Passionfruit Wheat Ale
Pasteur Street Brewing Company

Pasteur Street Brewing Company (Saigon)

I like this beer.

 

 

 

 

12 oz can from Brewers Haven. Pale, cloudy straw color, fine fizzy head. Nose is all passionfruit, sweet and tropical. Taste brings a little tartness, more passionfruit with some underlying bready notes. Damn refreshing on a warm day.

A: The beer is hazy yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head that quickly died down, leaving a narrow collar of white bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of passionfruit are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of passionfruit along with underlying hints of wheat.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The use of passionfruit in this beer adds an extra dimension and prevents this from being bland.

Serving type: can

 

 

On tap at the brewery taproom in Hanoi.
Appearance: hazy pale golden body with a good white head.
Very fruity aroma and flavor reflects a generous load of passion fruit. Moderately tart.
Medium-light body with medium carbonation.

Gosh, it's been a while since I obtained this as the date on the bottom of the can read 7/5/17 but the first few of these I had were quite nice and that was the case with this as well. Can't say that I've ever had a beer from Viet Nam before, let alone this brewery, and this was quite a first impression from Pasteur Street as this was as good as any Fruit and Field beer that I've reviewed on here!

Lovely, golden hue to this as it was bright and largely radiant while being topped off with a quickly-receding head that was quite loud in it's retreat. Only a few bubbles lingered on my pint glass as the lacing was quite sparse, not to my surprise. That was the weakest aspect of this beer as the rest of it was quite enjoyable. Loads of passion fruit, hibiscus, and cactus in the nose with some grass underneath that. That was the case with the taste too as it was quite bright, floral, and with the right amount of sweetness to hold my attention and a bit of tartness to offset that. So much slickness and jack fruit in the taste that this held my attention from the get-go as it never lost it's grip on my palate...

Booze? It might be here but with so much loveliness going on, you'd be hard-pressed to find it. With a basic, boisterous malt presence and a crisp finish, this was the perfect beer for the summer - let alone the waning days of it that I'm currently hanging on to. I'm not terribly familiar with Fruit and Field Beers but if more were like this, that style would be more popular for imbibers such as myself. This was subtly wonderful and worthy of higher ratings on here, as it was hard to find any flaws in it whatsoever...

Yesterday was to have been the ocCANsion of my Happy New Russo-Japanese-Vietnamese-Chinese CANned Beer Sunday, CANrades (Week 754) (добро пожаловать обратно в С новым русским-日本人-Tiếng Việt-中文 Пиво воскресное, товарищи (неделя 754), but I only have one Vietnamese CAN & the Chinese beers bogged down because of needing either/both adds & pics. 8={} I am now back on track, thanks in part to my local, in-person trader @tone77 .

From the CAN: "Passionfruit Wheat is a classic American style wheat beer made with fresh squeezed passionfruit from Đà Lạt, Việt Nam. We have sourced the finest passionfruit from VN farmers and infused it at the peak of freshness. PSBC uses only 100% fresh juice, no extracts or flavorings."

I did some pre-Crack! in-CAN agitating since it was a Wheat Ale with Fruit adjuncts & I wanted to ensure that all was in suspension. Following the Crack! of the vent, I went with a heavy-handed C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass for the same reason. It foamed up to create just under two fingers of fizzy, foamy, soapy, bone-white head with lousy retention, quickly falling back to wisps. 8=( Color was a deeply-hazy/lightly-cloudy Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5) as was expected. Nose had the perfume-y sweetness of Passionfruit with a light tang from the wheat malt. Mmm. Mouthfeel was thin & watery, about what I usually get in Wheat Ales, adjuncts or no. The taste was slightly tart, quite fruity and easily identifiable as Passionfruit! I used to really chow on tropical fruits in the Navy & not only was I a regular guy as a result, but it really led to me chiseling myself into the best shape of my life. My current recovery has seen me eating a LOT of FF&V again & I wonder why I stopped. Yum. Finish was semi-dry, still quite fruity, enough to keep the wheat tartness in check. It went really well with the heat & humidity of this Summer evening. YMMV.

 

 

I actually really enjoyed this - reminded me more of a light ale than a true wheat beer. Golden slightly-hazy color with a little head and very minimal lingering lacing. Smells of some nice citrus fruit and grain. Tastes of lots of fruit - passionfruit, orange, lemon - with just the right amount of bitterness and sweetness. Just a little tart, perfect amount. Also has some vanilla, grain and malt. Smooth mild mouthfeel, good carbonation. Very enjoyable and definitely sessionable.

A: Pours a fairly hazy bright yellow in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and moderate pale golden yellow colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall sudsy fizzy off-white head that quickly reduces to a medium to large sized patch of very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of tropical/passionfruit over the top of very light aromas of wheat + pale malts with a hint of grainy sweetness.

T: Upfront there are light flavors of wheat + pale malts with a hint of grainy sweetness. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of sweet tropical/passionfruit. No perceptible hop presence and no bitterness. The passionfruit flavors linger well through the finish.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amount of carbonation. Slightly crisp upfront with a relatively clean finish.

O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol. Refreshing and enjoyable with really pleasant passionfruit flavors + aromas. I could easily have a couple of these and I could see how the light mouthfeel and passionfruit flavors/aromas would be really enjoyable in a hot weather climate.

 

 

 

 

Poured from 33-cl can into a weizen glass. Pours a hazy, light golden yellow, with a couple of fingers of fluffy white head that settled rather rapidly leaving no trace. This is straight-up passionfruit juice. There is a little light malt providing some structure and a very prominent grassy note, but the passionfruit is the show here. Very light and refreshing, with a little tartness on the finish. It's not going to be to everyone's liking, but this is quite tasty and well worth a summertime quaff.

 

Cloudy, deep gold beer with a quickly fading white head. No lacing left behind. The aroma is sweet with passionfruit and some grass. The taste is lightly sweet with a ton of passionfruit and a crisp tartness. The beer is under carbonated but has a nice light body. It finishes clean. Pretty decent wheat beer.

I enjoyed this beer fresh from the tap at the taproom in District 1. It was cold, refreshing and delicious. The passionfruit is really prominent, but with a perfect balance of sweet and tart.

 

 

 

L: Slightly hazy straw, topped by a small soapy off white head that fizzles away rather quickly, leaving a thin ring, and virtually no lacing.

S: Lots of passionfruit, thin crackery malt, wheat, and slight grass.

T: Passion fruit, tart and lightly juicy; thin cracker/wheat malt, hay, and slightly grass and clove

F: Light, moderately carbonated. A bit watery. Very sluggable, though.

O: A solid passionfruit wheat ale. I wish it was a bit more punchy, but it's refreshing.

 

The beer pours out a light pale golden straw color, with 1 finger of white head------------ the aromas are of tartness, passion fruit, wheat and grass--------------- the flavors are of sweet and tart passion fruit, toasted wheat bread and a lemon like tartness, the beer has a medium mouthfeel with a super clean finish--------------- overall this beer was delicious, very impressed with my first beer from Vietnam, super juicy passion fruit makes for a very refreshing beverage--

330 ml can into pint glass, canned on 7/5/2017. Pours lightly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of juicy/lightly tart/tangy passionfruit, peach, apricot, pineapple, berry, wheat, cracker, white bread, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of passionfruit, pale malt, and light earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of juicy and lightly tart/tangy passionfruit, peach, apricot, pineapple, melon, berry, wheat, cracker, white bread, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal/grassy bitterness and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy passionfruit, peach, apricot, pineapple, melon, berry, wheat, cracker, white bread, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness and balance of passionfruit, pale malt, and light earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitter/tartness balance and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Moderate increasing dryness from tart/tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and moderately grainy/acidic/tangy balanced mouthfeel that if great. Zero warming alcoohl as expected of 4%. Overall this is a very good fruit wheat ale. All around nice robustness and balance of passionfruit, pale malt, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink; with the mellowly tart/tangy/drying finish. Very well balanced between fruit and pale/wheat malts, with just enough hops for balance. Very flavorful and not watery feeling for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.

A 330ml can, canned on 21st July 2017. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.

Appearance: A hazy golden straw colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing.

Aroma: Tart, fruit forward passionfruit, peach and apricot with hints of lychee here and there.

Taste: Similar to the aroma with tart juicy passionfruit, peach and apricot.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with high prickly carbonation.

Overall: Although it lacks complexity, it is still very easy to drink and would be refreshing on a hot day.

Poured from an 11.2 oz. can. My can says 4.0% abv. Has a bright golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of passion fruit, somewhat sour. Taste is tart, passion fruit, a bit of salt, slightly sour at the finish. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer.

 

 

 

On-tap served in a pint glass at Wishbeer, Bangkok.

Hazy pale yellow color, it comes with a finger of frothy white head that stays for a while before gradually sinking to some bubble sheet atop and leaving some lacing patch and spot.

Of course, it is obviously tart passion fruit in a nose together with the mixture of orange sour and pineapple. Anyway, it is quite artificial and syrupy one not that feel like the real fruit. Wheat malt is in the back end with some softness.

The taste is as well dominated by tart artificial passion fruit and orange syrup. It is also salty at time which reminds me of the Gose. Some touch of wheat too somewhere inside the richness of tart and juicy passion fruit.

The body is light with quite smooth mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. The feeling is very crisp and so refreshing from its tart fruitiness touch. Finish is dry.

Zesty and very refreshing with lots of passion fruit and orange. Would be better if it is not that artificial and syrupy like.

 

On-draught at Fatfish in Da Nang. Cost was 95000 VND per 375ml pour (~7x the average local price of 15000 per beer for Larue, Saigon Beer, etc.).

4.80%. Wheat ale.

APPEARANCE: Boasts a lovely foamy frothy white billowing head. Soft and fluffy, suggesting a refreshing brew. Head lasts a good 8+ minutes, coating the sides of the glass with lacing as it gradually recedes.

Body colour is a clear bright copper of average vibrance. No yeast particulate or lees are visible within.

Appears well-carbonated. I did expect a hazy orange body, but then this is more American wheat than hefeweizen. Looks nice.

AROMA: Passionfruit leaps out of the glass, coming forward fresh and genuine with a lychee-like sweetness and bold fruity tones. Soft and inviting, with a clean Pilsner malt and soft wheat presence. Aromatic intensity is above average.

Anything but artificial, the Passionfruit is vivid and enticing. Hop character is floral and fruity. Pleasant across the board.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Has a slimy lychee-like mouthfeel, with a kiss of a syrupy feel emphasizing the prominent passion fruit without ruining the soft, smooth, wet, refreshing texture. Light-bodied and well-carbonated.

Soft flaked wheat keeps the flavour refreshing, and lets the Passionfruit sing. Lychee flavour is difficult to separate from the Passionfruit, but the fruity flavours here are genuine and real, evoking actual fruit rather than cheap puree or artificial syrup. A more estery yeast strain would add further complexity here, but it's well attenuated with its current ale yeast.

Balanced and approachable, though there's room for more intricacy and depth of flavour. Flavour duration is average, as is flavour intensity.

Finishes more dry, highlighting a subtle zesty bitterness in the third act.

OVERALL: I always love to see a brewery commit to local flavours (without delving into hipstery Jester King-esque excess), and Pasteur Street brewing succeeds at spotlighting Passionfruit, a woefully underused ingredient in Southeast Asian beers. A must try from what is quite possibly Vietnam's best craft brewery (even if the price is shocking by local standards), and highly drinkable.

Low B- / WORTHY

Amazingly refreshing with some great tart/sourness. One of a few fruit beers I would consider ordering on a regular basis. Passion fruit nose is mind blowing