Good beer to drink with Pho?

[oolah]

Having some pho tonight for dinner and looking for an interesting beer to drink with it. Are there any Vietnamese beers out there that are especially tasty? Any other recommendations?

I usually drink Brooklyn Lager, but I'm looking for something a little different.

And, I'm in NYC if that makes a difference.

[mrgrotto]

Victory Prima Pils... mmmm...

[Josh]

Last night I had a roasty stout with a bowl of pho, and it was actually a really good match. It was reminiscent of having a Vietnamese coffee.

[tmso]

Makes sense to me; I had pho bac once with a Schwarzbier and thought it was a great combo.

[Simmonte]

Maybe this is just me, but I find Heineken, boring as it is, one of the best beers to accompy East Asian cuisine. Think this is because it is not a beer that demands your attention, but instead allows the flavours of the food to do the talking, whilst at the same time being robust (more so than most macro brew) enough to refresh you.

[atheorist]

It is not just you. Come to think of it, heading off to a BYO Asian place is when I am most likely to pick up Heineken.
Boring is OK for beer. To get you unbored is not the job of beer.

[dinersaurus]

While I hate Heineken, I would expect it to work well with pho, especially if you throw in lots of chili sauce. With most Asian foods I'm looking more for compatability, so I go for the palatte stripping pilsners or light lagers.

[oolah]

Thank you, everyone! It turns out our local beer shop was short on Asian options so we went with the Red Stripe which actually worked quite nicely. Soupkitten is right about the ginger flavors. The sweetness also helped balance the heat of the Pho.

I didn't know Hitachino made a Ginger Beer. I love their Red and White Ales so I'll be seeking that out for the next batch of Pho I make. I'm guessing I can find it at one of those Japanese grocery stores in the East Village.

[Josh]

You should check out New Beer on Chrystie St. in the Bowery. I was just there in November and their selection is amazing. They had a lot of Hitachino beers, including the ginger. You should also try Hitachino's XH if you like beers with a bit of sour character.

I've also seen it at the Whole Foods on Columbus Circle.

[oolah]

Thank you! I've ridden my bike past that beer place a million times and never once thought to go in because it looks so divey. I'll definitely check it out.

[Josh]

Yeah, I had the same reaction. If I hadn't checked out their website first I probably wouldn't have gone in.

[Josh]

Hitachino Ginger - which you won't find served at any Vietnamese restaurant, alas.

[soupkitten]

red stripe. sounds wrong at first, but it's right in many ways. red stripe has a mellow almost-gingery-ness to it that sets off a lot of the deep spice in the broth. i'm also fond of the combo of a nice local kolsch with meatball pho, but doubt the particular brand is available in nyc

[alanbarnes]

There may be good Vietnamese beer out there, but I haven't found it. Saigon and 333 are typical macro lagers that aren't very good to begin with and don't improve with long shipping, handling, and storage. Dai Viet is an altbier that might be drinkable if it didn't have such a strong metallic whang and astringent finish.

I generally don't drink beer with pho, but when I do I tend to avoid bitter brews (which are ordinarily my favorites - west coast pale ales and IPAs). IMO the hops clash with the subtle spices in the broth. Kenji may be on the right track with a Marzen, or maybe a porter that isn't overly hopped?

If you find a pairing that works well, please let us know.

[tofuburrito]

I have yet to go to a pho place that has anything other than the U.S./Mexican macros, which I generally won't order. When I make pho at home I try to plan to have a saison or bier de garde on hand.
For regional authenticity I think the best you can do is to expand to all of southeast Asia and go with a Singha. In my opinion this is the best of the widely available light lagers.

[DougOLis]

I was going to suggest a saison as well

[Kenji]

Hmm, I love pho and good beer, but I've never had them together. Off the top of my head, I'd probably try a marzen (like Spaten or Paulaner) with it. If lots of chilis were in the soup, I might opt for an IPA, such as Brooklyn's.