Around the World in Beers: Bratislava and Budapest

The Danube River region has a long history of brewing beer, and given their proximity to Czechia, which holds the record for per capita beer consumption, beer is a big part of the culture in the countries of Slovakia and Hungary. I visited the capital cities of Bratislava and Budapest, and tried a few regional beers in both cities.

Bratislava

Pivovar Shenk

I was thrilled to find a craft brewery right in the heart of Old Town Bratislava. Pivovar Shenk is located on Námestie SNP in Old Market Hall, with sidewalk seating and an eclectic taproom. It’s a family-owned craft brewery serving a variety of unfiltered and unpasteurized beers. It was a great spot to hang out and have a few beers. I started with Eddy 12°, their 5.2% Berliner Weisse, which was sour, fruity, and cloudy. I then enjoyed their 5% Ursula oatmeal stout, dark and malty with coffee notes.

Bratislava Flagship Restaurant’s Monastic Brewery

Bratislava Flagship Restaurant is located in Old Town in a beautiful Baroque complex on Námestie SNP that is owned by the Monastery of the Merciful Brothers, who ran a monastery, church, and hospital at the site starting in 1722. The restaurant is an essential place to go when you are visiting Bratislava if you are looking to get a taste of traditional Slovakian dishes.

The monastery includes a brewery which began producing beer in 2015. The brew team includes Ivan Chramosil, one of the longest serving brew masters of Czechia, and Roman Kozák, a well-known Slovakian brewer. With my dinner, I tried both of their flagship brews, the Kláštorný ležiak 11° pilsner and Kláštorný ležiak tmavý 11° dark lager. Both were excellent!

Budapest

For Sale Pub

For Sale Pub located in downtown Budapest right across the street from Central Market Hall is a must visit pub. It’s has a dive bar feel, and is covered top to bottom in messages, drawings, and business cards pinned to the wall by patrons. The floor is covered in straw and shells from the bottomless bowls of peanuts provided complimentary at each table. It’s a great place to get a hearty bowl of traditional Hungarian goulash, and I also enjoyed their own light and refreshing 4.5% For Sale Pale Ale while listening to live music.

MONYO Brewing Company beers at Szimpla Kert

One of the trends in Budapest nightlife is ruin bars, built in old abandoned spaces primarily in the old Jewish Quarter of town. I went to Szimpla Kert, one of the most popular ruin bars, which has various quirky spaces to enjoy your beverage of choice. On tap they had some local craft beers, and I tried two from MONYO Brewing Company, a brewery founded in 2014 in Budapest as one of Hungary’s first new-wave breweries. The first beer of theirs that I tried was the Flying Rabbit, a 6.5% IPA brewed with Citra and Centennial hops that is one of the most well-known Hungarian craft IPAs. The IPA was tropical and fruity with plenty of hop flavor. I then tried Cherry Hero, a lighter 4.3% cherry beer that was deep red in color and packed with sweetness and juicy cherry flavor. I’m not usually a big cherry person but greatly enjoyed this one.

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I’m sure I have plenty more still to try in Slovakia and Hungary but loved the beers I tried so far in the Danube River region!