A Move Toward Craft Beer in Hungary

Like many countries in Europe, Hungary is currently in the midst of a beer revolution. Bland mass produced brews are being passed over in favor of of carefully crafted microbrews, bars serving only the best in Hungarian craft beers are popping up all over Budapest, and the city plays host to a twice yearly craft beer festival, which in June featured over 100 different beers from 38 Hungarian breweries. As craft brewing is now pretty well established in the United States, it has been interesting to watch the market develop in Europe. I was enjoying watching the craft beer trend grow in the UK and I was excited to see what Hungary had to offer.

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Luckily for me, the people over at Taste Hungary run a Craft Beer Walk. This 3 hour tour covering 3 bars in the Pest side of the city would be the perfect crash course in Hungarian craft beer.

I met Zsolt, our guide and local beer blogger, and the rest of the group at 6 pm in central Pest. He gave us a quick run down of what the night would entail and then we headed off to our first stop. Instead of starting with one of Hungary’s craft creations, we actually began our tasting with Arany Aszok, one of the country’s mass produced lagers, at a tiny local pub. Why would we waste our time drinking something you can find in every bar and restaurant in Hungary? So we could compare the old brewing tradition with the new.

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After a few sips of the macrobrew (which, honestly, was a hell of a lot better than Budwesier or Miller), we moved on to some of the more modern offerings. Our group of four Americans started to get to know each other by chatting about our favorite beers back home and our lives as long term travelers and expats. While the beer on the tour was good, the small size of the group was my favorite aspect. It made it feel more like a night out and less like an organized tour.

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Moving on, our second stop was Piritós Pub, a bar that serves beers from Kaltenecker, a craft brewery in nearby Slovakia. With a slightly more established craft beer scene than Hungary, Slovakia’s Kaltenecker is an example of how good Central European craft brewing can be.

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Our last stop, Szimpla Cafe, was my favorite of the night. The sister pub to the infamous ruin bar of a similar name, this tiny cafe has the character and ambience of a ruin bar but in a smaller setting. And they serve amazing microbrews! What more could you want?

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We grabbed a spot on the small upper level and Zsolt brought us a tray with a variety of Hungary’s best craft brews to try. While there were a couple of seriously good IPAs, my favorite find was the Legenda Olaszházi Bitumen Imperial Stout made with chilis. The richness of the stout perfectly offset the spiciness of the chili. It’s so popular that when I tried to buy a bottle to take home it was completely sold out!

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After a discussion about Hungary’s unwillingness to adopt the euro and the future of craft brewing in Hungary, my tour mates and I said goodbye to Zsolt and headed out, slightly buzzed, to explore more of Budapest’s nightlife.

Taste Hungary offers this tour from 6pm on weekdays and anytime on the weekend year round. The cost is 17,000 HUF (US$77) per person.

Disclaimer: Taste Hungary offered me a complimentary tour. As always, all opinions are my own.

Do you like craft beer? Have you ever gone on a beer tasting tour?

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