Seven days in Ho Chi Minh City, a collaboration beer with DEME Brewing, a talk at Brew Asia 2026 and a mission to complete the city's craft beer Ale Trail. Our man in Asia Pacific, Jum, takes us along for the ride.
Brew Asia 2026 brought brewers, brewery owners and beer industry folk from across Asia Pacific to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on 28–29 October. Naturally, I wasn't going to miss it.
Between catching up with old mates, meeting some new faces, talking brewery software and trying a beer we'd brewed with DEME Brewing, there was plenty going on. I also had eight stops on the Ho Chi Minh Ale Trail to get through. Here's how the week went.
Day 1: Da Lat to Ho Chi Minh City
Made my way from Da Lat to Ho Chi Minh City. Some pretty decent hiking views along the way. Photos included for FOMO purposes only. Not much else to report. Plenty of beer-related activities ahead.
Day 2: Banh mi, Bia-Om and the start of the Ale Trail
Settled into the Airbnb and caught up on all the Monday emails. Obligatory banh mi, despite having already been in Vietnam for a week. Still not sick of them.
Then it was off to DEME Brewing to get a taste of something we'd been working on together for Brew Asia. Our very own collaboration beer, Bia-Om. Pretty happy with how this one turned out.
Popped by East West Brewing on the way home, too. And just like that, the Ho Chi Minh Ale Trail was underway.
Ale Trail progress: 2/8.
A little side project: Breww × DEME Brewing's Bia-Om
We couldn't come to Brew Asia without bringing some beer. So we teamed up with the legends at DEME Brewing in Vietnam to create Bia-Om, a Belgian-style witbier with a Vietnamese twist.
Rather than the usual orange peel and coriander, DEME went with Cam Sành orange and ngò om, a fragrant local herb also known as rice paddy herb. The result was a golden, smooth witbier with plenty of orange, a little spice and that unmistakable ngò om aroma. Very easy to go back for another.
A bit about the beer: Bia-Om is a 5% ABV Belgian witbier with 15 IBU, brewed by DEME Brewing in collaboration with Breww using Cam Sành orange and ngò om.
We had Bia-Om pouring at the Brew Asia Conference Bar, during my presentation and over at DEME's taproom. Massive thanks to the DEME crew for making it happen.
Day 3: Scooter fumes, presentation prep and tiny burgers
Started the morning with a run. Instantly regretted it after inhaling the exhaust fumes of approximately one million scooters. Good start.
Spent the day getting organised for Brew Asia and cramming in the final prep for my Innovation Zone presentation. Then it was off to the welcome party. Plenty of old friends, lots of new faces and some very tiny burgers. Not pictured, unfortunately.
Finished up at 7 Bridges Taphouse. Another tick off the list.
Ale Trail progress: 3/8.
Day 4: Brew Asia begins (and I forget the hats)
Go time. Brew Asia 2026. Coffee, coffee, coffee.
Plenty happening across the conference, with brewers and industry folk from all over Asia getting together to talk beer, brewing and everything that goes into running a brewery.
I was up in the Innovation Zone for my presentation, Manage your Brew(w)ery from your pocket. Pretty good turnout, some great conversations and a chance to share what we've been working on at Breww. We even had Bia-Om pouring during the talk.
I'd also brought a stack of Breww hats to give away. Naturally, completely forgot to mention them during the presentation. Remembered afterwards. Gave away some hats. Crisis averted.
Rounded out the day with a visit to Steersman Taproom.
Ale Trail progress: 4/8. Halfway there!
Manage your Brew(w)ery from your pocket: My presentation
Running a brewery doesn't stop just because you step away from your desk. Orders still come in. Production keeps moving. Stock needs checking. And somehow, someone always needs an answer to something.
That's what I was talking about in the Innovation Zone at Brew Asia. How do you keep on top of your brewery without having to be physically there all the time?
If everything's sitting in different spreadsheets, notebooks or someone's head, getting a straight answer isn't always easy. Especially when the one person who knows where everything is happens to be away.
My talk, Manage your Brew(w)ery from your pocket, was all about making that side of running a brewery a bit easier. With Breww, you can bring production, stock, sales and distribution together in one place and keep an eye on what's happening, wherever you are. On the brewery floor, out visiting customers or halfway across town having a beer.
Less chasing people for updates. More time getting on with things. Which, when you've got a brewery to run, is pretty handy.
And speaking of beer, having our Bia-Om collaboration pouring during the presentation was a nice bonus. Big thanks to everyone who came along.
Day 5: Brew Asia, round two (and my brief career as an influencer)
Back for day two of Brew Asia. More conversations, more familiar faces and plenty of good beer chat. Always good catching up with people from across the brewing industry. There's a lot happening in the Asia Pacific craft beer scene, and it's great getting everyone together in one place.
Also, remember those Breww hats I forgot to give away? Turns out all it took was one social media post and the rest were quickly re-homed. Does this make me an influencer now?
Finished up with the Brew Asia closing party and the Phạm Viết Chánh (PVC) Block Party. No new ticks off the Ale Trail, unfortunately. Ale Trail progress: Still 4/8.
Day 6: The great Ho Chi Minh Ale Trail sprint
With Brew Asia wrapped up, there was one important piece of unfinished business. The Ho Chi Minh Ale Trail. Four taprooms left to visit. Time to get moving.
Belgo. Biacraft. Rooster. Heart of Darkness. Done.
Ale Trail progress: 8/8. Completed!
A pretty solid effort, if you ask me. Celebrated with some Michelin-rated chicken pho.
In bed by 8pm. Absolutely massive night.
Day 7: More scooter fumes, Halloween and one last beer
Decided to go for another early morning run. The smog was even worse than last time. I'll never learn.
Spent the afternoon Halloween costume shopping with Gandhi & Co. In the rain, of course. Then it was off to Big Bamboo for the Halloween party and a few more Brew Asia collaboration beers. Not a bad way to finish the week.
Seven days, eight taprooms and a pretty good week in Vietnam
And that's Brew Asia 2026 done and dusted. Seven days in Ho Chi Minh City. Eight stops on the Ale Trail. A few too many coffees. One very successful hat giveaway. And some cracking beers along the way.
But the best bit was catching up with everyone. Old mates, new faces, breweries from all over Asia Pacific and plenty of conversations about what's happening in the industry.
That's what I love about the brewing community. Everyone's doing something a little different, everyone's got their own challenges, and there's always someone working on something interesting.
Getting to collaborate with DEME on Bia-Om was a highlight. So was sharing what we're doing at Breww and hearing what other breweries have been up to.
Big thanks to the DEME crew, everyone who came along to my talk and all the people who made the week what it was. Already looking forward to the next one.
Cheers,
Jum
Running a brewery in Asia Pacific? Let's have a chat.
I'm Jum, and I look after Breww across APAC. If you're running a brewery in Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam or elsewhere in Asia Pacific, and want to spend less time chasing spreadsheets and more time making good beer, I'd be happy to have a chat.
Breww brings your production, stock, sales and distribution together, so it's easier to see what's going on across your brewery. Or if you just want to talk beer, that's fine too.
