A beautiful memory from The House of Astor – Global Bar Excellence this past April at The St. Regis Bar Bangkok.
One of the most special moments of the week was visiting @littlegoatfarmthailand alongside Kai, founder and cheesemaker, who shared with us the passion, craftsmanship, and dedication behind her artisanal cheeses made here in Thailand. It was an inspiring experience to connect our guest bartenders, media, and friends with such an authentic local producer — especially knowing that her cheese is also featured in one of our signature cocktails from the Portraits of Manhattan menu.
We also had the pleasure of discovering one of Thailand’s traditional beverages, Sato, through , allowing our guests to experience another side of Thai culture, heritage, and craftsmanship. A special thank you to @devanombrewing for sharing their products and passion with all of us throughout this experience.
A heartfelt thank you to every single person who was part of this journey. Thank you for allowing me to share a small piece of who we are, our culture, and the people behind what we do at The St. Regis Bar Bangkok. ❤️
𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝘽𝙮 𝙂𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨, 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙖𝙠𝙚, 𝙊𝙈𝙐 𝙉𝙊𝙈𝙐 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙠𝙚 & 𝙍𝙖𝙬 𝘽𝙖𝙧
Devanom Brewery, a craft drinks producer in Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok, was founded in 2014 by brothers Nattachai and Teerapat Ungsriwong, better known as Ob and Art, who were first making beer and mead at home before Devanom’s commercial operation began. Sato brewing started in 2022, positioning their modern interpretation as tradition reimagined with modern craft. While craft beer and mead remains their primary source of revenue, sato production has been steadily increasing; Devanom brews about 5000 to 6000 litres per month with additional tanks arriving that are expected to triple production capacity.
At its roots, sato is a traditional Thai alcoholic rice beverage, long associated with Isan in Thailand’s northeast. Made by fermenting sticky rice with a mixed starter called luk paeng (say ‘loog-peng’), it undergoes a two-stage saccharification and fermentation process under ambient tropical conditions. Fermentation may last from days to weeks in glass or earthen vessels — jars, tubs, buckets, whatever is practical. The resulting brew may then be filtered to a generally clear appearance, or left unfiltered, with milky rice solids remaining in suspension.
Traditional sato is local, handmade and variable. It is, after all, a village brew, shaped by family habits, inherited practices and local conditions. Alcohol levels can range from 2% to 12% ABV, while flavour profiles run from sweet to distinctly sour, sometimes with light effervescence and noticeable textural variation. From batch to batch, variability is celebrated as part of sato’s folk identity. At Devanom, the process is modernised, understood, and sato is made with more clarity than ever.
⬇️ 👀 Hit the link in bio for the full read!
READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON 88BAMBOO (link in bio)
@devanomsato isn't just making good sato, they're helping widen the conversation about what sato could be
On my last trip to Bangkok I visited Devanom Brewery, craft beer, mead and sato brewer. What is sato? It's a village ferment, typically associated with the northeast of Thailand around Isan. Made from sticky rice and a luk paeng (fermentation starter), it's a traditional, rural drink that's varied and old-school, except where breweries like Devanom are giving it a modern facelift.
What's the intent, style and re-imagination of modern day sato? Read the article to find out (link in bio)
Day one of The House of Astor – Global Bar Excellence began on a quieter note at The St. Regis Bar Bangkok. Before the guest shifts, Brian González led us out to Little Goat Farm for a lunch centred on local ingredients, with the farm’s own cheeses paired with Devanom Sato. After lunch, we visited the goats and the cheese room, though that part remains confidential. The goats, incidentally, were cute as fuck.
Back at the bar, the night opened with Indonesia. Reynaldo Nishfu and Raymond Andreas from St. Regis Bar Jakarta, alongside Adi from Ambar Ubud, each brought their own rhythm behind the bar. The drinks leaned expressive but controlled—nothing excessive, just well-judged flavour and balance. It felt like a conversation rather than a showcase.
The shift moved naturally into a more local perspective, with Brian González stepping in alongside Marco Dongi from Bar Sathorn. There was a sense of familiarity here, but still enough detail to keep things interesting.
By the final set, the room had settled. Andrei Marcu from Glod Bar and Yasuhiro Kawakubo of Punch Room The Tokyo Edition Toranomon closed the night with a quieter kind of precision. No theatrics, just clean execution. It didn’t try to end loudly, and it didn’t need to.
Day off but make it dairy 🐐🧀
The House of Astor: Global Bar Excellence took us out of the bar and into the farm… de vinbes, goat cheese, and the usual chaos from de gang. Exactly how it should be.
Big love to @stregisbarbangkok@brianglez for pulling this one together. Too fun, too easy, too memorable..
Last month, I had the honour of being a judge at the first Bangkok Sake Challenge. The results have just been announced, and it is exciting to see which sake performed so well in Thailand 🍶🥇🥈🥉
One thing I particularly loved was their food pairing awards - such a great way to highlight how beautifully sake can work with local cuisine. It is definitely something we may need to look into for the Tokyo Sake Challenge 2027 next year 😊
I also wish I could have spent more time there - after meeting all the local judges and learning about their bars and restaurants - I would have loved to go visit and continue exploring Bangkok, so this too will be on my list for next year 😉
#bangkok #sakesommelier #sakechallenge #sommlife #beverageindustry
🇹🇭🍺 Thailand’s craft beer scene has always faced an uphill battle. But two brothers decided that instead of copying Western beer styles, they would try something harder: Create a beer that tastes unmistakably Thai. From founding the country’s first hops farm to building @devanombrewing and @devanomsato , swipe to read Ob and Art’s story!
🍺 Share your drink finds and build your digital bar cart on Drink-X @godrinkx today! 🧃✨
#thaibeer #brewery #hops #thailand #craftbeer
