Allison Beer Land

What a weird experience. I was standing against a wall, watching people shuffle around the room. I glanced over at him. He looked calm and peaceful, maybe for the first time ever, lying there in his black belt. I hadn't cried since the week before when he had passed. But that week was a mess and I cried a lot. I had been working on a packaging line at a crappy little brewery in the middle of no where. I talked to him almost every day on the phone and he sounded fine, but that day he called...

Safety at the brewery left something to be desired. Safety, in general, in Vietnam was that way, it was definitely one of the scarier places that I've lived and worked. I'm not sure if they have safety regulations but from my experiences there, nothing was required. Learning to brewing in America, safety was the first lesson I was taught. I tucked my jeans into my knee-high steel toed boots, donned my high school chemistry class green chemical goggles, thick chemical resistant gloves that...

I found that in order to successfully brew beer in Vietnam, one must have a detailed understanding that while the brewing process remains the same, the road to get to the end product is very different. Flexibility is a must. Temperature, cleanliness, education level and taste are very, very different in South East Asia. Vietnam has no indigenous ingredients required to make beer and the tap water is unpotable. All ingredients must be imported through one of the most difficult and corrupt...