A Beer Tourist’s Guide to…Hanoi
The sights and sounds of Vietnam’s capital sometimes sit unfairly in the shadow of its Southern equivalent, Hồ Chí Minh City (Sàigòn), and when it comes to craft beer that stands true too. Hanoi’s spectacular, relentless café and coffee culture is simply so ingrained that any boutique establishments are based around the beans, but that hasn’t stopped a handful of enterprising individuals brewing up something a little stronger. Our guide is written from the perspective of a tourist and is specifically geared towards visitors to Hanoi. Dzô!
The emergence of two nano-breweries in the heart of the old town has given indie beer fans something to gravitate towards, made more enjoyable by their support for one another. Ha Noi Homebrew is a one-man operation that started as a homebrewing hobby (per the name) and has quickly grown into something more. It is a small, crowded and charming hole in the wall, though you will want to sit outside on a stool as per the Hanoi culture. They have a selection of their own beers on draft (whatever has been most recently brewed) and plenty from other Vietnamese breweries in the fridge.
A twenty minute walk away is B’ross Beer, somehow even smaller though a little sleeker in design. Alongside a couple of rotating draft taps, they also serve coconut-fermented wine, which has to be tasted to be understood. It is located on a busy intersection, which affords you the opportunity to take a seat outside and watch the plentiful, almost choreographed scooters jostle for position as they zoom on by.
For the largest array of Vietnamese craft beer, nothing comes close to Standing Bar on the charming Trúc Bạch island just a few minutes north of the old town. It boasts 15 taps of beer from around the country, from big hitters in Hồ Chí Minh City all the way to small batch one-offs from breweries situated in the regions around Hanoi. With a ridiculously cosy rooftop beer garden overlooking the lake, it’s a perfect place to relax and enjoy the best of Vietnamese beer in one place.
Further afield in Westlake, where most Western foreigners in Hanoi live, is Turtle Lake Brewing, perched right on the lake itself. A delightful spot on a clear day, the space is larger and has a more industrial feel than the two breweries above and is well worth the visit from the old town, despite a bit of distance.
Finally, not wanting to miss out on the fun in the north, Hồ Chí Minh City-based brewery Pasteur Street Brewing Co have opened two outposts in the city centre. Despite not being Vietnmaese-owned, both locations offer plenty of their highly rated brews, often replete with local ingredients. The taprooms are modern and spacious, with burgers and other not-so-traditionally-Vietnamese food on offer. Our advice would be to focus on the beer, then enjoy a local delicacy somewhere nearby.
Hanoi’s craft beer scene is only going to grow as it basks in the glowing success of southern Vietnamese breweries like Heart of Darkness and Pasteur Street. Hanoi has an incredibly amount to offer from a culinary perspective, and in between your several coffees each day, don’t hesitate to try something a little colder.