Categories of alcoholic drinks in Bhutan and their usages_
| Types of alcohol | Usages |
|---|---|
| Serkem chang | It is offered to local deities. |
| Tor chang | It is drunk while making ritual cakes. |
| Deutsi chang | It is offered during various religious ceremonies. |
| Sangdze chang | It is used as an ingredient for offering incense to the deities. |
| Jinsek chang | It is used as an ingredient to ward off evils. |
| Yang chang | It is specifically brewed for the god of wealth. |
| Ngo chang | It is offered to the dead. |
| Tsan chang | It is offered to the local deity. |
| Tshe chang | It is offered and drank while performing rituals for long life. |
| Khando chang | This drink is related to individual astrology. |
| Tshog chang | This drink is offered to visitors and it is very popular in the eastern parts of Bhutan. |
| Dueng chang | Amongst the pastoral communities of Bhutan, this drink is offered to welcome guests. |
| Tengkor chang | It is offered for reciprocity and fellow feeling. |
| Tsug chang | It is offered at the beginning of important work. |
| Bar chang | It is offered in the middle of any work. |
| To chang | Drinks that are served before a meal. |
| Zhe chang | Drinks that are served after a meal. |
| Branpa chang | Drinks are that are served as an acknowledgement for free labour services. |
| Nar chang | Drinks that are offered as a request for labour help. |
| Suwa chang | These drinks are offered to receive guests during marriages and other social gatherings. |
| Dong chang | It is offered as an arrival drink. |
| Log chang | Like tengkor chang, it is also offered to express reciprocity and fellow feeling. |
| Zim chang | It is usually consumed during the night-time. |
| Lam chang | It is consumed while travelling. |
Questions and responses_a
| Name of participants (concealed) | Age and gender | Consolidated responses for the question: According to you, which alcoholic drinks are better – western-branded alcoholic drinks or locally brewed alcoholic drinks? |
|---|---|---|
| A | 37 years old female | ‘Western based alcoholic drinks because they are smooth and made in a healthier way’. |
| B | 25 years old male | ‘Western based alcoholic drinks because they do not smell as bad as locally brewed alcoholic drinks’. |
| C | 30 years old female | ‘Locally brewed alcoholic drinks because they have rich spiritual values in Bhutanese life’. |
| D | 20 years old female | ‘Locally brewed alcoholic drinks because they are made naturally, unlike the western based alcoholic drinks’. |
| E | 22 years old male | ‘Western alcoholic drinks because they are from Europe and America, so they ought to be better than those from Bhutan’. |
| F | 40 years old male | ‘Western based alcoholic drinks because I think they are made by smart people’. |
| G | 40 years old female | ‘Locally brewed alcoholic drinks because they are a part of our spiritual culture. It can never be bad in any ways’. |
| H | 32 years old female | ‘Locally brewed alcoholic drinks because they are made from natural grains’. |
| I | 19 years old male | ‘Western based alcoholic drinks because they are drunk by rich and smart people’. |
| J | 22 years old male | Same as above |
| K | 35 years old female | Same as above |
| L | 29 years old male | ‘Western based alcoholic drinks because they are packaged and brewed in a healthy way’. |