French Polynesia is definitely more known for its pristine waters and legendary islands like Bora Bora and Tahiti than it´s known for its beer and alcohol production.
Still, French Polynesia does actually also make its own beer; rum and the only coral soil-grown winery in the world is also located here.
And the local French Polynesia beer culture is rapidly growing these days; the national beer Hinano is sold about every shop on every island and atoll around this piece of paradise.
And best of all, French Polynesia have a recycling system for its beer bottles.
These days the large French craft beer company Les 3 Brasseurs, established in French in 1986, have now opened its own branch on the waterfront in Papeete.
Top French Polynesia Beer.
Hinano
Style: Pale Lager 5%
Sold in cans, bottles and draft in Papeete
The national beer of French Polynesia is sold about everywhere, a great beer and the pride of the Nation, it might not be the best beer in the world, but it´s a fantastic beer to drink on one of many amazing beaches here in the south Pacific.
Poured with a foaming agent type, white head that soon settled down to a scummy layer and a little lace. The Colour is a clear, light yellow with loads of large and small bubble trails.
The aroma is grain, a little skunk/hop, beer. The Flavour is grain bittersweet with plenty of carbonic taste.
The body is there but with carbonic high points clashing with sweetness and the beer. It´s probably the best beer in French Polynesia.
Aroma: 6/10.
Appearance: 7/10.
Taste: 7/10.
Overall: 7/10.
Hinano Ambrée
Style: Amber 5,5%
Sold in bottles and draft in Papeete.
Very nice crisp amber (surprising) coloured body with a cola glow and a thinnish, with a small head—the aroma of malt, caramel, cereal, grain and a bit of caster sugar.
Medium-bodied; Assertive toasted malt flavours dominate with a good dose of caramel, some alcohol, a touch of grain and toast and a little bit of fruit at the tail end.
Aftertaste shows the malt, caramel and toasted notes more than anything else, but some of the light fruit and unfinished sugars are noticeable as well, a bit unormal tasting beer, but still pretty good.
Aroma: 7/10.
Appearance: 5/10.
Taste: 6/10.
Overall: 7/10.
Hinano Gold
Style: Pale Lager 6%
Sold in bottles and cans.
The newest beer in the Hinano beer family, only introduced back in 2014.
Pours clear golden coloured body with a thinnish, with a nin existing white head. The aroma of fresh malt and hops, alcohol, light metal, a touch of grain, some bread and a little corn.
Light to Medium-bodied; Strong, rich malt and floral flavour at first with the grain, honey, light hops, dry grass and a touch of metal at the tail end.
Aroma: 5/10.
Appearance: 5/10.
Taste: 6/10.
Overall: 5/10.
Triple Red Mo’o
Style: Golden Ale 7%
Sold only in small 0.33 bottles.
Pours a deep golden coloured body with almost an amber and copper glow, with almost no head at all.
The aroma of honey, peated malt, grain, astringent nuts and earth, a dose of flowers and some pure caramelised sugars. I can clearly taste it´s stronger than all the other French Polynesia Beers.
Aroma: 8/10.
Appearance: 7/10.
Taste: 7/10.
Overall: 7/10.
Bora Bora Lounge
Syle: Blond Ale 5,8%
Sold only on bottles in Papeete at the Bora Bora Lounge Bar, just across the ferry port.
For some reason, so are this beer not sold in Bora Bora.
Pours slightly hazy amber with a small head and lacing. aroma/taste: barley, bread, light caramel, citrus, herbal, lightly spicy and light juniper notes. palette: medium malty aroma, average carbonation, medium body, medium sweetness. A decent beer.
It´s not really beer, but it´s still sold and promoted as beer in French Polynesia and produced by the same company as Hinano.
Tabu Mojito.
Style: Radler, 5,5%
Sold only on bottles.
Often sold on beach bars, and often the only option to the normal Hinano if it´s the original beer is sold out.
Perfectly clear golden coloured body with a thinnish, pure white head, only a centimetre or so tall. The aroma of mint, lime, vodka and a touch of caster sugar, just extremely sweet and not even close to a beer.
Aroma: 2/10.
Appearance: 1/10.
Taste: 2/10.
Overall: 2/10.
Tabu Lemon.
Syle: Radler 5%
Sold only on bottles.
Very similar to the Tabu Mojito, except it got a lemon taste instead. For some reason, the only “beer” I could get on the atoll of Fakarava for days.
Aroma: 2/10.
Appearance: 1/10.
Taste: 2/10.
Overall: 2/10.
