German beer journey conquers Vietnamese consumers

Introduced to Vietnam in the late 19th century, beer gradually became a familiar drink to local people. Now, beer is an indispensable ingredient in Vietnamese parties, from small scale like cozy family parties to large-scale events.

Like most of his friends and colleagues, gathering with everyone to drink beer after a football match or after work is a daily pleasure for Hoang Hung (43 years old, Ngo Quyen district, Hai Phong ). Mr. Hung said that he usually only drinks one or two cups to have more excitement to chat with everyone but definitely does not let himself get drunk. "A cup of coffee in the morning starts a new working day. A glass of beer in the afternoon ends work and then goes home. That is my daily joy," Mr. Hung said.

For many people, drinking beer is both a way to quench thirst and a way to expand social relationships. "Cheers, cheers, cheers", "100%" are familiar phrases that people chant in unison when drinking beer. The image of groups of friends excitedly clinking glasses has been considered a cultural feature and lifestyle of Vietnamese people for many years.

The world often classifies beer into 3 main types: draft beer, craft beer and commercial beer (usually bottled or canned beer). Draft beer is a type of beer that makes a difference from the rest of the world and is one of the characteristics of Vietnamese beverage culture. Draft beer - still known as Vietnamese draft beer, has a reasonable price and is easy to drink as a refreshing drink, often chosen by Vietnamese people for meetings.

In recent market research, Vietnam is one of the countries with the fastest growing beer consumption in the world. According to the Vietnam Beer, Alcohol and Beverage Association, in 2017, Vietnamese people consumed about 4 billion liters of beer, 1.5 times higher than 2 years earlier. In 2018, many foreign beer giants appeared, bringing more choices to consumers, while increasing the growth rate of the beer industry and the level of competition in the Vietnamese beer market.

2018 is considered the boom year of the Vietnamese beer market and also the year that Tab 100 was introduced to Vietnamese consumers. Bearing the mark of Germany - the place known as the "beer country" - Tab 100 quickly conquered Vietnamese beer lovers. With two versions of draft beer and canned beer, up to now Tab 100 has more than 1,500 points of sale in Quang Ninh, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi , Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Thai Nguyen, Thai Binh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Hai Duong, Bac Giang, Ha Nam, Hoa Binh... Tab 100 has also become a favorite drink of Mr. Hung and his group of colleagues, attracting them to the pub on Le Hong Phong street every week.

The idea of Tab 100 was born after the founders spent a long time traveling across Europe and America to research and learn about modern and traditional beer technology. "Tab" is phonetically pronounced as "knock". According to traditional German beer drinking customs, before leaving the drinking table, each member will knock "knock - knock" on the table twice, to express happiness and say goodbye to each other before starting a new journey. 100 means complete, to show the perfection in quality, safety and joy that Tab 100 brings, when drinkers raise their glasses together and shout "Cheers to 100%".

Tab 100 fully embodies the spirit of German beer, from ingredients, recipes to German-standard beer production technology. 100% of the malt used for this beer line is selected from the world's leading premium brand Malt Weyermann of Germany - one of the oldest malt brands, ensuring a particularly delicious flavor. To achieve a rich aroma and standard flavor, Tab 100 only uses hops imported from Europe in the brewing process. Mr. Nguyen Hung Luan - research and development specialist of Barett - Tab 100 beer factory shared: "In parallel with using quality ingredients, we also focus on controlling the production process. For each different type of ingredient, we need to apply different standard tables, for example: sensory, taste, humidity, grain size, broken rice ratio, protein percentage for malt, microbiological indicators...".

In order to control and unify production operations from brewing to packaging, the factory uses Braumat V8.0 software from Germany (part of Siemens Group). Using smart management software helps to free up human labor and improve accuracy in the production process.

"Tab 100 beer is produced according to Germany's 'Pure Beer Law', bringing a pure, refreshing taste and the characteristic aroma of hops, preserving the essence of Germany," Mr. Hung Luan described the German quality in Tab 100.

Hung Luan added that the entire beer production machinery system is programmed automatically. First, the beer malt and rice are crushed, then the malt is saccharified and the rice is gelatinized. Following the hop boiling process are the stages of vortex settling, rapid cooling, fermentation, clarification, pasteurization and finally bottling.

With the motto of putting product quality first, Tab 100 draft beer is fermented for a full day (minimum 18 days) to help eliminate unwanted compounds and flavors, creating a cool feeling and not causing headaches for users. During the fermentation process, the fermentation tank is controlled daily by the quality and production management department for temperature, pressure, yeast content, and fermentation status. The yeast is stored or propagated in conditions that ensure no contamination or degeneration. With strictly controlled raw materials and production processes, the product has a shiny straw yellow color, a soft foam layer, pure taste, sweet aroma, and rich aroma.

"Tab 100 beer tastes better when cold, the ideal temperature is 10-15°C, especially beer that is deeply chilled before drinking will give you an explosive refreshing feeling in your mouth and a smooth aftertaste after drinking," Hung Luan shared more.

Mr. Nguyen Truong An, Beer Production Manager at Barett, affirmed that Tab 100 is a combination of international quality and traditional flavors, created by Vietnamese people and served for Vietnamese consumers. "With more than 20 years of experience in the beer industry, we want to bring the perfect experience of German standard beer to Vietnamese customers. With the standard investment in brewing technology and raw materials, the products of Barett Smart Factory are carefully selected in every step to bring quality finished products to customers."

To produce a quality beer product, in addition to raw materials, the factory also plays an important role. In the 4.5 hectare area in My Hao, Hung Yen, Barett Smart Factory is divided into many areas. The production area - the "heart" of the factory is carefully invested. The entire machinery system is 100% imported and ordered specifically from Europe, applying automation technology to produce batches of beer that meet quality standards as well as the fastest time. In addition to the brewing and fermentation line imported from Germany, the bottling system of Tab 100 is an automatic bottling system of Comac from Italy with a full control system such as a conductivity probe to avoid bottling the wrong product or mixing water or chemicals; a weighing system to ensure the volume of beer after bottling; an automatic date printing system; an automatic shrink-wrap heating system.

The finished product area is where Barett's "quintessence" converges with modern keg and can lines integrated with smart cleaning capabilities, contributing to creating quality products that meet international standards.

Along with the production room, research and improvement of product quality is also a factor that Barett factory focuses on. The lab at the factory is invested with modern equipment to continuously upgrade existing beer products and bring out increasingly advanced products in the future.

Modern water filtration area, using natural water sources deep under many geological layers, through an international standard filtration system to provide pure water.

Another area that plays an extremely important role in the factory is the logistics area, which also contributes to ensuring that products reach consumers with the best quality. With an area of up to 10,000m2, a ceiling height of 20.8m, 18 cargo doors (docks) and 7,000 pallets (racks), Barett Logistics warehouse has temperature preservation conditions, diverse zoning with many types of goods, creating strengths compared to traditional warehouse forms.

Emphasizing the green factor following the development trend of modern factories, Barett smart factory is one of the first breweries in Vietnam to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification - a certification for green construction works issued by the US Green Building Council. Right from the first bricks were laid, the factory focused on design to ensure compliance with technical standards: safety, efficient use of water and electricity, renewable energy, green landscape, green space ratio.

"We always focus on sustainable development in the production process. All production processes and waste are strictly handled, especially waste is treated to be environmentally friendly," said Mr. Nguyen Truong An.

In addition to the LEED certification, Barett Smart Factory also achieved FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification 22000) certification, globally recognized by the GFSI (The Global Food Safety Initiative) - a global food safety initiative. FSSC 22000 is a combination of the ISO 22000 and PAS 220+L food safety standards.

Hung Luan describes his workplace: "The board of directors has a clear strategic direction, putting quality first, so the factory is fully equipped with equipment for product control as well as error control to limit complaints from customers."

The enthusiastic reception from the beer-loving community for Tab 100 since its launch until now is a stepping stone on the journey to bring German-standard beer to beer lovers nationwide. As a young name in the beer industry in Vietnam, the product has found its own development direction, gradually asserting its position in a competitive market.

"With passion and serious investment, stemming from the desire to bring consumers truly special, international quality beers, Barett Smart Factory will bring more quality products like Tab 100 to conquer the hearts of Vietnamese beer lovers," affirmed a representative of the Barett factory.