For those in central Vietnam, they probably already know, but the craft beer scene in Hue has seen a big upgrade recently. Ryan from Hoi An Brewing Company has moved up to Hue, setting up shop at Imperial Craft Bia Brewpub.
Along with ten rotating taps, and plenty of cans, they have a full brewing system now to make lots of new beers. Hoi An Brewery has always been renowned for great beers, and the first two new ones have just been tapped in the last week. Liquid HUẾ-cation Mosaic IPA and an Imperial Hefeweizen are the new beers, with more to come soon.
I went a little early to try the finished products, but I was able to have a taste of the unfinished product pulled from the fermenter. The Imperial Hefeweizen, although it still had a lot of unfermented sugars, had a lot of banana notes, which will increase, even as the sweetness recedes from fermentation. It was already more than 5% alcohol when I tried it, but it finished at 7%.
While I was at the brewery, I ended up trying a few different beers, including the Heart of Darkness Craft Brewery – Coronado Brewing Company collaboration IPA, Midnight Drift, but my go to beer was definitely Devil’s Haircut, a nice, nutty Belgian Strong Dark that definitely got me feeling a buzz, although my hair keeps getting longer. There’s still a few kegs of it, so be sure to check it out if you are in the area.
Overall, I was very impressed by the selection available at Imperial, as Hue is not a big city, and the market is dominated by Huda. I think Shaun has done a great job, and really look forward to see the developments that come from adding Ryan into the mix. It is definitely one of the best things to do in Hue if you like beer. I would mark it down on any beer lover’s tour of Vietnam in a heartbeat, and can’t wait to go back. My page Craft beer in Vietnam has more information for other places to visit when traveling in different areas of Vietnam.
