Anyone who has seen a beer from Sri Lanka has likely seen the Sinha Stout, also called Lion Stout.
It is by far the most exported Sri Lankan beer and is considered to be a world-class stout. Along with the milder Lion Lager, these two beers make up the vast majority of Sri Lankan brews to be found outside Sri Lanka.
But there are plenty of other options to enjoy locally, if you find yourself in Sri Lanka and want to look hard enough! I’ve compiled this little list of my 9 best beers from Sri Lanka. Yes, Sinha Stout was my favourite at #1, but there were a lot of other good beers I sampled from this small island nation.
Why is this post titled 8.8 Beers in Sri Lanka?
Well, therein lies the great beer mystery of Sri Lanka. I have pondered this many times and my guide in Sri Lanka wasn’t able to effectively answer it either. You see, Sinha Stout is brewed at 8.8% alcohol – a nice, strong stout. On its own that is not mysterious. But the more beer you drink in Sri Lanka, the deeper the beer mystery becomes.
Oddly 5 of the 9 beers on this list from Sri Lanka are 8.8% alcohol. That seems like a rather strange number for so many beers, especially considering I rarely find an 8.8% beer outside of Sri Lanka. There is also one beer at 8.0% and two at 4.8%. It seemed the number 8 is quite prevalent in Sri Lankan beers.
The sole beer I enjoyed that is on this list and didn’t have an 8 in it was 7.5%. So this 8.8% mystery remains unsolved. I figure that 8 is simply a lucky number in Sri Lanka and somehow it has permeated through the beer drinking culture of the country? Do you know the reason for such brewing numbers?
Mystery aside, let’s get on to the beer rankings from Sri Lanka!
Best Beers of Sri Lanka:
#9 – Lion Strong Beer. 8.8%. A yellow, strong pilsner-like brew. Not my favourite, but drinkable.
#8 – Baron’s Strong Brew. 8.8%. Grainy and malty, a bit rough. Now brewed in Singapore.
#7 – Carlsberg Special Brew. 8.8%. Pretty much the same as Lion Strong Beer taste-wise.
#6 – Grand Blonde. 8.8%. Clear gold beer, with alcohol burn but a bit smoother than some.
#5 – Three Coins Lager. 4.8%. ‘The ‘all malt beer.’
#4 – Bison XXXTRA Strong. 8.0% (Now brewed at 8.8%). Cool name, somewhat sweet.
#3 – Lion Lager. 4.8%. Smooth, clean, a bit of hop bite.
#2 – 3C Irish Dark. 7.5%. Amber, malty, heady beer. Sadly this Three Coins is not currently brewed.
#1 – Lion Stout (Sinha Stout). 8.8%. Always great.
The beer world in Sri Lanka has changed a bit since my visit. That Bison beer that used to be ‘only’ 8.0% is now….surprise, surprise, 8.8%! My beloved Three Coins beers are also now mostly retired, or not currently being brewed by the new company that owns them.
Not to fret though, whether it be lagers, stouts or strong ales that you desire, there are plenty of beers left to go around in Sri Lanka.
Fantastic to come across this article. I remember Bentota well from the early 1970’s. I was looking to see where I could get the 3 Coins beer but this site has opened my eyes to some of the other I should try. If you are ever in Australia Melbourne, say hi and we will treat you to an OzSriLankan curry or ten!
Dale
Cheers Dale! I’ve heard of some other good beers in Sri Lanka since I last visited. Sadly some others are no longer made, but if you want something other than Lion lager, they’re out there!
Three coins Riva doesn’t exist any more?? 🙁
Was my favourite beers when I first visited. I’m off over there next week. Hopefully I will find some good beers. Any craft beer over there yet?
Hey Steve – did you find anything new in Sri Lanka?
Hi,
will visit Sri Lanka soon. Are there special beer cafés/pubs, Irish Pubs worth visiting?
Will try all types of beer I can find. Any tips are wellcome.
Cheers
Ivan
Hey Ivan…I don’t know what the best pubs are these days, let us know what you find!
Hi guys,
I’m leaving for Sri Lanka next week (from Canada) and I’m wondering if it will be easy to find a place to Watch a game (fifa worldcup) while drinking a good beer… Any idea?
By the way, could the “8” be a Lucky number like in china, where it’s associated to the infinite sign?
I imagine it is a good luck number….and good luck watching the games, should be easy to find a TV with the World Cup on!
Just enjoyed a lovely meal in Kandy accompanied with a few glasses of Liin Stout. Excellent. Arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday and have tried the Lion Larger and Three Coins Larger but the stout is best by far so far…
Cheers Adam!
Lion Stout is a great beer…I have on in my fridge right now here in Canada. Hope you find some other beer treats!
Hi Red Hunt,
The reason for the 8.8% beer is because Sri Lankans prefer high alcohol content beers and spirits. unlike you and me who drink beer for enjoyment (refreshment and taste) Sri Lankans drink to get high. That’s why product such as Arrack is popular around country (49% alcohol content)
Whoa, Arrack is crazy stuff….had a bottle of that while camping in Sri Lanka one night…the next day was not fun.
Lion lager is one of th oldest brands & the best I tried with Its 4.8 vol, of alcohol that standard for any brand of Beer that do not use, chemical stabilizers for taste & foam or add foreign ingredients to increase the vol, of alcohol content.