Good Morning, Vietnam!

                                                   Vietnam has an amazing beer culture.

Beer has been part of Vietnam for over a century.  French who colonized Vietnam in the latter part of the 19^th century brought with them not only expertise in wine-making, but also beer-producing.  The first brewery, established in the 1890’s, is still operating and produces more than 2 billion liters of beer annually.  As alcohol levels in Vietnamese beer are low (typically 2-4%), it’s not unusual to see locals imbibing as early as 8 am.

I am not a beer aficionado but after my trip two years ago to Vietnam I can see how one could become hooked on this beverage.  Beer was everywhere we went throughout this long and slender country---from the finest restaurants to street-food stalls.  Locals were consuming it on every street corner---as were well-dressed business men.  It seems like beer is morphing into Vietnam’s coolest, hippest drink as upscale beer shops are springing up on nearly every corner not already occupied by a street vendor selling beer.

For the tourist, the variety of local and regional beers can be overwhelming.  First, it appears that each city has its own beer named after the town:  there is Bia Saigon (“beer from Saigon”), Bia Hanoi, Bia Hue etc…  To complicate matters further, there are many producers of beer made in their name-sake city.  Moreover, the increasing beer culture has led to a glut of microbreweries.  Some have adopted the more traditional European styles, while other microbreweries specialize in home brews called bia hoi.

Bia hoi, the people’s beer,” is consumed in frightening quantities by everyone from street vendors to Vietnam’s newly rich.  Sometimes called “fresh beer,” it is an unpasteurized, unpreserved product made before the sun rises and often consumed prior to sunset.  Throughout the day motorcycle delivery men can be seen in large cities delivering bia hoi  in everything from 100 gallon drums precariously perched on their mopeds, to mountains of sky-high piled small plastic jugs.  Much of it comes from large breweries, however, mom-and-pop producers flourish as well.  At about 15 cents a pint, it is often cheaper than bottled water.

Just this year the first book on Vietnamese beer was published in English.  Beer Guide to Vietnam was written by Jonathan Gharbi.  The book describes every microbrewery and brew pub in Vietnam, as well as other beer establishments.  But in Hanoi (where bia hoi is king) pay attention in finding them---many are simply known by their address (often missing), or even the intersection they inhabit.  New ones pop up and old ones close to relocate a few blocks away.  No worries, it will be a fun treasure hunt…and a beer will never far away.

For those of you who are coming on the February 2016 trip to Vietnam with Wine-Knows, we will be sampling some of the country’s best.  Here is a list of some of their highest rated beers:  Bia Hanoi, 333, Saigon Special, Bierre Laure, and Saigon Red.  You can be sure that bi hoi (the people’s beer) will also be on our list of must-trys.

Bottoms up!

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Beer

OK, I admit it…..I know nothing about beer.  But, there are many savvy gourmands who love the stuff.   And, what I do know is that beer culture has moved way beyond fraternity keg parties and backyard family barbeques with mass-marketed canned brews of the 1970’s.  Upscale metropolitan restaurants catering to a dressed-up crowd are now expanding their offerings of expensive beers presented beautifully in designer stemware, paired with foods that amplify their taste.  Perfectly timed on the wave of this shift in beer culture is the The Oxford Companion to Beer.

Recently released by the Oxford Press, this mammoth undertaking by New Yorker Garrett Oliver, is encyclopedic in scope.  Like the changing restaurant landscape in relation to beers, it reinforces just how far the beverage has evolved, particularly in the United Sates.  The US, once the ugly step-sister of worldwide beer production, has moved to Cinderella status.  American micro brewers are now inspiring legions of suds lovers in traditional beer meccas such as England, Germany and Belgium.  Moreover, the renaissance in the US has surprisingly jump-started artisinal beer movements in places such as Italy, Mexico and Japan.
Mr. Oliver’s well researched compendium is a definitive resource which consolidates everything that is known about beer.  It’s not, however, just for beer lovers, but for amateur and professional brewers, as well as restaurants and their serving staff.  As with wine, knowledge about how and where the beverage was crafted, and the tradition surrounding the varying cuvees, is part of the pleasure of enjoying a bit of the brew. 

French and Italian foodie magazines along with their books on gastronomy now discuss beer, as well as wine lists.  The trend is continuing in Manhattan where upscale restaurants are beginning to offer <100 beers by the glass which are paired with everything from appetizers to desserts.   I’d say this is a trend to watch.