Pasteur Street Brewing Company, Saigon

Review

I was wondering how the long-deceased Louis Pasteur would feel knowing that the Saigon street in which his people played with chemical potions to cure the world’s ills - there's still a Pasteur Insitute at the opposite end of Pasteur St - is now home to a different form of fermentational  experimentation.

Alex Violette, brewmaster and co-owner of the Pasteur Street Brewing company, quickly relieved me of my curiosity. He told me that the great French chemist and microbiologist, who remains one of a handful of his countrymen to continue to have a presence in Vietnamese street names, also produced one of the world’s first guides to the brewing of beer. This is no joke.

It seems that a craft brewery named after the great man is a good fit on Pasteur St.

Saigon’s eternally thirsty expat community and an increasing number of locals, have embraced the arrival of Pasteur St with fervour too. If you’re a traveller tiring of mainstream lager, a stop by Pasteur St might be just the tonic.

There’s some interesting experimentation under way. On my most recent visit, my drinking companions were sampling approvingly a passionfruit drop. I was very pleased with a more traditional potion. Caution is recommended. These beers have been known to cause a premature wobble.

The owners call the space a tasting room. It’s tiny - and the punters are taking a very liberal view of what constitutes tasting. It can get very noisy on weekends when things are busy. The tap room has expanded into the alley. There's a smoking area on the rooftop.

There’s a tasty selection of bar food available.

In addition to the original base on Pasteur St, there is another Pasteur St Brewing outlet in District 2 and another in District 7 -

PASTEUR ST DISTRICT 2 FILLING STATION
29 Thao Dien, District 2, HCMC
+84 28 6273 0562
Opening hours: Monday – Thursday 4pm – 11pm & Friday – Sunday 11am – 11pm

PASTEUR ST BREWING DISTRICT 7 TAP ROOM
67 Le Van Thiem, District 7, HCMC
Tel: +8428 62788895
Opening hours: Monday – Thursday 4pm – 11pm & Friday – Sunday 11am – 11pm

Disclosure
Rusty Compass reviews are always independent and disclosure is important to us. On my third visit to Pasteur Street Brewing Company, I received a couple of free beers from the owners. We have neither sought nor received any inducement financial or otherwise to publish this review.