Anchor Smooth Pilsener

The Low Down:
HERE’S MALAYSIA. 9 July 2013, a seafood restaurant in Kuala Selangor, and I got to eat not one but two crabs, because Bec doesn’t like crab. Her loss, my gain, and the Anchor’s job was to wash them both down.

Malaysia is the thinking man’s Thailand: just as good food, fewer Australians.

It was 32 degrees and felt like 320. Wet, wet, wet. So thank god this was a BIG bottle. The crabs were part of the fireflies-and-monkeys tour, which by my maths makes them free.

We enjoyed it as the sun went down over the river, slathering on repellent to dodge dengue fever and/or malaria. Then we were told we couldn’t put any on our arms, because that’s where the fireflies would be landing. Nice.

Fun fact for the Guinness drought on this blog: in 2013 Anchor was brewed by Guinness Anchor Berhad. So technically, there’s your Guinness.

Packaging: 8/10
This one stands out among a slew of bland South-East Asian label designs. Red, white, an anchor, done right.

Refreshment: 8/10
Cold, crisp, and capable of washing down two entire crabs. What more do you want in 32-degree jungle humidity?

Flavour: 6/10
There’s not a lot going on bar some bitterness, but that’s precisely what you want here.

Alcohol Content: 4/10
Only 3.8%. That means you can supplement it for water, which isn’t great, or is great, depending on the day.

Price: 8/10
Three dollars in a seafood restaurant. Plus free crabs (see above).

Total: 34/50

Malaysia is sweet, close to travel to from Australia, and much more interesting than Vietnam or Thailand. Hang out in the jungle, feed the monkeys, see the fireflies, disregard the Portuguese colonialism, and drink Anchor. Drink the Anchor to excess, and with two crabs.