Sorrento and The Amalfi Coast.
As some of you who follow me on MeWe and Twitter know, Jane and I have recently returned from 7 days in Sorrento, with its tight maze of Old Town back streets, cosmopolitan café bars and majestic views over The Bay of Naples and Vesuvius. It is quite a busy, bustling place to stay, not a sleepy beach resort, which was a bit of a change from some of the summer breaks we often choose. Our hotel, Zi' Teresa, was situated quite centrally, but still far enough away from the centre to offer some respite from the crowds. The staff here were excellent. The friendliness was as warming as the Mediterranean climate. Our room was serviced everyday and kept spotlessly clean. We had chosen well. As always, I had done my drinking homework, and had my list of of establishments I would like to visit over the week. Luckily some of these were only metres away from our base, so would be easy to tick off. Before all this though, a walk around the area was decided upon, just to get a feel of our locale, giving us time to soak up the view, and some of those warm sun rays, as well as having a pint (or the metric equivalent) before grabbing some nosh. Most of our requirements were accounted for at The Foreigners' Club, which holds a prominent position high up, overlooking the bay. The view from terrace here, across the water, is simply beautiful. The experience was further enhanced by the slowly sinking evening sun and an ice cold Birra Moretti (although I would have preferred it if the bar had have stocked at least one craft beer)
The hustle and bustle of the Old Town were sampled next, highlighted for me by the free tastings of Limoncello. Jane always finds a strange enjoyment in dragging me round the artisan retail outlets so I can see how much tat I am missing out on. Following on from this, and in search of a touch of air to ease the humidity found in the enclosed environment of the tourist shops, we retraced our steps back towards our hotel, dropping in at the neighbouring pizzeria, Master Hosts. A pizza each (way too much to eat in a single sitting, believe me), a portion of fries and two bottles of Peroni were feasted upon in this most amiable of eateries before we trudged, tiredly, back to our awaiting room. From tomorrow I would be sniffing out some of those Italian craft beers and those bars I had researched.
Over the coming days, we found, and enjoyed quite a few local bars, and Italian brewed craft beers, along with one or two World beers too. So, here is my list of those bars, and the beers we sampled within.
The Horse Shoe Pub.
Situated on the periphery of the Old Town,on the Corsa Italia, this is a really friendly boozer. Inside you will discover 9 taps for the dispensing of craft beers, and a couple or so craft bottles alongside the usual contenders. There are a few tables on the front outside were you can watch the world go by whilst imbibing on your beer of choice. In here we sampled a couple of brews on our first visit, both from Birrificio Angelo Poretti (Carlsberg Italy) and both weighing in at 6.5%. First up, I was told, was a Brown Ale, (although the tap did say Pale Ale), which was quite smooth and malty with delicate chocolate notes at the back. Next, Birrificio Angelo Poretti Pale Ale, (which WAS the same as the pump clip). This was light, fruity and had a nice lift of bitterness at the finish. On a later visit, I had a lovely fruity 5.9% Weissbier brewed by Carlsberg under the branding of Jacobsen. (J.C. Jacobsen was the founder of Carlsberg in 1847).
La Bottega Della Birra.
This excellent bar and beer shop is tucked away from the Old Town, on Via San Nicola.Every question you may want addressing about beer will be expertly answered here by the staff. They know their stuff. 7 pumps dispense a selection of European Craft beers, among which is the local Birrificio Sorrento Syrentum, 6.5%, which we sampled, twice. This Saison styled golden beer is moderately fruity, some honey notes within, with citrus bitterness, from lemon peels, at back. Also in here is a monumental selection of very good local, national and worldwide bottled beers. The selection of glasses from the different brewers is quite impressive too. If you can't find something you fancy in here, give up!! I sampled the following beers in here over our couple of visits. Birrificio dell'Aspide Gairloch Strong Scotch Ale, 7%, an excellent brew with dark fruit and light chocolate notes, Jurmanita IPA, Caramel, hoppy and a touch of floral hints, with tropical fruit at the edge. Toccalmatto Maciste Heroic DIPA, 8.5%, which was big, punchy sweet malt over a slightly complex, but perfectly balanced fruity, citrus dry finish. From the vast selection of bottles, I also took the opportunity to fetch a few Italian Craft Beers home from here.
Star Pub Burger Bar.
An interesting find, at a quite busy area of town. 4 or 5 draft taps and a handful of bottled craft ales on offer alongside some excellent cocktails AND burgers to die for!! But I am here to tell you about the beer. Jane had a wonderful G&T in here whilst I had a lovely Brasserie Du Boq St Benoît Brune, a lovely dubbel of 6.5%. Eat, drink and feel very satisfied..
Frankie's Bar Pizzeria
Not far from The Horse Shoe, this place has a hidden depths of beery delights. You will find a dozen Craft ales here across the taps and bottles, efficient and knowledgeable bar staff and great food. In here I had San Gabriel Birra Nera Optergivm, a good solid Porter of 5.5% followed by a Hibu (Heineken) Gotha Tripel, 7.7%, which was wonderfully fruity, with pear and yeast esters at the back but very noticeable.
Bar Del Carmine.
We had walked past here a few times before settling down to a late night pizza, and enjoying one of their occasional selection of craft beers from the Karma Birrificio. On our visit, not all the beers were available from the menu, but the Karma Carmina American IPA, 6%, was definitely worth a look. Malty, with fruit notes and hints of spice, this was an enjoyable beer, especially with a view onto the Piazza Tasso.
The Banana Split Bar.
Although this was our "local" bar, we only had 3 visits here during our week, but, we were always greeted with a smile and efficient service. Irish, Italian and some US beers are available, and the cocktails are good too. Among the beer range here, I found the Birrificio Angelo Poretti (Carlsberg) 6 Luppoli Bock Rosso, 7%, very agreeable. Guinness, the friendly dog, is always around to be stroked and you are always made to feel very welcome here.
The Golden River Pub.
Just a short amble from The Banana Split is this good boozer. Although we didn't eat here, we were told the grub was excellent, but for me the beer fridge was my draw. Over a score of bottled beers await your palate, along with the regular Italian mass produced beers. We dropped anchor here a couple of times, during which we sampled K Birr Natavota Lager, 5.2%. Also from the same Italian brewery, we tried the Cuore Di Napoli APA, 6%. Another local brew was the Stimalti Sta TIPA, 5.5%.We also had the Belgian brewed Brouwerij Haacht Tongerlo Prior, 9%. Not a bad brew among them.
The Corner.
Only a ten minute walk away from our hotel base was this pub. We only managed one trip here, but it was well worth it. Italian and Belgium beers sit side by side in the fridge. We sampled 3 bottled beers in here, and all were good. These were Birra Antoniana Marechiaro, 5.2%, Browerij Huyghe Mongozo, 5%, and also Chimay Red, 7%. Another friendly bar with excellent staff.
Just a twenty minute walk away from the Piazza Tasso area, you will come along to the former fishing village of Marina Grande. The view out to sea is peacefully stunning, with the high cliffs rising up behind the , adorned with hotels and a spattering of restaurants, offering an interesting backdrop. There is a very relaxed atmosphere here, shielded from the busy heart of Sorrento. The bars and restaurants here are, mainly, part of the local fishermens' co-operative, and, from our impression, good food is the high on the agenda . We settled down here on our couple of visits at Taverna Azzura, mainly because it was near the selection of Birrificio Angelo Poretti taps. The beers sampled were all from this brewery. 4 Luppoli Lager, 5.5%, which had a good malt and hoppy balance, 7 Luppoli Floral (La Fiorita) 5.3%, elderflower, straw notes abound, and 8 Luppoli (Citrus Taste) 5.5% Saison style, which was tangy and zesty. All were served cold and, as they gradually warmed, imparted different depths of interesting notes.
Hotel Montemare, Posistano.
A trip around the Almalfi Coast is a mainstay of any tourist's agenda, and we were no exception. We went by the service bus, which was interesting. We ended up packed in like sardines, the heat rising inside, as well as out, but it was an experience. We had a couple of hours in Amalfi before travelling back to Positano. Both are picture book towns, clinging on to the high terrain whilst still dangling their toes into the blue seawater. We didn't find any craft ales in the bars we passed by in Amalfi, although I had a cracking Limoncello Spritz, as we watched the people scurry by in the crowded main square from our quiet little haven. In Positano, after a stroll round the promenade area, we settled down at the beach-side at Hotel Montemare. In here we had Birrificio Sorrento Minerva Amber Ale, 6%. I found this one had a nice moderately sweet caramel opening with a balanced orange citrus bitterness at the finish.
We also managed to pick up a few beers from the local supermarkets in Sorrento. Among them we managed tastings of Birrificio Angelo Poretti (Carlsberg Italy) 3 Luppoli, 4.8%, a rather malty, but well balanced Pale Lager, Peroni (Asahi) Gran Riserva Rossa a Vienna style Lager, 5.2%, also the fruity, sweet malt brew, which was herbal in parts and gently spiced Mastri Birrai Cotta 37, 5.5%.
Three other beers we came across were also from the Heineken Italy stable. First up was Birra Moretti Baffo d'Oro (White Moustache), 4,8% followed by the 6.8% fruit, orange citrus and bread inspired Birra Moretti Gran Cru, and also Birrificio Di Assemini Ichnusa Non Filtrata, 5%. I found this one just a bit over sweet, with slight citrus and yeast notes at the back, but still quite drinkable.
Talking to some local drinkers, and tourists returning to the area, The Sorrentine Peninsular, it seems has had an awakening, in some bars at least, on the craft ale front over the last few years, with microbrewers popping up all over. It is available in quite a few bars, but you must still do your homework to find them. Is it worth digging them out? Well, on the whole, yes, there seems to be a good variety of most styles to have a look at. We did think the prices were a little on the high side, the cheapest bar prices for craft keg or craft bottles (usually 330ml) was upwards of 7 euros, but there again the usual popular Italian branded draft lagers were not a lot cheaper.
Porec, is easily reached by either the coastal path, the walkways through the parkland or the "Noddy Train". The tight streets lead to open squares and an abundance of eateries and drinking establishments. This is a good place to increase your waistline!
What of the beers, then? Well, as in most continental places, lagers are quite prominent, and we sampled most of the popular Croation ones during our period here. To be fair, they all stand up quite well to most other lagers from the Mediterranean region. The market leaders here are Ozujsko, brewed by Zagrebacka Pivovara (now owned by MolsonCoors ) 5%, which has a light malt start, some fresh grass notes before a medium bitter finish. Solid enough stuff really. Next on the list is the Heineken Hrvatska controlled Karlovacko, also 5%, which was sweet, lightly bitter and, although very refreshing, wasn't quite punchy enough for my taste. Favorit Pivo (Istarska Pivivaro) a pale lager of identical strength, was very much down the same route, thirst quenching but just a touch bland towards the finish. Others we came across were the 5.2% Istarsko Pivo (brewed by the obvious!) which had a few highlights of bread dough, but not much more, Pan Lager ( Carlsberg brewed) 4.8% which was light and watery, and the sweet, rather metallic tasting, Union, 4.8% and the Slovenian Lasko Zlatorog, (owned by Heineken and, as far as I can ascertain, brewed at the same brewery as Union) 4.9%. As I said, quite standard stuff. Things do get more interesting when you see some of the other beers on offer from these brewers. Some dark beers are available if you look. My favourite was one of Croatia's strongest commercially brewed beers, Tomislav Crno Pivo. This 7.3% medium sweet Baltic Porter styled brew (from the Ozujsko stable) with dark berry fruits at the opening, had some pleasing chocolate and coffee grounds hints coming through to make a good balanced finish. Ozujsko Rezano 5.9%, was another good one. This Dunkel style beer is a brewery mix of 60% Ozujsko Amber (which I failed to find) and 40% Tomislav. Both Karlovacko and Pan have dark beers too in Karlovacko Crno, 6% and Pan Tamni, 5.5%.
So, What of the Craft Ales? During our stay, we were quite lucky and managed to tick of a few Croatian Craft Ales quite easily. Not only did we find a few bars stocking a good selection of these brews, the supermarkets also carried a few AND our stay coincided with the annual Tuna Fish Festival, which not only had loads of street food on offer, along with free entertainment, but also boasted a Craft Ale pop-up bar. What follows is a list of the beers we managed to source during our stay, with just a brief description. I would say though that I never tasted a bad beer, and I was more than happy with my selections.
Bura Brew. are based in Porec and have been brewing since 2016. Their beers are Optimist Golding Ale 5.5%. A crisp Golden Ale with a touch of yeast over malt at the front. Some honey notes before a bitter, dry finish. Redsand Amber Ale 5.8%. Bitter-sweet start, some fruit and biscuit and a dry finish. Tornado IPA (Istrian Pale Ale), with a nice citrus crispness, 6.2%. Hurricane IPA, 5% has nice rounded tropical fruit notes coming through. This is the core range. I did manage to try two limited editions whilst I was here too. Istrian Belgian Ale (IBA), 6.1% which was fruity, with back spice notes and nice yeast spikes in the finish. Trippin' Tripel, 8.1%, is a lovely well balanced brew. Moderately sweet at the start, then hoppy bitterness over candied fruit leads to a dry and long finish. Very nice.
Bujska Pivovara, based in Buje near the Croatian-Slovenian border, is the home of the San Servolo beer range. The six bottled brews available around Istria are San Servolo Lager, 5.1% which is a clean, crisp brew, with grass notes and slight back bitterness, Premium Crveno Pivo (Red Lager), which has a lovely medium sweet malt signature throughout, Tamno Pivo (Dark Lager), 5.6% that has a rich velvety mouth feel, and has nice, but subtle, coffee and chocolate notes. The 6% India Pale Ale has a good hoppy bitterness tempered well by the floral hints, whilst the American Pale Ale, 6.4%, has nice tropical fruit and zesty citrus at the back. There is also the Limited Edition San Servolo Gold, 7.1%. Biscuit and caramel over light fruit at the start, which leads to a nicely balanced bitter-sweet and dry finish. Quite a lively beer.
SUXO Brewery are in Pula and produce 4 beers. We managed to taste three of the range at the Tuna Festival. The Butcher 5.7% Red Ale had a good rounded malt and fruit body and a reasonably dry, slightly bitter finish. The Reaper Golden Ale, 6.2%, is quite sweet, backed by stone fruit and has a slightly acid tang in the finish. Dark Maid, 6%, was smooth, slightly creamy and had coffee and milk chocolate towards the finish.
Pivovara Medvedgrad. We found a few of these beers in the supermarket, although they are available in some local restaurants. Dva Klasa is a Weissbier of 4.6%, Zlatni Medvjed 4.4%, a pretty solid Pilsner. Crna Kraljica, is a Black Lager of 4.8%, which has some good choco-coffee back notes, Baltazar is an India Pale Lager, with an increasing hoppy bitterness in the crisp and dry finish. The 7% Fakin IPA is a bittersweet brew with subtle notes of berries and citrus (and quite moreish) whilst Ljeto u Zagrebu, 5.2% Witbier had a nice spikes of orange and coriander.
Pivovara Daruvar brew many beers. Among them are the 5th Element beers.LELA, a Blonde Ale of 4.5%, an American Blonde Ale, 5.3% and an Imperial IPA, 7.5%, which we picked up from the local supermarket. We found them all quite sound.
Zmajska Pivovara, Brewery based in Zagreb, we tried 3 different beers in Porec, Zmajska Pale Ale, 5.3%, malty start with a dry and crisp citrus finish. Pozoj IPA, 7.3%, slight sweet tropical fruit over pine resin. Citrus finish. Porter, 6.5%, a very good mix of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee, very nice.
We also had 4 different brews from the excellent Garden Brewery, which were their Pale Ale,5.1%, Craft Pilsner, 4.5%, Citrus IPA, 7.2% and their lovely, velvety Stout, 5.7%, and beers from Hotel Golf (Varionica Pale Ale, 5.2%) Also sampled were the 4.5% Patak Pale Ale, from the Pivovara MBC, Slawoner, Pivovara Medimurski Lepi Decki MINA Brown Ale, 4.6% and Lepi Decki Kaj-El APA, weighing in at 5.2%. There were other a few other Croatian brews available too, alongside beers from Belgium, Austria, Germany and some from the neighbouring countries.
Bar wise, the wonderful town of Porec can offer quite a few Craft Ale outlets. Epulon Bar , in the middle of the Old Town, is mainly a Garden Brewery pub when it comes to beer, Beach Bar Jedro has bottles of Tomislav on the menu (with a great view of the lagoon), Caffe Bar Corner, which is on the north side of the peninsular, offers a few bottles in the fridge, including Sierra Nevada Porter, 5.6%. Wine Corner another cafe bar in the OldTown centre, has San Servola on offer too. My favourite two pubs though were Terra Magica and The Beer Garden. Both bars share a frontage, a parkland which has live music most nights.Food is available at both venues too. The staff are very friendly and attentive and with San Servolo on at Terra Magica, and a full range of the Bura Brew bottled beers, and Zmajska Pale Ale on draught at The Beer Garden, you can't go wrong. We loved Porec, and would love to return soon.
For now, as we look to getting away again, I would just like to finish by saying :-
Cheers, and keep it Crafty
The hustle and bustle of the Old Town were sampled next, highlighted for me by the free tastings of Limoncello. Jane always finds a strange enjoyment in dragging me round the artisan retail outlets so I can see how much tat I am missing out on. Following on from this, and in search of a touch of air to ease the humidity found in the enclosed environment of the tourist shops, we retraced our steps back towards our hotel, dropping in at the neighbouring pizzeria, Master Hosts. A pizza each (way too much to eat in a single sitting, believe me), a portion of fries and two bottles of Peroni were feasted upon in this most amiable of eateries before we trudged, tiredly, back to our awaiting room. From tomorrow I would be sniffing out some of those Italian craft beers and those bars I had researched.
Over the coming days, we found, and enjoyed quite a few local bars, and Italian brewed craft beers, along with one or two World beers too. So, here is my list of those bars, and the beers we sampled within.
Situated on the periphery of the Old Town,on the Corsa Italia, this is a really friendly boozer. Inside you will discover 9 taps for the dispensing of craft beers, and a couple or so craft bottles alongside the usual contenders. There are a few tables on the front outside were you can watch the world go by whilst imbibing on your beer of choice. In here we sampled a couple of brews on our first visit, both from Birrificio Angelo Poretti (Carlsberg Italy) and both weighing in at 6.5%. First up, I was told, was a Brown Ale, (although the tap did say Pale Ale), which was quite smooth and malty with delicate chocolate notes at the back. Next, Birrificio Angelo Poretti Pale Ale, (which WAS the same as the pump clip). This was light, fruity and had a nice lift of bitterness at the finish. On a later visit, I had a lovely fruity 5.9% Weissbier brewed by Carlsberg under the branding of Jacobsen. (J.C. Jacobsen was the founder of Carlsberg in 1847).
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| The taps at La Bottega Della Birra. |
This excellent bar and beer shop is tucked away from the Old Town, on Via San Nicola.Every question you may want addressing about beer will be expertly answered here by the staff. They know their stuff. 7 pumps dispense a selection of European Craft beers, among which is the local Birrificio Sorrento Syrentum, 6.5%, which we sampled, twice. This Saison styled golden beer is moderately fruity, some honey notes within, with citrus bitterness, from lemon peels, at back. Also in here is a monumental selection of very good local, national and worldwide bottled beers. The selection of glasses from the different brewers is quite impressive too. If you can't find something you fancy in here, give up!! I sampled the following beers in here over our couple of visits. Birrificio dell'Aspide Gairloch Strong Scotch Ale, 7%, an excellent brew with dark fruit and light chocolate notes, Jurmanita IPA, Caramel, hoppy and a touch of floral hints, with tropical fruit at the edge. Toccalmatto Maciste Heroic DIPA, 8.5%, which was big, punchy sweet malt over a slightly complex, but perfectly balanced fruity, citrus dry finish. From the vast selection of bottles, I also took the opportunity to fetch a few Italian Craft Beers home from here.
Star Pub Burger Bar.
An interesting find, at a quite busy area of town. 4 or 5 draft taps and a handful of bottled craft ales on offer alongside some excellent cocktails AND burgers to die for!! But I am here to tell you about the beer. Jane had a wonderful G&T in here whilst I had a lovely Brasserie Du Boq St Benoît Brune, a lovely dubbel of 6.5%. Eat, drink and feel very satisfied..
Frankie's Bar Pizzeria
Not far from The Horse Shoe, this place has a hidden depths of beery delights. You will find a dozen Craft ales here across the taps and bottles, efficient and knowledgeable bar staff and great food. In here I had San Gabriel Birra Nera Optergivm, a good solid Porter of 5.5% followed by a Hibu (Heineken) Gotha Tripel, 7.7%, which was wonderfully fruity, with pear and yeast esters at the back but very noticeable.
Bar Del Carmine.
We had walked past here a few times before settling down to a late night pizza, and enjoying one of their occasional selection of craft beers from the Karma Birrificio. On our visit, not all the beers were available from the menu, but the Karma Carmina American IPA, 6%, was definitely worth a look. Malty, with fruit notes and hints of spice, this was an enjoyable beer, especially with a view onto the Piazza Tasso.
The Banana Split Bar.
Although this was our "local" bar, we only had 3 visits here during our week, but, we were always greeted with a smile and efficient service. Irish, Italian and some US beers are available, and the cocktails are good too. Among the beer range here, I found the Birrificio Angelo Poretti (Carlsberg) 6 Luppoli Bock Rosso, 7%, very agreeable. Guinness, the friendly dog, is always around to be stroked and you are always made to feel very welcome here.
Just a short amble from The Banana Split is this good boozer. Although we didn't eat here, we were told the grub was excellent, but for me the beer fridge was my draw. Over a score of bottled beers await your palate, along with the regular Italian mass produced beers. We dropped anchor here a couple of times, during which we sampled K Birr Natavota Lager, 5.2%. Also from the same Italian brewery, we tried the Cuore Di Napoli APA, 6%. Another local brew was the Stimalti Sta TIPA, 5.5%.We also had the Belgian brewed Brouwerij Haacht Tongerlo Prior, 9%. Not a bad brew among them.
The Corner.
Only a ten minute walk away from our hotel base was this pub. We only managed one trip here, but it was well worth it. Italian and Belgium beers sit side by side in the fridge. We sampled 3 bottled beers in here, and all were good. These were Birra Antoniana Marechiaro, 5.2%, Browerij Huyghe Mongozo, 5%, and also Chimay Red, 7%. Another friendly bar with excellent staff.
Just a twenty minute walk away from the Piazza Tasso area, you will come along to the former fishing village of Marina Grande. The view out to sea is peacefully stunning, with the high cliffs rising up behind the , adorned with hotels and a spattering of restaurants, offering an interesting backdrop. There is a very relaxed atmosphere here, shielded from the busy heart of Sorrento. The bars and restaurants here are, mainly, part of the local fishermens' co-operative, and, from our impression, good food is the high on the agenda . We settled down here on our couple of visits at Taverna Azzura, mainly because it was near the selection of Birrificio Angelo Poretti taps. The beers sampled were all from this brewery. 4 Luppoli Lager, 5.5%, which had a good malt and hoppy balance, 7 Luppoli Floral (La Fiorita) 5.3%, elderflower, straw notes abound, and 8 Luppoli (Citrus Taste) 5.5% Saison style, which was tangy and zesty. All were served cold and, as they gradually warmed, imparted different depths of interesting notes.
A trip around the Almalfi Coast is a mainstay of any tourist's agenda, and we were no exception. We went by the service bus, which was interesting. We ended up packed in like sardines, the heat rising inside, as well as out, but it was an experience. We had a couple of hours in Amalfi before travelling back to Positano. Both are picture book towns, clinging on to the high terrain whilst still dangling their toes into the blue seawater. We didn't find any craft ales in the bars we passed by in Amalfi, although I had a cracking Limoncello Spritz, as we watched the people scurry by in the crowded main square from our quiet little haven. In Positano, after a stroll round the promenade area, we settled down at the beach-side at Hotel Montemare. In here we had Birrificio Sorrento Minerva Amber Ale, 6%. I found this one had a nice moderately sweet caramel opening with a balanced orange citrus bitterness at the finish.
We also managed to pick up a few beers from the local supermarkets in Sorrento. Among them we managed tastings of Birrificio Angelo Poretti (Carlsberg Italy) 3 Luppoli, 4.8%, a rather malty, but well balanced Pale Lager, Peroni (Asahi) Gran Riserva Rossa a Vienna style Lager, 5.2%, also the fruity, sweet malt brew, which was herbal in parts and gently spiced Mastri Birrai Cotta 37, 5.5%.
Three other beers we came across were also from the Heineken Italy stable. First up was Birra Moretti Baffo d'Oro (White Moustache), 4,8% followed by the 6.8% fruit, orange citrus and bread inspired Birra Moretti Gran Cru, and also Birrificio Di Assemini Ichnusa Non Filtrata, 5%. I found this one just a bit over sweet, with slight citrus and yeast notes at the back, but still quite drinkable.
Talking to some local drinkers, and tourists returning to the area, The Sorrentine Peninsular, it seems has had an awakening, in some bars at least, on the craft ale front over the last few years, with microbrewers popping up all over. It is available in quite a few bars, but you must still do your homework to find them. Is it worth digging them out? Well, on the whole, yes, there seems to be a good variety of most styles to have a look at. We did think the prices were a little on the high side, the cheapest bar prices for craft keg or craft bottles (usually 330ml) was upwards of 7 euros, but there again the usual popular Italian branded draft lagers were not a lot cheaper.
Porec, Croatia.
September 2018 saw us spend two weeks on the Istrian Riviera, staying in a self catering apartment on the Plava Laguna complex, surrounded by wooded parkland, just over a mile away from the picturesque historical town of Porec. With the relatively small tidal rise and fall of the Adriatic on the doorstep, and plentiful bays and inlets along the coast. the area has a lakeside feel to it. Along the walkways, through the trees, there are a number of restaurants and bars serving the neighbouring hotels and holiday apartments dotted about the lagoon.Porec, is easily reached by either the coastal path, the walkways through the parkland or the "Noddy Train". The tight streets lead to open squares and an abundance of eateries and drinking establishments. This is a good place to increase your waistline!
What of the beers, then? Well, as in most continental places, lagers are quite prominent, and we sampled most of the popular Croation ones during our period here. To be fair, they all stand up quite well to most other lagers from the Mediterranean region. The market leaders here are Ozujsko, brewed by Zagrebacka Pivovara (now owned by MolsonCoors ) 5%, which has a light malt start, some fresh grass notes before a medium bitter finish. Solid enough stuff really. Next on the list is the Heineken Hrvatska controlled Karlovacko, also 5%, which was sweet, lightly bitter and, although very refreshing, wasn't quite punchy enough for my taste. Favorit Pivo (Istarska Pivivaro) a pale lager of identical strength, was very much down the same route, thirst quenching but just a touch bland towards the finish. Others we came across were the 5.2% Istarsko Pivo (brewed by the obvious!) which had a few highlights of bread dough, but not much more, Pan Lager ( Carlsberg brewed) 4.8% which was light and watery, and the sweet, rather metallic tasting, Union, 4.8% and the Slovenian Lasko Zlatorog, (owned by Heineken and, as far as I can ascertain, brewed at the same brewery as Union) 4.9%. As I said, quite standard stuff. Things do get more interesting when you see some of the other beers on offer from these brewers. Some dark beers are available if you look. My favourite was one of Croatia's strongest commercially brewed beers, Tomislav Crno Pivo. This 7.3% medium sweet Baltic Porter styled brew (from the Ozujsko stable) with dark berry fruits at the opening, had some pleasing chocolate and coffee grounds hints coming through to make a good balanced finish. Ozujsko Rezano 5.9%, was another good one. This Dunkel style beer is a brewery mix of 60% Ozujsko Amber (which I failed to find) and 40% Tomislav. Both Karlovacko and Pan have dark beers too in Karlovacko Crno, 6% and Pan Tamni, 5.5%.
So, What of the Craft Ales? During our stay, we were quite lucky and managed to tick of a few Croatian Craft Ales quite easily. Not only did we find a few bars stocking a good selection of these brews, the supermarkets also carried a few AND our stay coincided with the annual Tuna Fish Festival, which not only had loads of street food on offer, along with free entertainment, but also boasted a Craft Ale pop-up bar. What follows is a list of the beers we managed to source during our stay, with just a brief description. I would say though that I never tasted a bad beer, and I was more than happy with my selections.
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| Bura Brew in The Beer Garden |
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| Gold, Always Believe In Your Soul. |
SUXO Brewery are in Pula and produce 4 beers. We managed to taste three of the range at the Tuna Festival. The Butcher 5.7% Red Ale had a good rounded malt and fruit body and a reasonably dry, slightly bitter finish. The Reaper Golden Ale, 6.2%, is quite sweet, backed by stone fruit and has a slightly acid tang in the finish. Dark Maid, 6%, was smooth, slightly creamy and had coffee and milk chocolate towards the finish.
Pivovara Daruvar brew many beers. Among them are the 5th Element beers.LELA, a Blonde Ale of 4.5%, an American Blonde Ale, 5.3% and an Imperial IPA, 7.5%, which we picked up from the local supermarket. We found them all quite sound.
Zmajska Pivovara, Brewery based in Zagreb, we tried 3 different beers in Porec, Zmajska Pale Ale, 5.3%, malty start with a dry and crisp citrus finish. Pozoj IPA, 7.3%, slight sweet tropical fruit over pine resin. Citrus finish. Porter, 6.5%, a very good mix of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee, very nice.
We also had 4 different brews from the excellent Garden Brewery, which were their Pale Ale,5.1%, Craft Pilsner, 4.5%, Citrus IPA, 7.2% and their lovely, velvety Stout, 5.7%, and beers from Hotel Golf (Varionica Pale Ale, 5.2%) Also sampled were the 4.5% Patak Pale Ale, from the Pivovara MBC, Slawoner, Pivovara Medimurski Lepi Decki MINA Brown Ale, 4.6% and Lepi Decki Kaj-El APA, weighing in at 5.2%. There were other a few other Croatian brews available too, alongside beers from Belgium, Austria, Germany and some from the neighbouring countries.
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| Beer Garden, from the Stage! |
For now, as we look to getting away again, I would just like to finish by saying :-
Cheers, and keep it Crafty
