ABC Stout

Brewer: Cambodia Breweries

I’m attracted to ABC Stout’s billboards rather than the product itself which is not a good sign for any beer. They feature a mysterious Asian guy pimped out like James Bond with a briefcase full of crisp, unmarked US dollars and a pair of Asian models: obviously the spoils of drinking the dark stuff. ABC is Cambodia’s leading stout, possibly because of this marketing campaign, possibly because the other stouts are a travesty against malted barley. The 8% alcohol kick also gives your motodop the extra incentive to buy it, rather than one of it’s lesser friends, to make driving you around more
bearable.

ABC is brewed by APB -owned Cambodia Brewery Ltd, not to be confused with Cambodia’s other similarly-named brewery, Cambrew. APB own a fistful of pan-Asian beer brands and licenses: Anchor, Tiger, bizzaro Heineken, and along with ABC Stout, brew them all at their factory in Kandal.

Cambodia Brewery says: “Determined, confident and successful, APB’s proprietary ABC Extra Stout reflects its core drinker’s values and self-image. ABC Stout drinkers know what they want and will go the extra mile to get it. They want the best and do not settle for anything less. Appreciated for its full-bodied and robust taste, ABC is the leading premium stout in Cambodia.”

I say: With confident and determined marketing hyperbole, I successfully went the extra mile to the Caltex service station to get my robust can of ABC. Dark stout, tan head with OK retention – a first for a Cambodian beer so far. It’s a bit more like a porter than a stout, with not a whole lot of charred dark malt goodness. Weirdly thin body with an acidic aftertaste.

If this beer was an archipelago it would be:
A Solzhenitsyn metaphor