Welcome to the mighty beer article where you can find all the European beer I sampled during our fantastic 9-day European Tour, back in 2022. More than 30 beers were sampled across 8 countries. Thus, lots to write about; let’s get down to it.
Firstly, we’re going to take a look at a couple of establishments from across Europe in which I found the aforementioned European beer. These are places I found, but do share if you find some gems yourselves! Correspondingly, you can enjoy photos of the beers tried at these places in this section.
Then, I’m going to share with you, country by country, my beer notes and description of the beers themselves. We’ll look also at some beer vocabulary and some wise words to help you get your paws on the beers.
Finally, so as not to miss anything out, you’ll be able to see a gallery of the beer pictures taken elsewhere than the mentioned establishments.
A small introduction to my beer notes. While sipping the beautiful nectar that is beer, I write the first thoughts that come to my head. These may make sense, or they may not. They may be way off from the official tasting notes, or they may be bang on. My point is, they’re very personal, like a diary, and I don’t write them for anyone other than myself although I’m now sharing them with you.
At the same time, you’ll be able to see and drool over photos of the beer. Because who doesn’t like a good beer snap? Reach out and let me know if you’ve tried these brews, what you make of them, or if you want to understand more about my metaphors/analogies/descriptors! This is going to be epic.
Disclaimer: This is a blog post about beer and therefore aimed at adults only. Adult content: Alcohol and Adult Language.
The Establishments
Vitosha Street Bar and Dinner – Sofia
As a matter of fact, I am fairly used to waiting staff switching mine and my partners drinks around: he receives my beer and I his spirit and mixer. The first order in this place went like this. However, for our second and final order, the staff here took it a bit too far…
I ordered a local craft beer, even asked questions about it first, and my boyfriend ordered a Malibu and coke. When the drinks arrived, the waitress put the beer and the Malibu down in front of him and set just the can of coke and a glass down in front of me. This really got my goat. The man gets two alcoholic drinks and the woman gets just a coke, completely ignoring the specificities of the order? Completely ignoring the fact I had previously ordered and drank a beer?
5.29 Bulgarian Lev would be give or take £2.40
The place itself was alright: an enclosed seated area on the large street. People were smoking inside this area, however, which was unpleasant for us as non-smokers. There didn’t seem to be a designated smoking area and this seated area was completely enclosed. Based on this experience, I certainly wouldn’t return.
Beer tried here:
Bohem Light
Rocket Pale Ale – Craft European Beer
The Thirsty Dragon – Sofia
You may be mistaken for thinking the mad hatter lives here, or a garden gnome, judging by the outside of this establishment. A green building, with vegetation sprawled across the its walls and fences. A winding staircase leads up to the front door. It has the overall aspect of a magical/fairy tale house.
Inside, you have simple décor and wooden tables/furniture. I remember the barwoman being really nice here and we did have some good food. As mentioned in the Sofia-specific Engrossing Europe Volume, I had egg, vegetables and cheese all cooked and served in a decorative clay pot.
This place is cool, and I’d certainly go back, or recommend it. Not that we saw it with our eyes, but I bet this place would be buzzing in summer as there’s a pretty outside area. Find it at: Sofia Center, ul. “13-ti Mart” 2, 1142 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Beer Tried here:
Vitoshko Lale
The Friendly Bear – Sofia
Sticking with the happy animals, this establishment ended up being where we chose to spend a couple of hours on our second day, instead of checking out Sofia’s oldest park. This was far away and we couldn’t be bothered, in all honesty. We hadn’t enjoyed Sofia as much as we’d hoped, but this place allowed us to escape a little bit and enjoy time as a couple. The place was pretty dead when we went, and so we felt as if we had our own private space.
The bar and the staff were friendly and welcoming, as the name suggests. The toilet door handles are ski poles and the doors slide out the way. Don’t try and pull or push them, although they’re used to people trying. It’s not a huge place, and it’s relatively simply decorated but I just think it had a really nice atmosphere. Painted wooden tables and metal stools and chairs. Relaxed and warm. A respite from the outside city. Very chill, but very warm.
We didn’t eat here. More’s the pity because looking at some of their photos on Facebook, it looks dreamy!! Find their page here (not affiliated).
Beer tried here:
Pirinsko Svetlo (Пиринско Светло)
Schumenesko (Шуменско)
Konoba Didov san – Zagreb
Translated as ‘Grandpa’s Dream’, I told you in the Zagreb-specific Engrossing Europe Volume that we enjoyed some truly lovely Dalmatian and Croatian traditional food here. This quaint place has stone and brick walls with wooden beams. Old photos decorate the walls as well as antique furniture and tools. It feels like an old farmer’s house. Strings of garlic and other curiosities can be found around the walls and hanging from the aforementioned beams.
Coupled with its awesome food, I’d definitely say this is a place to try. And to try it, follow these directions here.
Beer tried here:
Velebitsko
Grička Vještica
Poper Pizza – Maribor
This place served banging pizzas and brilliant beer. It’s located at one end of the main square in Maribor.
Quite boutique-y inside, it was table service outside by friendly staff. They served (correct as of March 2022) four Slovenian beers on draught and a fair few others by the bottle (possibly not all Slovenian). There is a page specifically for beer in the menu, which is particularly a positive.
It was so beautiful to sit in the glorious sunshine, soaking up the rays whilst having this surprisingly fantastic beer at my fingertips. You can lazily watch people go by and around the square and the atmosphere is just great. What a way to spend a couple of hours.
For that reason, we’d certainly recommend others to go. Find the company website here.
Beer tried here:
Union Unfiltered
Rudolf Unfiltered
Nana Bistro – Maribor
It was already getting on a bit in the afternoon when we were here. The sun was starting to set and the temperature was dropping a bit. I did notice that there were more young people here and it seemed to be a hotspot for young lads or young people.
We didn’t stay long, but we enjoyed a drink here. I’d say we didn’t see its full potential, but it wasn’t our favourite place. But I did get a nice snap of my beer with the sunset and the main square in the background, so hey ho.
Beer tried here:
Svetli Lager
Goldener Löwe – Vienna
We were here all of about 15 minutes. Not enough to form a solid opinion, although the woman did seem rather short with me. It was a perfectly lovely respite in an unknown city for a short amount of time. The tables were designed in the image of the bar, and there were beermats on the tables. Just over the road from the station, above all it was convenient.
For those curious Beerandbonvoyageurs, you can find the website for this café here.
Beer tried here:
Hubertus Pils
Sladovna – Bratislava
Finding Slovakian beer, specifically brewed in Slovakia, is a lot harder to find that you’d first thing. In fact, I tried just one Slovakian beer whilst in Slovakia and it wasn’t at this establishment. It is, on the other hand, full of European beer from its neighbouring country: the Czech Republic. At the time of sampling, I was unsure of the beer’s origin, although later research revealed its identity.
The establishment itself was pretty cool: an awesome beer house. Inside was quite rustic with wooden furniture and it was pretty busy, indicating its popularity. The staff in general weren’t that engaging. I tried to ask questions about the beer whilst at the bar, but in short, they seemed a bit reluctant to chat. I wouldn’t say they were rude per say, but not warm and friendly. And on balance, I do love a beer flight 😉 Find more information about their European Beer here!
Beer tried here:
Svetlý Ležiak 11°
Mini Max 10°
G-Max 10°
Polotmavý 13°
Jimmy’s Bar – Bratislava
We stopped in just for a beer, and again, it turned out to be a Czech one. We sat outside and I think they had blankets you could put on your knees for the chill in the air. On the negative side, the pour was not the best, by a mile. Nothing really much to say about this place, one way or the other.
In any case, here’s a picture of their beer menu and prices correct as of March 2022. Can’t really complain about my almost-half-pint of a pour, when it’s 2.50€ a pint, one supposes.
Beer tried here:
Breznak
Beer Brothers – Budapest
This was a totally random spot, and we jumped in straight away. I was delighted. Tucked away in a corner, it was not in the sun when we went, although it was creeping round. Some tables outside, although there is limited space to sit inside as well. On the wall to your left, is a large wooden signpost which serves as their menu detailing the (mostly) European beer for sale. I found this hard to read which was the brewery, name etc. See what you think.
The glasses you get are quite unique. I got the small sizes, and I paid 700 and 850 Hungarian Forints apiece. That would make them about £1.60-£1.90 each (prices from March 2022). Not bad, I’d say, for some craft and unusual European beer!
I would recommend popping in and discovering some wacky new Hungarian craft beer. They even had a beer brewed for them/in collaboration with First Craft Beer brewery. Read about them in the beer notes section.
Beer tried here:
Tavoli Galaxis – RothBeer
Brothers 4 Life
Wise Words – Useful Beer Vocabulary
Speaking multiple languages, and picking bits up here and there, is really important to me. For this reason, I want to collate and share with you some cool beer vocabulary this trip taught me. In other words, here are some nuggets to help you order and drink the fab European beer yourselves! In other words…. See what I did there?
Firstly, let’s look at the O.G word itself: Beer. Bulgaria seems to pinch the Italian’s “Birra”, just without the second ‘r’ and Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia all use the word “Pivo”, analogous to a few other countries in Europe. Let me know in the comments if you know of any other countries that use “Pivo” as beer.
Secondly, my favourite, we have the word for ‘Draught’. In Madrid, it’s very simply “from the tap” and I’m afraid I don’t understand the etymology of the others. Tantalising Titbit: The word for ‘Draught’ in both Slovenian and Croatian is “Točeno” which is the same as in Montenegrin! This is most likely due to the fact they were, up until 1991, part of the same country: Yugoslavia and therefore share many linguistical similarities.
Croatia uses “Svijetlo” to mean ‘light’ in terms of the beer, and Slovenia and Slovakia use “Svetlý” which certainly very close. So, whilst Slovakia chose a different way to say ‘Draught’, it seems they stayed close to their neighbours for describing a beer that’s light in nature.
Chiefly due to this trip being a wee while ago now, and my lack of notes on the matter, I don’t have a complete set of all the beer vocab from our trip. Here are some tables to sum up a couple bits and pieces we picked up, and are written on menus. I’ll just have to go back to get the rest 😉
| Beer | Draught | In Bottle | |
| Madrid | Cerveza | De Grifo | En Botella |
| Bulgaria | Bira (бира) | Nalivna (наливна) | Butilirana (бутилирана) |
| Croatia | Pivo | Točeno | |
| Slovenia | Pivo | Točeno | Ustekleničeno |
| Slovakia | Pivo | Čapované | |
| Hungary | Sör (pronounced Sh-ir) | Csapolt |
The European Beer
If you’ve made it this far, then I can tell you’re dying to know more about the more than 30 European beers I tried across 8 different countries. It was honestly such a fantastic trip. I discovered beers I’d never previously dreamed of, and feel like I learnt a lot along the way. The most surprisingly enjoyable, for me, was the beer in Maribor. Especially as I hadn’t known anything about Slovenian beer (or wine as discussed in Volume Five) prior to going, I felt there was a special quality to the Slovenian beer. Mostly unfiltered, overall one could say it was unassuming, well-balanced and yet with a bit of oomph underneath. Lovely jubbly.
For the notes, this time we’re going to have the name of the beer, followed by the brewery name (and a link to their website if available – I’m not affiliated in any way, shape or form). I always like to say whether I tried it from a bottle, can or on draught because this can alter the taste and/or the experience.
Many beers these days are owned by, or are subsidiaries of larger companies such as Heineken. They, especially, seem to be taking over the beer world and buying over many smaller, or local, breweries. In the interest of transparency and comparison, I’ve added this information where available if the brewery is owned by another ‘mother’ entity.
Click on the buttons to jump to a specific country. Likewise, you can chill and scroll at your leisure.
Madrid
Photo Only – Estrella Galicia 1906 Reserva Especial. I don’t have any notes on it, but I’m certain I enjoyed it! All 1L of it 😉
Serbia
- Zaječarsko – Zaječar Brewery – Lager 4.5% (Bottle)
Fizzy, drinkable but not preferable. Exciting, unexpected new thing in a service station on a 46-hour bus.
Bulgaria
- Bohem Light – Biroterapia – Lager 4.6% (Draught) (Craft)
Slightly bad smell. Not bad. But ‘cheap’ taste, light kinda but also not bad really. Easy drinking.
- Rocket Pale Ale – Sofia Brew – Pale Ale 5.4% (Draught) (Craft)
Thick. Wow thick. Caramel notes? Vanilla? Server said sweet… I’d pour that on pancakes. But I guess it’s unusual ‘cos it’s not overpoweringly sweet but thick and flavoured. Alright.
- Zagorka Special – Zagorka Brewery – Lager 5% (Can)
Hmmm. Not great. Thin and cheap a bit. Drinkable. Light. Nice aftertaste. Easy. Lovely in circumstances, wonderful hotel room.
- Ariana – Zagorka Brewery – Lager 4.5% (Bottle)
Smells good. Nice body. Easy down but also good, not cheap and wispy. But more than lager.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Heineken
- Kamenitza Light – Kamenitza (Каменица) – Lager 4.4% (Bottle)
Smells like salad? Decent body. Nice colour. Smooth journey, nothing exciting. Fair beer, yeah I think the best so far in Bulgaria.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Molson Coors
- Vitoshko Lale – Lomsko Pivo – Pale Lager 5.5% (Bottle) (Craft)
Smelt nice in bottle, not as much when poured. Nice colour. Nice head when poured, disappeared fast. Fizzy. Gassy. Quite fully body. Quite a lot. Alright but not as nice as K I don’t think. It’s the start, a big start and hard.
Note: Whilst this beer is brewed at the Lomsko Pivo brewery, it is classed as being brewed by the company Vitoshko Lale. Similar kind of deal to (Crete), they use the equipment and facilities of Lomsko to brew their beer. However, the recipes and such are all theirs. A contract brewing situation.
- Starobrno – Starobrno Brewery – Lager 4.7% (Didn’t note sample type – Czech Republic)
Smells odd but interesting. Not as fizzy but still somewhat. Fullish body, not much to be said. Not sure on it yet. Tastes hard.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Heineken
- Schumenesko – Schumenesko Brewery – Pilsner 4.8% (Draught)
Citrus smell. Nice beer. Solid. Yeah. I like it. One of the better ones.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Carlsberg
- Pirinsko Svetlo (Пиринско Светло) – Pirinsko Brewery – Pilsner 4.4% (Bottle)
Nice. Easy. Full body or at least enough. Yeah, I like this one. Wouldn’t say quality but good enough.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Carlsberg.
Croatia
- Karlovačko – Karlovačka Pivovara – Lager 5.0% (Bottle)
Smells fine. Exactly what you want on a beautiful hot day like this. Crisp and clear lager.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Heineken.
- Velebitsko – Pivovara Ličanka – Lager 5.0% (Bottle)
Smells interesting. Good body. Nice, simple but bit aftertaste. Goes on, not bad. Pretty good beer. Cold and fresh like mountains? Can imagine in snow tbh.
- Grička Vještica – Pivovara Medvedgrad – Doppelbock 7.5% (Bottle)
Smells nice, not too strong. Good start. Nice, not too overpowering. Not too thick. It’s smooth. Yeah, it’s nice as a speciality drink. Smokey.
Slovenia
- Union Unfiltered – Pivovarna Union – Pale Unfiltered Lager 4.9% (Draught)
Smells thick. Tastes thick. Cold. Contained. Not a big finish but it’s all contained. It’s great. I like it. It’s like an underwater volcano. On the surface nothing, but underneath it’s happening secretly. Kevin said it’s a lazy carriage. It tastes better than smells.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Heineken
- Rudolf Unfiltered – Unknown TBC – Unfiltered, Unpasturised (Draught)
Smells horrible. Nice body. Oooo got stuff going on. Good start and easy finish that goes on. Yeah, I like it. Still thick but yeah. The volcano is bubbling like a Pumba fart.
- Normal Ölstar Pale Ale – Tektonik – Pale Ale 5.1% (Draught) (Craft)
Smells quite nice, ooo. Yeah, okay. Ngl. I was thinking it’d be wankery: it’s not. It’s a good, solid beer. Not sure I like it more than others here but it is nice. Bit cockier than an underwater volcano, mind. But some good tectonic movement there 😉
- Svetli Lager – Piovarna Maribor – Pale Unfiltered Lager 4.5% (Draught)
Smells a wee bit like cold chocolate. Yes. Another good one. Like a boat, rocking. Maybe rocking from the bubbles of Rudolf? Has a bit of a big start itself, like a bird puffing its chest. Then kind of rocks a bit and simmers.
- Laško Zlatorog – Laško – Pale Lager 4.9% (Bottle)
Nice smell. Nice lager. Good quality lager. Yes. Would write home I guess if I had other things to say.
Austria
- Hubertus Pils – Hubertus Brau – Pils 5.4% (Draught)
Good strong flavour, solid lager. Good body and tasted of quality. Had to drink fast as not much time so obviously ruined effect somewhat.
Slovakia
- Breznak – Pivovar Velké Březno – Lager 4% (Czech Republic)
Very big, creamy head. Big start, wee tingle middle and a short end. Good flavour. Solid beer. Despite pour, good beer. Gassy and a bit fizzy mind.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Heineken
- Svetlý Ležiak 11° – Maxmilian Brewery – Lager 4.3% (Draught) (Czech Republic)
Clean and crisp but a lot going on. Good head and I like the body. Doesn’t seem like a lager. My fave of the four tasters.
- Mini Max 10° – Maxmilian Brewery – Light Unfiltered Beer 3.7% (Draught) (Czech Republic)
Smells good. Simple, but nice. Not sure why clear when it says unfiltered. No one knows when asked in Slodovna. Seems more like a lager.
- G-Max 10° – Maxmilian Brewery – Pale Ale 3.7% (Draught) (Czech Republic)
Smells of the grapefruit described in write-up. Not my thing. Ew no. Grapefruit flavour strong. Thin body. No no no no.
- Polotmavý 13° – Maxmilian Brewery – Special Amber 5.4% (Draught) (Czech Republic)
Smells malty. Quite thick but I think ‘half-dark’ is a good name, as barman said. Not usually my thing. Strong flavour, big start and dark taste. Interesting, but not for me.
- ’73 – Zlaty Bazant – Pale Lager 4.3% (Bottle)
Tastes like something I can’t put my finger on. It’s nice, basic, drinkable, sessionable even. Light and basic. Not much to write home about. It’ll do.
- Kozel – Velkopopovicky – Lager 4.5% (Can) (Czech Republic)
That’s nice. Simple and nice. On a train with leftover Slovak Farmer’s Supper. Not that fizzy, refreshing, yeah. It’s nice.
Hungary
- Tavoli Galixis / RothBeer – Mad Scientist – IPA 6.1% (Draught) (Craft)
First IPA in Hugary, apparently. Smells a bit hoppy. It’s clear. Too hoppy for me from the start. Easier finish but okay. Nice temperature. Nicer the more you drink; it’s okay. Definitely a bit wankery but drinkable.
Note: From what I can understand about this brewing/beer situation, it seems similar to what we’ve seen before where one company uses the brewing equipment of another. A brewery for hire, almost.
- Brothers 4 Life – First Craft Beer – DIPA 7.5% (Draught) (Craft)
Doesn’t smell too bad. Looks like sandy, mango honey. No. Can taste the weird hops, kinda like a herbal taste/heather. Not toooo bad. It’s interesting but almost not a beer for me. Wankery to the max but palatable at least. An experience drink. Get’s better as goes down tbh, aye, interesting.
Note: This also appears to be a beer brewed in collaboration with the bar itself. Unsure of the exact deal made, but First X or First Craft Beer are the brewery with Beer Brothers being the recipe makers/purchasers?
- Borsodi Sör – Borsodi Brewery – Pale Lager 4.6% (Draught)
That’s nice, actually. Smooth and not that fizzy. Easy to drink, good head and body. Really refreshing. Quenches one’s thirst. That’ll do.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Molson Coors
- Soproni Sör – Soproni Sörgyár – Lager 4.5% (Draught)
Hits the spot. Refreshing. Again, simple. Tastes good. Not too fizzy either but quite calming. Nice last beer. Easy going.
Behind the scenes: Brewery owned by/Subsidiary of Heineken
And that concludes my Engrossing Europe series. Thank you so much for reading, or for even clicking on the articles. Did you like this European beer article? Were there any surprises or interesting things you read, please let me know in the comments, or get in touch via email or Instagram! I’d love to know what people like to know about, to help shape future articles.
If you’ve missed any of the travel articles related to this Volume Beer, check them out at the below links. If you fancy some Belgian beer, (and who doesn’t?), keep your eyes peeled and your noses to the ground for a Brussels article heading your way…..
