Bia Hoi

[yankinoz]

If you've been to Vietnam, you've probably drunk it. It's literally cheaper than chips, is rather bland, but not awful, goes out in barrels not long after brewing (bia hoi means fresh beer), has an abv around 3.5%, and isn't all that bad. It is supposedly a lager. The grist comprises malt and quite a lot of adjuncts: rice, sugar, or both.

Albanese seems to like it and approves of the bags of JW pale malt sitting in one brewery.

What I can't find good information on is the length of brewing and, if any, conditioning. How fresh is fresh? The most-repeated claim is that it goes out in steel kegs that day after mashing and the start of fermentation. That seems highly improbable. I suspect, but do not know, the brewers typically ferment fairly warm for a few days and then ship it.

Does anyone have more detail on yeasts, brewing temps and conditioning? Alleged clone recipes vary.

Bia hoi is not something I would brew or order outside Vietnam, but better information might be useful for would-be impatient brewers of mid-strength lagers.

 

[Dave70]

Drank a bunch of last time we were there, it is indeed ubiquitous, cheap and bland.
But its all about the ambience, right? Yes.. 80% humidity and 32 deg's of 'ambience'.
3.5% sounds about right. You have to neck it at a rate of knots on an empty stomach to get a nice glow happening.

My guess would be pale malt, flaked rice - show it to some saaz, probably < 20 IBU's and a Kolsch yeast or something you could go hot and hard with like LalBrew Voss.

Served here in a classy chilled flask. On the streets a re purposed plastic bottle is the order of the day.
Pairs well with Cha Gio and a stinking hot afternoon. Or morning.

 

[hopnotic]

I'm heading to Vietnam next week for 10 days. If I find any local brewers I'll ask.

 

[ckirtley]

I recall my first Bia Hoi in 1993. An old lady with no teeth was selling it on the street. She grabbed a pipe and sucked on the end, siphoning the beer into my glass. It took a bit of courage to drink it!

 

[S.E]

I had a similar Bia Hoi experience in Hanoi around 1995 or 96 but it was a young lady in her teens. She was sitting on a step with a cask behind her and siphoned the beer from the cask. She used her finger to stop the flow when the glass was full before moving to the next glass. Between serving customers she slipped off a grubby flip flop and picked her toes with the same finger.

 

[yankinoz]

You should find the sanitation improved from the two above cases. The one concern might be with glass washing.

 

[MHB]

The best I can find re Asian Lagers are high adjunct versions of American Lager, usually with 30-40% rice.

Lots of yeasts get talked about but Carlsberg is probably the ancestor of most of what is being used. Probably run hot (~12oC) at high pitch rates. I would seriously think about doing a cereal cook with the rice and some of the malt. Several are mashed as full volume mashes which might not be a bad idea if you are using lots of adjunct.
Mark

 

[Brewman_]

Hi Mark,

Interesting question you raise. Kinda interested now too.

On the yeast, I guess if they are using the Carlsberg yeast, they are probably a fairly well controlled brewery...

I have never been there, (would love to), but my guess is that they use a dry yeast? Which can produce fantastic beer but require less control.

I hope Aussie Maltsters are selling Tonnes of their stuff there.

I would love to know.
Cheers
Steve

 

[S.E]

How fresh is fresh? The most-repeated claim is that it goes out in steel kegs that day after mashing and the start of fermentation. That seems highly improbable.

I have never heard that one before, but what I was told at the time and would make more sense is that it is transferred to casks or even buckets when it is ready and sent out the same day for consumption.

I believe street vendors go to the brewery with their own container to be filled and they serve it from that the same day. So possibly from a bright tank or straight from the fermenter. They could easily brew a beer in a week or so and into the cask and out the door.

I can’t remember what Bia Hoi tasted or looked like to be honest, it was so long ago. I may be wrong but as I recall it varies in taste and color from place to place doesn’t it?

With the French colonial history of Vietnam I would guess Bia Hoi was a French or German influence. French certainly influenced Vietnamese cuisine among other things.

 

[Dave70]

I have never heard that one before, but what I was told at the time and would make more sense is that it is transferred to casks or even buckets when it is ready and sent out the same day for consumption.

I believe street vendors go to the brewery with their own container to be filled and they serve it from that the same day. So possibly from a bright tank or straight from the fermenter. They could easily brew a beer in a week or so and into the cask and out the door.

I can’t remember what Bia Hoi tasted or looked like to be honest, it was so long ago. I may be wrong but as I recall it varies in taste and color from place to place doesn’t it?

With the French colonial history of Vietnam I would guess Bia Hoi was a French or German influence. French certainly influenced Vietnamese cuisine among other things.

That was my experience, at least a little.
To be honest, it was more about the context of where I drank it than than actual beer itself. Sitting on a tiny plastic chair and watching the river of humanity pass by on some street in Saigon is what made it memorable, not the beer itself. Beer is cheap in Vietnam and you could do a lot better for a few dong more.
Personally I wouldn't be sinking scarce brewing time into replicating a beer that tastes like watered down Fosters.

 

[S.E]

That was my experience, at least a little.
To be honest, it was more about the context of where I drank it than than actual beer itself. Sitting on a tiny plastic chair and watching the river of humanity pass by on some street in Saigon is what made it memorable, not the beer itself. Beer is cheap in Vietnam and you could do a lot better for a few dong more.
Personally I wouldn't be sinking scarce brewing time into replicating a beer that tastes like watered down Fosters.

Yep same here. I have never considered brewing Bia Hoi but for sure I would love to go back to Vietnam and drink it again in its natural setting.

I just remember the river of humanity pass by on some street in Hanoi, but then again it may have been Hue, it was so long ago that I can’t remember the details.

I know it wasn’t Sapa as that memory stands out. It was a really weird and scary night that involved a guest house host that made and gave you rice wine when you arrived, then came to your room in the early hours of the morning with what sounded like a large and loud angry mob bashing on the room door.

 

[ckirtley]

That was my experience, at least a little.
To be honest, it was more about the context of where I drank it than than actual beer itself. Sitting on a tiny plastic chair and watching the river of humanity pass by on some street in Saigon is what made it memorable, not the beer itself. Beer is cheap in Vietnam and you could do a lot better for a few dong more.
Personally I wouldn't be sinking scarce brewing time into replicating a beer that tastes like watered down Fosters.

Actually, you rarely seem to get it in Saigon. It is more of a Northern thing.

 

[Dave70]

Actually, you rarely seem to get it in Saigon. It is more of a Northern thing.

Certainly is more prevalent in north. But wherever there's backpackers traveling on the bone of their arse, there'll be an enterprising local thumbing out glasses of Bia Hoi for pennies on the dollar.

For a socialist single state Marxist republic, the Vietnamese people are some of the most capitalist and entrepreneurial I've seen anywhere.

 

[ckirtley]

I stayed in one backpackers in Hanoi where they gave free Bia Hoi every night night at 6pm. The hardened drinkers like me used to circle round reception waiting for the keg to arrive!