Two Vietnamese Beers . . .

I'm always on for trying new beers, and since my wife brought home a couple of Vietnamese brews from the Home Plus near Bonghwasan Subway Station (Line 6) Friday, I had something new to taste Saturday after cleaning the apartment.

I've borrowed the Saigon Export image from the blog Friday Beer:


The chap at Friday Beer had this to say:

It's a bit more flavourful than I'd expected, malty at first with hop in the aftertaste. The beer contains rice, which adds sugar from the starch in the rice without adding flavour. Before you say that's a Vietnamese thing, you should know that Budweiser also contains rice.

It's certainly better than Budweiser, so maybe there's a "Vietnamese thing" to the adding of rice, after all. Saigon Export is also better than any of the big-name Korean beers I am often forced by penury to drink. Anyway, I agree with the fellow at Friday Beer. More flavorful than expected, so I had a nice time drinking it. If I'd had heightened expectations, the experience would have been rather different. Beer Advocate rates it as mediocre. And I had to laugh at Beerocrat's remark:

[I]t's not even nearly as bad as Korea's Hite Exfeel-S.

Now, there's a man who knows how to make an apt comparison!

I've borrowed the Bia Hà Nôi image from the blog bpacker:


That blogger was unimpressed:

Here's another local beer that we tried, Bia Hà Nôi. Pale golden colour, no bitter aftertaste, pretty bland. I much prefer the elephant-branded "Halida Beer".

I don't know Halida Beer, but like the Saigon brew above, this was better than Budweiser and all of the big-name Korean beers, including the reputable Hite Exfeel-S. It gets some better comments than the Saigon Export got above at Beer Advocate -- at least at ratebeer. But I suppose one ought to compare more methodically.

Well, you won't get that from Gypsy Scholar! My criterion: I wouldn't turn down either beer for a thirst-quencher after exercise.

But I'd much prefer a micro-brewed Korean beer at the Craftworks . . .