is the least worst convenience store beer in Myanmar?
Rules of engagement
The beers must be available in Grab and Go, City Express, ABC or any other store that welcomes you with a humanoid "hello, welcome" when the sliding doors swipe open. No Burbrit. No international brands. Only lager-style beverages.
The three participants rated each beer from 0.1 to 10.0 on its quaffability (ease of which it flies down the gullet), stench, aftertaste and flavour—four categories, giving each beer a score out of 40 for each individual participant and 120 all together.
Our judgements are given in the heat of the moment and may have been influenced by the quality of the preceding beer. There's no such thing as a perfect science.
Disclaimer: This independent and impartial review does not represent the view of Myanmar Mix, a digital publication that believes you should drink all these beers or drink none—or drink whichever one you like (but always drink responsibly). The taste of beer is subjective. The following opinions are indeed just that—opinions—and are in no way fact.
12. Yoma Special Brew, 6.5% ABV
Quaffability: 9.7
Stench: 1.8
Flavour: 1.9
Aftertaste: 3.4
Overall: 16.8
"For a moment, my nostrils fooled me into thinking it was secreted by a vertebrate’s failing kidney. The aftertaste was metallic. Quaffability? I could not chug it. I'd have to be very thirsty and this beer the only option.”
"It tastes like, I don't even know. The aftertaste is my favourite part because then the initial taste is over.”
"It's an abomination."
11. Yoma Premium Beer, 5% ABV
Quaffability: 3.3
Stench: 2.5
Flavour: 1.4
Aftertaste: 10.1
Overall: 17.3
"Mm, it has the fusty scent of vintage sneakers. The aftertaste is fine—no bitterness or grossness."
"We've thrown the word metallic around a lot. It's like you're licking the side of the cask in which I want to say something vaguely resembling beer was brewed. I could quaff it; I could do a lot of things. Life is sometimes not about what you want."
"I had three sips and each time questioned why I kept going back. The aftertaste was perhaps the best part. Smelling it was like getting a whiff of an oncoming storm."
10. Yoma Extra Strong, 8% ABV
Quaffability: 9.9
Stench: 6.3
Flavour: 10
Aftertaste: 9
Overall: 35.2
"It shares innumerable similarities with beer number 3 [Yoma Special Brew]. The strength is the aftertaste, and the benefit of the aftertaste is that it’s done; it's inside you now."
"You can taste it is stronger alcohol, but, yes, moving on."
"My two sips reminded me of the seaside, with aromas of fish in said sea.”
9. Regal Seven Extra, 6.5% ABV
Quaffability: 14.9
Stench: 11.1
Flavour: 15
Aftertaste: 12
Overall: 53.2
"The flavour was better than the aroma suggested. I think I could quaff it. I could get through it.”
"Its strength is in its smell. It's very easy to down, but the aftertaste is perhaps not as good as the first taste."
"I took too big a sip and wanted to eject.”
8. Dagon Super Beer, 7.2% ABV
Quaffability: 19.4
Stench: 17.5
Flavour: 15.3
Aftertaste: 12.4
Overall: 64.6
"It's unlike the other beers, so if you want a new experience, this is the one. I don't hate it but I don’t swim in its stream of flavours like a happy salmon."
"It offers more to the nose than the tongue, but there's an element of that suspect ingredient that makes the beers here sometimes taste like Dante’s first circle. I'd say it's quaffable as its insipidness is its strength. The aftertaste is lingering, it's a little tinny."
"Definitely metallic. For the smell, I'd just describe it as beer. The beeriest beer of them all. Flavour is fine. Aftertaste not great. Quaffability I've put low, but I'm starting to think I'm not a quaffer."
7. Andaman Gold, 5% ABV
Quaffability: 21.6
Stench: 18.4
Flavour: 16.4
Aftertaste: 20.2
Overall: 76.6
"The aftertaste I gave a high score because there's nothing there. It's flavourless with a tang.”
"It has a slightly metallic flavour. It's okay, I could drink it."
"You've done well, beer, but I wouldn't be running to the bar for you. You're a good bench-warmer. You taste of nothing, and I'd rather drink something that tastes of nothing than something that tastes bad."
6. Dagon Lager, 5% ABV
Quaffability: 20.5
Stench: 22.6
Flavour: 18.2
Aftertaste: 15.3
Overall: 76.6
"It smells good and weirdly I could quaff. The flavour is okay but the aftertaste, opposite. God I don't know. Maybe I'm drunk."
"You could easily quaff it. The stench was sweet, good even, but the flavour was debatable."
"I'd say it's in a league of its own but not necessarily a higher league, more of an off-shoot or spin-off. It's incredibly sweet, particularly on the nose. Lots of caramel on the nose."
5. Andaman Gold Special, 6.5% ABV
Quaffability: 18.9
Stench: 24.8
Flavour: 21.4
Aftertaste: 20.8
Overall: 85.9
"I think it's going into the realms of a Belgian beer. It's quite flavourful. Smells nice, great flavour. I hope it's my favourite, Yoma."
"A little sweet on the nose, if a little floral. A little ashen in the flavour. I'm not a huge fan. I couldn't quaff it—it's a little too rich and bitter. Saying that, it's 85 percent beer flavour, so overall it's a good pick."
"I could enjoy it slowly. The smell is really good, kind of sweet. The flavour is a little bitter, a little malty, more interesting.”
4. Myanmar Premium, 5% ABV
Quaffability: 22.4
Stench: 23.7
Flavour: 22.2
Aftertaste: 18.9
Overall: 87.2
"Lingers a little on the pallet. Relatively quaffable. I could get through it rapidly."
"I think I could drink it very easily. I thought the aftertaste was too bitter though."
"This one is a slow burner. I wasn't a fan in the beginning but the more I sip it the more I like it."
3. Myanmar Lager Beer, 5% ABV
Quaffability: 21.7
Stench: 20.9
Flavour: 24.5
Aftertaste: 24.1
Overall: 91.2
"Quaffability is high. Pretty odourless. I could easily drink these and the aftertaste is almost nothing so it's a great beer if you want no worries, and to use no thought."
"I would say this is the strongest beer yet on the flavour front. It hit my tongue and I thought ‘yes, you're a beer,’ and that's what I want. It doesn't linger in the mouth. Comes. Goes. Has a good time while it's there."
"It's above average. I don't think I'd go into the realms of exuberance of these two."
2. Regal Seven, 5% ABV
Quaffability: 23.2
Stench: 22.3
Flavour: 25.1
Aftertaste: 24.8
Overall: 95.4
"It smells like beer. Aftertaste a bit metallic, but I'd be happy to drink that all night."
"I think this is a good solid beer. Good flavour. Decent aftertaste. I can't pick out any specific notes, but everything is starting to smell like beer, metal or nothing, and this is beer, so that's good."
"The aftertaste is almost as good as the initial flavour. I'd say it's superb. The strength of flavour wouldn't inhibit my ability to drink through it."
1. Bawdar, 5% ABV
Quaffability: 24.8
Stench: 22.5
Flavour: 24.7
Aftertaste: 23.6
Overall: 95.6
"I could drink a lot of these."
"I find it quite rich. It's got a certain scent to it, and the aftertaste I find quite smooth. Overall, I love it."
"An absolute Tutankhamun of a beverage. Wrap me in its suds and leave me in a tomb for time immemorial."
Conclusion
Bawdar the champagne of Myanmar's convenience store beers? More chance of a seatbelt in the backseat of a Grab I thought. But you can't argue with objectivity, or Iron Cross.
