BGI Tien Giang
Bihn Duc, Chau Thanh, Vietnam
Imported by: Ba M’Ba Import
Westport, CT
Available: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, IL, HA, KY, MD, MA, NV, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI
After a 19 year interval, “33” or Ba M’Ba is available again in the United States, brewed to the original recipe introduced by the French.
Alcohol (wt.): 3.58
Alcohol (vol.): 4.5
Good rich color and fine head structure and sound, but that doesn’t last as long as expected. The aromatics tell me this is American-standard in style. The brown bottle is an added protection. The beer tastes good: it is about what might be expected from this style. It’s certainly up to the quality we expect from the Bud-Miller-Coors crowd. If that’s your pleasure, you’ll be quite pleased with this beer, which seems to have as much or more going for it as we’ve come to expect from that group. This is good “lawnmower” beer for sure!
The beer is a pale yellow with a slight haze and a uniform persistent head. The aroma is odd - bread, peanuts and a strong whiff of sulfur. The palate is thin and light, with very restrained bitterness and a somewhat mouth-coating astringency. Served ice cold, it might be fine with a spicy Vietnames spring roll.
Judging from the mail I receive, a little R & R with “33” was one of the more peaceful memories of most Vietnam veterans. The French introduced the beer when they were the colonial power. I have never considered it anything special, but I enjoyed this sample. It had a lightly hoppy aroma; a firm, malty body (despite the use of adjuncts); and a good balancing hop bitterness. A pleasant, appetizing lager in broadly the pilsner style.
Fred Eckhardt lives, writes about and drinks beer in Portland, OR. He is the author of The Essentials of Beer and Sake (USA).
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
Author of Ultimate Beer, the Simon & Schuster Guide to Beer and numerous other works on drinks, Jackson has created legions of converts to fine beer.
