Eccentric beer adventure in Vietnam

January 5, 3:23 AMBeer ExaminerCharlie Papazian

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Not quite sure what to expect out of such an unusual
bottle fabricated out of heavy gauge stainless steel.

I’m always up for a beer adventure, especially when someone confides that where I’m heading they’re not quite sure of.  My wife and I have a knack of finding beer in the depths of being lost.
     So it went New Year’s eve when over a local Nha Trang Louisiane beer, Aussie Craig Hawkins mentioned there were other breweries in Nha Trang, Vietnam.  In his opinion they were worth exploring.  He couldn’t quite recall exactly where it was, but at about midnight New Years Eve he noted “For about $1 you can buy a 2-liter stainless steel bottle of draft beer and it tastes quite good.  My friends and I enjoyed [many – I don’t recall the exact number, but it was more than I want to mention here in fear of exaggerating.]"
    “It’s somewhere behind the stadium…” was all the guidance we received.  I was game and so was my wife Sandra.   We hired a taxi to get close.  Then bargained for a cyclo ride through the back streets.  We were hopelessly lost when I spotted a large poster of a beer I never heard of.
     We stopped and inquired and before we knew it we were taste testing draft beer straight out of a $1 high tech stainless steel “bottle” of Viet Duc.  Just under 5%, the label indicating it was an all malt beer.  Lightly carbonated, we marveled at both the container and how good it was.   Actually we were blown away and giggling over our discovery.  
     The brewery is actually north of town a short distance. 
      Next door I noted another brand of draft (The E.M.B. Brewery) being served in another type of stainless steel container.   We checked it out and though impressed with the head and the extraordinary stainless steel closure, the flavor seemed to have some “cleaning” compound residue that just didn’t appeal to us.  Most people in the bar were drinking bottles of 333, Bivane or other Vietnamese standard lager beer.
      Both beers had potential and we wouldn’t have hesitated to return for another 2 liter tasting of Viet Duc should the opportunity ever rise again. 

I searched the web for more information about these two breweries, but found nothing.  Details of their brewery elude me.  I didn't have time to visit the breweries.  Tasting the beer was my first priority.  I succeeded there.
      Alas in Nha Trang the weather simply sucked and after 4 straight days of unseasonable rain and wind we booked out for Laos the next day.  Hoping for some sunshine to dry our bones and work up a thirst.

 photos from top down: Wife Sandra peers into clear and foamy glass of Viet Duc, successfully surmising "could be good."  Second photo:  closure format on Viet Duc.   Third photo: Vietnamese server pours E.M.B.   Fourth photo: unusual closure technology on E.M.B. lager - heavy duty stainless steel