Phuket Beer is best matched with spicy food at Vong's restaurant in Chicago.

Woowee! After a cold rain spell the weather kicked up to 80+ last week. And now I'm wondering why I always start this segment with the weather conditions? Guess they call that pillow talk. Foreplay shmoreplay... let's get some beer...

When you think of Thailand, you immediately think of the food, the beaches, the women - and a whole host of other things. (Many of which happen to include those women.) Good beer typically doesn't come to mind...

A Thai import aims straight for American slacker consciousness

John Muir (no relation to the infamous tree-hugger) is a former real estate agent and stock broker. His businesslike New York accent lingers, even after 41 years in California, as he corrects my pronounciation of his beer import. "It's actually poo-ket", he laughs, "but in this country, people just say..."

"Phuket?" I offer. There's no denying it's a great name for a beer and, as Muir adds, "Thailand has a buzz about it".

The beer is brewed at a San Miguel- owned brewery but the brand is independent and has grown significantly over its two year stint in the United States. "The first year, we bought in eight containers, "Say Muir. "This year we'll do forty to fifty." At 1,100 cases per container, you can do the math.

"we don't want our beer to taste like Singha," Muir offers, "Phuket has 5 percent alcohal (a little lower than Singha) and only 21 IBU (Interntaional Bitterness Units)." The real distinction is that Phuket is brewed with jasmine rice as one of it components, giving it a softer, sweeter taste. Muir uses an analogy to convince Thai restaurant owners to serve both Singha and Phuket: "On your menu, you have chicken and you have prawns."

Phuket, in 330ml bottles and also in cans, is now available in nine states from Alabama ("They keep ordering more") to Wisconsin, California to Virginia. Texas and New York, two important markets for beer, are on tap for this year. "Distribution ins a complicated process." Muir says, "especially if you're new. It's like 50 different countries. There are a million forms to fill out. We're just ramping up now."

Fifth beerfest draws biggest crowd yet...