Bratislava’s Microbreweries and Brewpubs
Bratislava is slowly becoming one of the best European beer cities. The Stein Brewery moved from the city in 2007, but since then more and more microbreweries and brewpubs have been popping up in Slovakia’s capital. Here’s a nice little beer crawl that I put together so you can enjoy the locally brewed beers of Bratislava.
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Posted in Drinking In Slovakia and tagged beer, bratislava, brewpub, microbrewery, pivo, slovakia by The Beermaster with 5 comments.
Slovak Beer Links
Below is a list of links that are relevant to Slovak beer. Many of them are in Slovak, but by using the web browser Google Chrome you can easily translate them automatically or click on [en] to have the site translated via Google Translate.
Posted in Drinking In Slovakia and tagged beer, info, links, news, slovakia by The Beermaster with no comments yet.
Slovak Beer Infographic
This infographic was created by the people over at DAtaVinci. They are a Slovak company that takes data and makes it look good by putting it into eye-catching infographics. Have a look at the beer one below it’s attractive and informative with information about the history of Slovak beer, the current production and consumption, general facts about beer, and the top brands of Slovak beer in 2012.
Posted in News and tagged beer, data, datavinci, facts, history, infographic, pivo, slovakia by The Beermaster with no comments yet.
A Guide to Drinking Beer in Slovakia
There are many good reasons to go to the Slovak Republic, but my favourite is the beer. It’s delicious and very reasonably priced. Pintprice.com has it costing an average of 0.91 Euros. That makes it the fourth cheapest place to drink beer in Europe (Ukraine is #1). If you’re looking for a place to have your bachelor or stag party, a weekend in Bratislava will give you everything you need to make a man rethink a commitment. But before you go, I recommend boning up on a little Slovak. Here’s what you’ll need to know.
Posted in Drinking In Slovakia and tagged bars, beer, guide, pivo, pubs, slovak, slovakia, stag, travel by The Beermaster with 2 comments.
Popper
Brewery: Pivovar Bytča
Popper is one of the oldest brands in Slovakia but also one of the smallest as far as production goes. Unlike many of the other breweries in Slovakia, it was never purchased by SABMiller or Heineken, so it hasn’t expanded like its competition, but its roots are strong and it shows in their beer. Since the brewery stopped producing Palatin 16% Tmavy (despite its numerous awards and favourable reviews), Popper is the brewery’s only brand. It’s named after the Popper family who owned the brewery for 100 years.
Beers
Popper Light 10%
Type: European pale lager ABV: 4%Popper’s light beer is made from Czech malt and hops. It’s golden in colour with a delicate hoppy aroma.
Reviews
Popper 12% Premium
Type: Bohemian pilsner ABV: 4.7%This beer is aged in a cellar for a long time, giving it a unique taste with a greater fullness and bitterness.
Reviews
Popper Tmavy 10%
Type: Tmavý ABV: 4.2%Popper’s dark beer has a delicious caramel flavour with a lower alcohol content. It is popular among Slovak women and has received awards by the Slovak Association of Historical Brewers.
Reviews
Posted in Beers and tagged beer, Bytca Brewery, pivo, popper, slovak, slovakia by The Beermaster with no comments yet.
Gemer
Brewery: Pivovar Hurbanovo
Type: Bohemian pilsner ABV: 4.3%
A traditional Slovak beer with the full flavour of malt. It’s named after the region in Slovakia where the beer was first produced. Production began in 1965 but the brewery was sold to Heineken and the Gemer brewery was closed. The beer is now brewed in Hurbanovo Brewery.
Reviews
Posted in Beers and tagged beer, gemer, hurbanovo brewery, pivo, slovak, slovakia by The Beermaster with no comments yet.
Martiner
Brewery: Pivovar Hurbanovo
Popular in the central part of Slovakia, Martiner was first brewed in 1894 in the town of Martin which, of course, is where it gets its name. In 2003 the brewery was bought by Heineken and production was moved to the Hurbanovo Brewery.
Beers
Martiner 12%
Type: Bohemian pilsner ABV: 4.6%In 2009 this beer was presented with a silver crown by the Slovak Association of Producers of Beer and Malt.
Reviews
Martiner 10%
Type: Bohemian pilsner ABV: 3.8%Martiner’s light beer is malt-y with a slight bitter taste. It’s surprisingly rich for a beer with such a low alcohol content.
Reviews
Posted in Beers and tagged beer, hurbanovo brewery, martiner, pivo, slovak, slovakia, slovensko by The Beermaster with no comments yet.
Corgoň
BREWERY: Pivovar Hurbanovo
The Nitra Brewery started producing beer in 1896. It was eventually made into a public company and the name was changed to Karšay Brewery. In 1992 they created the Corgon brand. Five years later, the company was bought by Heneiken which helped it modernize and expand. In 2007, the beer moved its production to Brewery Hurbanovo.
In English Corgoň means “champion”. This made it a natural sponsor for many sporting events including Slovakia’s national football/soccer league and basketball league.
Beers
Corgon 12% Lager
Type: Bohemian pilsner ABV: 4.8%Made from a special, high-quality hops, Corgon’s 12% is a beer for beer-lovers. It has a higher level of bitterness that is perfectly balanced.
Reviews
Corgon 10% Light
Type: Bohemian pilsner ABV: 4%A golden ale that’s just as delicious as it is refreshing. Hence, it’s one of the best-selling beers in Slovakia.
Reviews
Corgon 11% Dark
Type: Tmavy ABV: 4%This beer is now only available on tap. It’s a fantastic combination of pilsner, Munich malt, and caramel.
Reviews
- Rate Beer (note: these ratings are for the bottled version that they no longer make)
Corgon 4sladový
Type: Bohemian pilsner ABV: 4.6%Another Corgon beer exclusively available on tap. Sladový means malt and, you’ve guessed it, this beer is made from 4 different types of malt. It has a unique, full taste with a slight sweetness and a pleasant bitterness.
Reviews
Posted in Beers and tagged beer, Corgon, pivo, slovak, slovakia by The Beermaster with no comments yet.
Kelt
Brewery: Pivovar Hurbanovo
Type: Bohemian pilsner ABV: 4.2%
Slovakia’s Kelt beer (not to be confused with a Czech beer that goes by the same name), is produced by Brewery Hurbanovo which is owned by Heineken. They also make a 12% version but it is only available in bars or by the keg. The 10% version is available in the standard 500ml sized cans and bottles, but can also be purchased in a 2 litre plastic bottle.
Reviews
Posted in Beers and tagged beer, hurbanovo brewery, kelt, pivo, slovakia, slovensko by The Beermaster with no comments yet.
Zlatý Bažant
Brewery: Pivovar Hurbanovo
Also known as its English translation, “Golden Pheasant” this beer is Slovakia’s most popular beer. It’s the most exported Slovak beer and can be found in such countries as the USA, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldavia, and Kazakhstan. Over a million hectolitres are sold all over the world per year. In 2006, its 12% version was awarded the best beer in its category by the Slovak Union of Beer and Malt Producers.
Beers
Zlatý Bažant 10% Lager
Type: European pale lager ABV: 4.3%A soft aroma of hops and malt is followed up by an intense bitterness. The lower alcohol percentage makes it more refreshing than its 12% brother.
Reviews
Zlatý Bažant 12%
Type: Bohemian pilsner ABV: 5%With subtle hops and a moderate bitterness, Golden Pheasant’s 12% beer is the brands finest achievement and is the most widely available Slovak beer in the world.
Reviews
Zlatý Bažant 10% Tmavy
Type: Tmavy ABV: 3.8%Golden Pheasant’s dark beer is recognized by its sweet-ish caramel flavor and moderate bitterness. It is quite popular to cut it with a Zlaty Bazant’s 10% lager.
Reviews
Zlaty Bazant Wheat
Type: Wheat ABV: 4%Slovakia’s first (mass produced) wheat beer. Made with 50% wheat malt, 45% barley malt, and a hint of caramel malt. Like most wheat beers, it’s top fermented and unfiltered.
Reviews
I can’t find any reviews for this beer. Let me know how it is in the comments if you’ve tried it.
Zlaty Bazant Radlers
The brand also produces a lemon and a grapefruit radler. With only 2% alcohol, they are very light but refreshing and are produced with only natural ingredients.
Festival Beers
Zlaty Bazant also produces a number of seasonal beers available only during certain times of the year. They include:
- Zlaty Bazant Wheat Beer
- Zlaty Bazant Porter
- Zlaty Bazant Bock
- Zlaty Bazant Dark Ale Yeast
Posted in Beers and tagged beer, golden pheasant, hurbanovo brewery, pivo, slovak, slovakia, zlaty bazant by The Beermaster with no comments yet.