Just a short report from our week-long jaunt to Bucharest. Not a lot to see there tourist-wise (unless you like large unmaintained ex-Soviet buildings), so I’ve just done a concise beer report on the various bars visited.
The map shows the locations of the places we sampled. There were more to-do’s on my list, but due to opening hours and travel distances they got missed so I haven’t included them on the map.
Our stay was bang in the middle of the city, courtesy of AirBnB. Although the location could be fairly noisy throughout the night, it never bothered us, thanks to efficient double-glazing. The place was clean, conveniently situated and spectacular value for money!
Hop Hooligans – Shock Therapy V59 6.5% (can) NEIPA [4.0]
A typical-looking industrial style bar, serving as a taproom for Zăganu beers, but also offering a decent if uninspiring range of other brewery beers. Reasonably priced tapas-style bar snacks available. Very good service.
Standard craft fayre in familiar surroundings at Zăganu.
Ground Zero TaproomPiata Universitatii, Strada Toma Caragiu 3, București 030042
Ground Zero – Imperial Fuck 9.0% DIPA [3.75]
Ground Zero – Split the Pot 7.0% NIPA [3.5]
Another built-by-numbers establishment, again serving as a taproom for their out-of-town brewery and selling their own beers exclusively. The place was a bit spartan, to say the least, and the boss had a tendency to ‘hover’ constantly trying to tell us how good his beers were!
Spartan surroundings but OK beer at Ground Zero.
Delta BeerSplaiul Independenței 2J, București 030167
Clandestin X Voodoo (Slovakia) – Non Perignon 7.7% DNEIPA (can) [3.75]
This place had only been open for a few months on my visit. I was the only one in early-evening and had the barkeep’s full attention until an attractive Dutch dollybird came in on her own and I was was abandoned. Ah, well! Great addition the Bucharest craft scene, offering a decent selection on tap and from the fridge, including some hard-to-find Mad Lads beers. I hope they can build their audience up, or I fear this one won’t survive. Visit it while you can!
Billy Nomates at Delta.
Date: 10/07/25
Venue – Beer(s) Sampled – Notes:
Zeppelin PubStrada Marin Serghiescu 7, București 030167
Wicked Barrel X Blackout – √2 6.0% NEIPA (can) [4.0]
Wicked Barrel – Jaw Drop 6.3% NEIPA 9can) [3.75]
We walked for miles around backstreets in high 30’s heat to find this one, but it was worth the hike. The bar and indoor area resembled a Belgian bar and it had a nice (mostly) shaded outdoor drinking area. Drinks could either be ordered at the bar conventionally or through an app and delivered to your table. A modest but quality selection of craft beer available.
Bar area at the Zeppelin Pub.
Hop Hooligans TaproomStr. Jean Louis Calderon 49, București 030167
Hop Hooligans – Progressive Overload: Kveik TDH 8.0% DIPA [3.75]
Another establishment serving as a taproom for their out of town brewery. This time housed in a magnificent old building with real character. Limited drinking space outside and a resident food truck selling reasonably priced but quality burgers and such. Apparently it’s pot luck whether your get surly or friendly staff. Guess which we got?
Hoop Hooligans – Great beer, surly service!
Date: 11/07/25
Venue – Beer(s) Sampled – Notes:
Ironic Taproom (Brewery) Strada Domnița Anastasia 4, București 075100
Ironic – Don’t Feed the Cat 5.5% NEIPA [3.5]
We popped into this place to kill time before the bar next door opened – and for respite from the baking afternoon sun. A somewhat run-down, faceless industrial-looking bar with honestly little to commend. The beer was passable. The only place we visited that brewed on-site.
I’d been told by several people what a gem this was, and it didn’t disappoint! A true micropub, jointly run by One Two and Maktoob breweries, this place would comfortably hold, maybe, eight or ten customers. The very friendly and chatty barmaid told us she had fit thirty in there. Very intimate! Draft choices were, as to be expected, mainly from One Two and Maktoob, but a small selection of other brewery beers (including the ubiquitous Hop Hooligans) could be selected from the fridge. Don’t forget to do the ‘toilet tour’. An experience you won’t forget!
Lepton (Contract brewery) – Photon Fog 6.0% NEIPA (can) [3.75]
Hop Hooligans – Earth Is Not Flat 6.5% NEIPA (can) [3.75]
I enjoyed this place. It’s not in the most salubrious of locations, but a nicely laid out pub inside. The whole side of the pub opens up to the outside if you can’t get one of the pavement tables. A fairly comprehensive tap menu plus an extensive choice from the fridge. Great music and attentive staff. A winner in my books!
Maktoob – Sometimes You Have To Bite the Hand That Feeds You 6.3% NEIPA (can) [3.75]
Blackout – Double the Stupid Questions 8.0% DNEIPA (can) [3.75]
Beer o’Clock is situated a couple of corners away from Beer Station and right next door to Tap, so this area is Bucharest’s Craft Beer Central. A modern, well laid out bar with a great selection of craft beers as well as Belgian and other traditional fayre.
What’s the time? Beer o’Clock!
Date: 13/07/25
Venue – Beer(s) Sampled – Notes:
BOB George (Coffee Bar) Strada Lipscani 20, București 030036
Ultima – I See Dead Bunnies 5.0% NZIPA (can) [3.75]
Blackout – Aberații Standard 5.0% NEIPA (can) [3.75]
Hop Hooligans – Catleidoscope 6 8.0% DNEIPA (can) [4.0]
We had walked past this place several times and it had never been open. Recently reopened after a period of closure, it is joined to Beer o’Clock next door. In fact, you can walk between the two bars inside. Very knowledgeable barkeep talked me through the extensive menu. Wish I could’ve spent more time in here. Well recommended.
Great selection and service at Tap.
Bucharest is a fairly attractive and busy enough city, but if you want to do ‘touristy’ stuff, a two or three day stay will suffice. The bar and craft beer scene seems to be thriving, but in line with a lot of countries, Romania seem to be playing ‘catch-up’. That said, if you’re going on a drinking trip give yourself a leisurely four or five days. There were other beery places I would’ve liked to have explored but, taking my ‘tourist obligations’ into account, I didn’t have the time.
The numbers in brackets [ ] are my beer scores (out of 5). Find me on Untappd Some tinnies wot I have necked.
Budapest had been on my ‘to-do’ list for quite a while, and last June I finally got around to it. I made minimal preparation for the visit, just referring to a couple of YouTube videos and beery website links beforehand, so I intended to ad-lib and take it day-by-day, rather than plan it like an SAS operation.
Before I get into the report itself, here’s a little montage I made of the visit
…and a Google map I’d made earlier…
TUESDAY 20/06/23
Due to a delayed flight – quelle surprise (or should that be ‘micsoda meglepetés’)? – we didn’t reach our apartment until just gone 11 pm the previous evening, and we didn’t have the time (or energy) to go exploring then, so this was our first day of the holiday proper. Our AirBnB, though located bang in the middle (Pest side) of the city, was very quiet, due to being part of a courtyard complex located behind two hefty, locked steel doors to keep the rabble out (or in). Although basic, it was clean, comfortable and excellent value for money.
We ventured out onto the streets and just headed somewhere at random. In less than 20 minutes we were beside the River Danube and the magnificent Hungarian Government Building. After a couple of hours of strolling, I had worked up a thirst, so it was time for the first beer of the holiday. A quick referral to Google maps showed me that the nearest bar was Madhouse – Anker köz 1-3, 1061, Budapest. This was an ex-BrewDog bar, now a brewpub run by Mad Scientist brewery.
For some reason, the staff were reluctant to let anyone near the bar, insisting that they take a seat and order from a QR code-scannable Untappd menu instead. From where I sat, it looked like there were 24 taps behind the counter. There appeared to be quite a diverse choice of brewing styles available, but only two took my fancy, namely: DDH Madhouse 5.5% NEIPA [3.5] which, despite its strength, was somewhat wishy-washy. This was followed by a small glass of All These Flavors And You Choose To Be Salty 10.7% TIPA [3.5], which really was more like a Belgian Dubbel than a TIPA.
Maaaad, I tell yer!
I forget why, but we had to return to base for some reason and on the way back, only two corners away from our flat, I saw another bar. Mental note – next stop! Beerpoint – 1077, Erzsébet krt. 30, 1073, Budapest was a typical corner pub with large screen TVs showing sports. It also had 18 taps, sporting a decent range of beers! I sampled two in here: First up, a Brew Your Mind – Yellow Haze 5.5% NEIPA [3.75] followed by a Fehér Nyúl – Mangdala 5.5% pastry sour [3.5].
Decent selection in Beerpoint.
I asked the guy behind the bar for other crafty recommendations in town, and the nearest was just a couple of hundred yards away, so we decided to make that the last stop of the day.
Hops – Wesselényi u. 13, 1077, Budapest was a proper craft microbar with a small frontage to the street and an oil barrel table with two stools outside on the pavement. This was marked up as ‘reserved’ so we took a seat inside. It seemed to have a pretty decent selection on draft and a couple of big can fridges, but when you looked a bit closer, they were all from a handful of brewers. I opted for a fridge beer in here and chose a can of Tempest (Scotland) – Luminous Spaces 6.0% APA [3.75]. We took our seats inside and the barman duly made his way past us and sat at the aforementioned ‘reserved’ table outside! Know your place, you lowly punters!
Hops – a proper craft bar.
It had been a long, hot day so we decided to call time and made the short walk back to our pit. The guy at Beerpoint had given me some more recommendations, and we would be trying them all over the next few days.
Tuesday’s route.
WEDNESDAY 21/06/23
Today started much the same as yesterday – we just set off on foot, mid-morning, with no planned itinerary. We ended up by the Parliament Building again and decided to cross the Margit (Margaret) Bridge to the Buda part of the city. This side of the Danube is much less hectic and, many may argue (with good reason), more scenic than its Pest counterpart. There’s no doubt that it is less busy than the main city (apart from the tourist traps) and we found some lovely green spaces to sit to rest and shelter from the heat of the sun on our long way up to the hill to the Castle District.
After a sweltering nine-mile hike I thought I’d done enough to earn a beer! Mrs Belvoir happily agreed, and in a few minutes we were at Csakajósör (which translates to Onlygoodbeer) – Kertész utca 42-44, Budapest. This is basically a dingy side-street bottle shop (we hesitated before entering because we thought it was closed), with a couple of sit-in formica tables for worn-out old geezers like us. A very modest draft selection of six beers, but an absolute wealth of bottled and canned goodies filled every part of the available wall space. to the left was a double fridge, dedicated to Hungarian breweries only. The rest of the place had brews from all over the world, including some canned bangers from the likes of Hudson Valley and Other Half from the USA. Priced at an eye-watering €17 a pop though, I decided to go for something a bit more local!
Spectacular selection at Onlygoodbeer.
I chose one draft and one canned beer. The first (on tap) was Dealbreaker – Noise Trade 7.7% DNEIPA [3.5], a Hungarian contract or ‘ghost’ brewery. Although they have a website (well, a Facebook page at least), I couldn’t find where it was actually brewed. It wasn’t too bad though. Second up was a can from Geman brewer BrewHeart – Conversations With Blueberry More 5.5% Pastry sour [3.5]. Again, pretty middle of the road, but tasty enough.
I really loved this place despite its appearance and location. Quite a few punters came in for bottles and cans whilst we were there, and it seemed like they were doing good trade, even on a quiet weekday afternoon.
Suitably refreshed, we decided to start the long walk back to our side of the river and take another couple of pubs in on the way back to base. En route, we walked past Kandalló Kézműves – Kertesz u 33, Budapest. It looked interesting enough to backtrack and have a look inside. Sho nuff, they had a pretty good array of taps and the nosh smelled good so we decided to make a pit stop. 20 taps to choose from but time for only the one. I plumped for a Yeast Side – Side of World – New Zealand 6.0% NEIPA [3.75] which was very palatable. We sat at the open front of the pub and enjoyed the evening sun whilst we waited for our food to be served. The pulled pork bun that arrived was equally delicious. Well recommended.
Good beer and nosh at Kandalló.
I was totally stuffed from the pork burger at Kandalló so had to literally waddle to our last venue of the day which, thankfully, was en route home. Hopaholic – Akácfa u. 3, Budapest is another dedicated geek craft microbar, with an unassuming frontage on one of the city’s busier side streets. This was actually the busiest bar we’d visited so far. On entering, there were seating areas to the left and right of the bar, with another area upstairs directly over the bar. I could imagine this place buzzing later on in the evening.
A choice of a dozen or so taps here, but I went for a Gamma (Denmark) – Unrelenting Highs 8.0% DIPA [4.0]. Ironically the best beer I’d had so far in Hungary!
Hopoholic – pure craft geekery.
And so to bed. It had been a long day and I certainly was ready for some kip. That was ruined when I was woken up by what I thought were lorries rumbling down our road. Through my eyelids, which seemed stuck to my eyeballs, flashes of light told me it was a thunderstorm. And it was a storm I’ve not seen the likes of since our visit to Phoenix. The thunderclaps were so frequent that they merged into one another relentlessly for over half an hour, and it was quite an experience! Thankfully it all subsided soon enough, and we were able to get that well-earned kip.
Wednesday’s route.
THURSDAY 22/06/23
The next morning’s air was somewhat fresher than the claminess of the day before. It didn’t last though, and by midday, the temperature was already nearing the thirties. We liked what we saw the previous day and had already decided to cross the river again to explore Margitsziget (Margaret Island) and visit the ancient Roman site of Aquincum.
Margaret Island splits the Danube in two for about 1.6 miles, just to the north of the city. It is a beautiful green space comprising of parks, a musical fountain (or two), Japanese and rose gardens, a mini-zoo, a Medieval monastery and other ruins, plus other stuff that will easily keep you occupied for half a day or more, most of the attractions being free of charge. It is a wonderful, well-kept, green, peaceful, and understandably popular park that other cities should be envious of.
Having spent a pleasant three or four hours exploring the island, we continued the walk north for a further two hours, following the tram line (I recommend you take this, rather than walk!) to the archaeological site of Aquincum, a Roman ruin dating back to the year AD41. The entry fee was a very reasonable HUF2,200 – about £5.15 for both of us (don’t forget to ask for your senior discount!) and another interesting couple of hours were spent looking around the site and adjoining (thankfully air-conditioned) museum. It was mid-afternoon by this time, so decided it was beer o’clock.
We retraced our steps and after a short(ish) walk arrived at Mad Garden Buda – Miklós tér 1, 1033, Budapest. This is a render-walled garden on the edge of a housing estate with pop-up beer and food units. The entrance is a gate in the wall with a small sign above that you could easily miss. We did – twice! It’s run by Mad Scientist brewery which also has the Madhouse back in the city that we visited on our first day.
Mad Garden!
We arrived just at opening time and despite there being only one other couple there, most of the numerous tables had ‘reserved’ signs on them, so I suspect this place got really busy later on. We snaffled one of the reserved tables anyway and I ordered one of each Quantum Flavourdynamics 8.3% Fruited IPA [3.75] and Szilvás Gombóc 10% Plum dumpling imperial pastry gose [3.75]. Both were enjoyable enough, but I had the impression (so far) that the Hungarians haven’t yet quite grasped the concept of ‘craft’ beer.
I didn’t realise until I looked at Google maps that we’d walked over nine miles already and we were both knackered, mainly due to the stifling heat, so we ordered a Bolt (Uber don’t operate in Budapest) taxi to our next destination.
20 minutes and six miles later we arrived at KEG Sörművház – Orlay u. 1, 1114, Budapest, another recommendation from the geezer in Beerpoint and what a winner this was. Steps from the street led down to a long, vaulted underground bar reminiscent of some of the Belgian bars and German beer halls, and what a gem for the craft beer drinker! It was only 6 pm and the place was heaving already and looking at the menu – 32 taps available – I could tell why!
I had two in here: Zichovec (Czech Rep) – Nectar of Happiness 17 7.0% NEIPA [4.0] and a UGAR – Trailer #014 – Summer Juice 6.8% NEIPA [4.0]. Both hit the spot and went down a treat with the delicious food we ordered. Another big thumbs-up from me!
Triffic selection at KEG!
We were still on the ‘wrong’ side of the river and a couple of miles from our digs so decided to have a slow walk home in the evening sun and call it a wrap. It had been a lovely day out and one that will remember for a long time.
Thursday’s route.
FRIDAY 23/06/23
Today we walked to the Great Market Hall, a huge indoor market selling everything from kippers to slippers. The place was extremely busy with local shoppers and tourists alike. What an amazing place! Our second stop was the Hungarian National Museum. We tried to negotiate our old codger’s discount on the entry price, but the woman behind the counter was having none of it! If you like fusty-smelling uniforms and faded pictures of ex-statesmen, then I suppose the entry fee of HUF5,880 (£13.60) was good value. Anyhoos, it killed time until the bars opened!
The first pub of the day was Bölcső – Zenta u. 3, 1111, Budapest. This was another underground bar, but rather dingy with none of the character of KEG, visited the day before. The beer choice was somewhat lacklustre too, with only the Mad Scientist – Trashman 5.3% NEIPA [3.25] taking my fancy. Rather than sit in the gloom of the bar, we elected to sit at one of the pavement tables under the shade of the large parasols. It was hot, hot, hot and it felt like another storm was in the air.
Bölcső -Not really worth the effort.
The next stop was a three-mile walk and was one of the original ‘ruin pubs’ and quite possibly the first to start the craft scene off in the Hungarian capital. ‘Ruin pubs’, or bars, were originally dilapidated buildings bought by budding entrepreneurs who added some tables and chairs, served cold beer, and called them bars. Initially low-cost venues, they have, over the years, become trendy and somewhat touristy.
Élesztő – Tűzoltó u. 22, 1094, Budapest is probably the best known ‘craft’ ruin pub. It is gloriously run-down and dirty. You certainly wouldn’t take your mother-in-law there. This afternoon some death metal was cranking out of the speakers, and I was in my element! 20 beers on tap available, from which I sampled two: Horizont – Hazy Queen 6.0% NEIPA [3.75] and First Craft – Blueberry Ale 4.5% Fruit beer [3.75]. I’m happy to say I’ve been to Élesztő, but it’s not a place that I would frequent regularly if I were a local.
Death metal and dingy atmos at Élesztő.
Our third stop of the day was the brewpub Gravity – Lónyay u. 22, 1093, Budapest. Another basement bar with a blink-and-you-miss-it entrance (we did – twice – and had to double back), it couldn’t have been a bigger contrast to the murkiness of Élesztő! This place was spotlessly clean and the bar was light and airy, despite its small size and being underground.
The bar took up the length of the room to one side and in one of the opposite corners, the brew kit was visible through glass doors. Gawd knows how they got all that equipment down there! This looked promising! 12 taps here, all serving their own beers. Expectantly, I ordered two: Prototype: Citra Hazy 6.3% NEIPA [3.75] and Equinox – Spring Sour 4.2% Fruited gose [3.75]. Both were delicious and I’m happy to report that these guys have really nailed the craft beer thing! Perhaps they should be giving the others some tips?
Great beer and vibe at Gravity.
Our fourth, and final stop. of the day was another brewpub we’d spotted a couple of days previously when it was closed. It was on the way back to the AirBnB, so it made sense to pop in whilst passing.
Craft Head – Rákóczi út 29, 1088, Budapest, is a large, pretty corporate-looking affair occupying the entire corner of a city-centre building. It felt like it was trying to cater to more up-market clientele, rather than this common English slob – the large seating area had earlier been reserved for a wedding party and the pub closed to plebs until 6 pm. The bar had a row of 24 taps, but none of the Craft Head beers took my fancy, so I went for a Maltgarden (Poland) – Perfect For Everyday 5.5 Pastry sour [3.75]. It went down with the fancy food we had. I know it was fancy because the chips and salad were served on a slate.
Corporate feel at Craft Head.
That was another day done. The expected storm never materialised and it was another sticky night’s slumber.
Friday’s route.
SATURDAY 24/06/23
We had seen several dozens of Harley-Davidson motorcycles around the streets of the city over the last couple of days but not thought twice about it, until the driver of yesterday’s Bolt taxi asked us if we were in town for ‘the convention’. When we enquired as to the purpose of ‘the convention’, he told us it was HD120 – the 120th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson, with, it was claimed, tens of thousands of Harleys taking part in the parade. I have no reason to dispute that claim, as the roads were absolutely full of them being ridden up and down by their peacock-strutting, ageing-rocker owners, and the entire city was overwhelmed by the distinctive, rumbling Harley engine sound. Which is great if you’re a motorbike enthusiast. Less so if you’re a grumpy old twat like me.
We decided to try and get away from the noise and took a walk through the City Park. No such luck! There were hundreds of them there, spoiling the pleasant, if a bit run down, green space. We had a quick nose around the pop-up Asian market which had laid its stalls out on the green and walked around the small (partly dried-up) lake and the Medieval buildings, but the noise was just too distracting. So, ahead of schedule, we sought refuge in a pub (I wasn’t complaining).
Our first stop was another brewpub: Rizmajer Sörház – József krt. 14, 1085, Budapest. The choice of beer styles was pretty underwhelming here and, against my better judgment, I went for their Fekete Cherry 5.5% Cherry porter [2.5]. I wish I hadn’t bothered it was just like Vimto, with no hint of the 5.5% alcohol that it claimed. I had no desire to try any of the others so we were out of there!
Rizmajer – Average would be being polite!
The next stop was at the different end of the spectrum! A chance find we just happened to walk past, Beerselection – József krt. 22-24, 1085, Budapest was more of an off-license than a bar, although it did have plenty of seating, both inside and out on the pavement, plus a little balcony area upstairs overlooking the bar. It had a selection from four taps on the small serving counter, but also no less than 26 bays of refrigerated goodies from all over Europe.
The chap behind the counter seemed impatient for me to make a choice, but when I asked him for advice – “I know everything about beer” he told me – he opened up and became quite chatty. I finally went for a can from a Polish brewery I hadn’t heard of before: Magic Road – Beauty – Mango, Pineapple, Banana & Coconut 6.5% Pastry sour [4.0]. I believe this is a contract brewery based in Warsaw but couldn’t find any more information. Anyone who knows, please comment below (Gazza Prescott?). I didn’t really care – it was a belter!
A belter from Beerselection.
We had already planned to eat that evening at Gringo Amigos ‘Mexican Food Factory’ so we slowly made our way back, not missing the fact that the route took us past Levendula ice cream parlour (brownie points earned from Mrs Belvoir). We also ‘happened’ upon another ‘ruin pub’, the aptly named Ruin Brew – Akácfa u. 54-56, 1073, Budapest. This was also a brewpub, so as I’d just earned my points for the day I thought we’d pop in and sample a couple. My choices were their New England IPA 7.8% NEIPA [3.25] and Lime Gose 4.5% Fruited gose [3.5]. Both beers were pretty average, truth be told, but the place was buzzing with people and there was an open mic session in, er, session. We sat by the open windows and spent a pleasant hour or so.
Great vibe in Ruin Brew.
We finally reached Gringo Amigos a bit later than planned and had to wait for a seat, but it was worth the wait! This is a make-your-own, mix-n-match place. Basically, take a tray, join the line and just point at what bread/meat/bean/salad/rice combo you fancy. Amazing place! The wrapped meals were so heavy that I almost had to request a wheelbarrow to get them from the counter to the table. Delicious, great quality food and friendly service. Totally recommended.
I was so stuffed after eating my burrito that I couldn’t have drunk another beer, even if I’d wanted one, so it was off back to the apartment for a bit of a lie-down!
Saturday’s route
SUNDAY 25/06/23
This was our final full day in Budapest so I wanted to visit one of the last recommendations that the geezer from Beerpoint gave me. Hetedik Lépcső – Rákóczi út 13, 1088, Budapest is a rather bland and soulless bar (apart from the unexplainable presence of a giant stuffed mole) with a modest draft selection from eight taps, but they did have an interesting selection of cans and bottles in fridge adjacent to the bar.
The first, a beer from the bar, Chroust (Czech) – Exotic Fruit Salad 2 5.4% Fruited sour [3.5] was disappointingly average so I decided to dip into the fridge. First up, another Czech brewer: Zichovek – Love Is In the Air 7.0% NEIPA [4.0]. I’ve only just discovered these guys, but they are rapidly becoming one of my favourite European brewers and everything I’ve had from them so far has been superb.
The second can, a collaboration brew between Piggy (France) and Sibeeria (Czech). Collab Piggy X Sibeeria 9.5% TNEIPA [4.0] was another banger! So, despite my initial impressions, Hetedik was absolutely worth finding!
Hetedik – Not sure what the mole was about!
We wanted to cross the river one last time. I Googled ‘craft bars’ and Ganz Söröző – Ganz u. 6, 1027, Budapest showed up as a short walk from the Buda side of Margaret Bridge. This place was a true micropub, three or four steps down led to a small room consisting of a small bar serving (as far as I could make out) just one single beer on tap. Inside seating was limited to two stools at the bar, the rest being outside on the cobbled forecourt. All the furniture looked forlorn and the place seemed very run-down in general. It did have a certain charm, however, and appeared to be doing a decent trade. We arrived there around tea time and the sun had lost much of its sting, so we sat outside at one of the rickety tables.
Despite the bar’s small size, they’d managed to lever in two single fridges and due to the lack of draft offerings, I had a rummage through them. There were cans from a couple of breweries that I hadn’t heard of so I tried one of each. hübris – müggy 4.2% fruit beer [3.0] and a Reketye – Limeberry Twist 6.0% Pastry sour [3.5]. Both were exceedingly average and nothing to write about, but despite the dilapidation and lack of quality beer here, it was still a nice place to just sit and kill an hour or so.
Ganz – a true micropub.
And with that, our Budapest break was all but over. We took a slow walk back to the AirBnB (stopping at Gelarto Rosa for ice cream, of course) taking home a shedload of wings from the Hot Wing Factory for supper.
Sunday’s route
MONDAY 26/06/23
Our flight home wasn’t until early evening so we thought we’d find somewhere near the airport shuttle bus stop to stow our bags and have a leisurely stroll around to kill a few hours. We found, of all unlikely places, a Chinese restaurant, that took BOTH our bags for the grand sum of six Euros. It probably costs that per hour in London! As you can see from the route map below, we had a fairly long stroll – 15 miles to be precise!
We rewarded ourselves back in the city centre with a chimney cake (well, we’d pre-burnt the calories hadn’t we?) and even had time to pop back to Hops Bar – Wesselényi u. 13, 1077, Budapest – the only place we visited twice. We spent the last hour or so there, in which time I tried two cans: Tempest (Scotland) – Long White Cloud NZ 5.4% Pale [3.5] and an appropriately named Dugges (Sweden) – Jet Set 8.0% DIPA [4.0]. The perfect end to a wonderful week!
Monday’s route
Budapest is a beautiful city, full of culture, history, fantastic architecture, green spaces and, of course, some fantastic bars, even if most of the Hungarian brewers (the ones I sampled at least) haven’t quite cracked the craft beer thing yet. But it’s not all about the beer (Mrs Belevoir tells me constantly) and Budapest is a perfect getaway destination. If anything, a week’s stay was perhaps a little too long, but that’s how our flights fell. And that extra few days allowed us to explore the place at a much more leisurely pace.
The numbers in brackets [ ] are my beer scores (out of 5). Find me on Untappd Some tinnies wot I have necked. And some further pics from Budapest below.
A great afternoon spent in the Elbow Room @elbowroomalehouse in Hinckley yesterday, attending their ‘Renewal Fest’. Friendly owner, knowledgable barkeeps, awesome homemade scotch eggs and free jelly beans. Oh, and the beers weren’t half bad either!
A mega beer list from some stunning US breweries, including Beer Tree, Branch & Blade and Mortalis.
7. Great Notion – Blueberry Muffin 6.0% (Fruit sour) Can
8. Great Notion – JB 8.2% (Double NEIPA) Can
Beer of the day – Beer TreeMosaic Sunset. Three new breweries added to my list, namely Beer Tree, Drowned Lands and Froth. Was it expensive? Certainly. Was it worth the money? Hell yeah!
We made the 186-mile journey from Lisbon to Porto by coach for an insanely cheap price of 11 Euros each. The journey was comfy enough and took in some lovely scenery along the route, although the large, loud woman in front was taking constant calls on speaker phone and the girl across the aisle was jabbing her mobile for the entire four-hour ride, save for preparing a rolly at the one ‘comfort’ stop we took. I felt like snatching her phone off her and chucking it out of the window. Kids, eh?
Upon arrival in Porto, we decided to Uber straight to the AirBnB, rather than fart about negotiating the public transport only to end up miles away again, which could be my speciality subject on Mastermind. Again, we found our digs to be a good distance (seven miles) out of the main town in the Matosinhos district. The tram route was, once more, right outside our accommodation. Thankfully, due to the thickness of the stone walls and the depth of the building, this time the trams rolled by unheard from our room.
We dropped the bags and had a quick freshen up, and then it was off to explore. After half-sussing the tram tickets (the system must have been devised by a committee of mathematicians or sadists, or maybe a select combo of each), we boarded the tram… and a half-hour later got off at completely the wrong stop! A short exploratory wander around some dodgy-looking side streets told us we were in the wrong district and as it was getting dark we decided to eat. We found a local restaurant that looked popular with the locals and ordered some tapas, which included my first taste of chicken gizzards, and jolly nice they were too. I had a glass of the ubiquitous Super Bock which tasted like your Nana’s wee-wee, but it’s all they had. A google search revealed we weren’t too far from the Brewpub Fabrica NortadaR. de Sá da Bandeira 210, 4000-427 Porto.
Tank beer at Fabrica Nortada.
Immediately upon entering, it was obvious that the place was busy with diners, rather than beer drinkers, and the unimaginative beer menu reflected that. After some deliberation on whether to walk out or not, I opted for an India Pale Ale 6.0%, which was a wishy-washy excuse of the style. I struggled to finish it and we were about to leave, when the chap sat behind us struck up a conversation so, to be polite I stayed for another. This time a 5.3% Weisse Beer, not one of my favourite styles and obviously not of the brewer’s either. The chap turned out to be a Brazilian-American from New York who had sold his hostel business in the States and emigrated to Portugal to attempt to start up a similar business in Porto. I managed to finish the beer and wished him well for his new venture. Time for bed said Zebedee.
Saturday’s route.
SUNDAY 26/6/22
After consulting the signage at the tram stops, ticket office, tourist information, Lonely Planet guide and google reviews, I finally worked out how the tram tickets worked – only I didn’t, ‘cos I paid too much for the zones we were travelling to/through/in – and we were off for the first day in Porto proper. This time we alighted the tram at a more suitable stop and walked through the main town on our way to the picture-card pretty and touristy Av. Gustavo Eiffel, the main walk along the Douro Riverside which is lined with eateries and trinket stalls, whilst hoards of tourists browse and stand watching the various buskers and street entertainers. It was a lovely atmosphere and actually not too busy.
Wanting to get away from the main tourist hotspots for something to eat, we wandered to the far end of the Avenue we encountered a paved ramp. The Calçada das Carquejeiras takes you to the upper level of the town via a 28% incline. For some inexplicable reason, we decided to make the climb. Halfway up, gasping for breath, we encountered a lady, accompanied by an Al Capone lookalike on her arm, making the descent in killer five-inch heels. I felt like a right amateur. I bet I was a far better beer drinker than her, though.
Pollo with the locals.
At the top, we found a large, make-shift tented eating place, obviously hugely popular with locals and exuding a marvellous meld of garlic and barbeque smells. After regaining composure and breath, we decided to stop for something to eat, so we joined the queue to get in and after a short wait we were shown to a table. There was no written menu and the waiter had no English, but after some translation help from the chap on the table beside us we ordered (we thought) pork for me and grilled fish for Mrs Belvoir.
Ten minutes later we had a colossal plate of barbequed chicken and enough chips to keep the average MacDonalds open for a week. Great food and astounding value for money – always look where the locals eat, rather than use the tourist areas. The place afforded great views over the Douro River Valley and it was a magnificent accidental find. We enjoyed the food (and another glass of Nana’s wee-wee), taking in the sights and atmosphere. The place didn’t have a google or Facebook entry (I suppose because it was only temporary/seasonal) so I can’t give you an actual address, other than ‘at the top of the ramp’.
Full to bursting, we exercised it off by walking through town, back towards the Ponte Luiz I, the iconic bridge that spans the Douro River. To the left on the approach to the bridge was our first beer stop. CAL Craft BeersAv. Vimara Peres 56, 4000-544 Porto. A strange little place inside, that didn’t seem to know whether it wanted to be a restaurant or a bar. They had, if I remember correctly, four taps behind the small bar, all serving ‘CAL‘-branded beers. I managed to coax out of the miserable bloke behind the counter (who seemed to be pre-occupied with keeping people out of the toilet) that these were all brewed by Post Scriptum brewery, although due to the small size of the place, I really couldn’t imagine these beers being exclusive to CAL. I suspect they were just rebadges.
Hipster beer outside the CAL.
I had a rummage in the fridge and selected another Post Sriptum beer: Cryo Hoperation 2nd Edition, a 7.2% NEIPA which was totally hip (thanks Gazza) and fab. We sat outside on the busy pedestrianised walkway people-watching for a couple of hours, during which I had another can from the fridge, this time a Dois Corvos X Brewfist (Italy) collab – Scigoli Lingua Double NEIPA at 8.0%. Stupendous! We tried to revisit this place several times over the next few days, but despite its superb location and hundreds of people passing by constantly, we never found it open again. Along with the fact they don’t seem to have a web presence or Facebook page makes me doubtful it will be around for long. I hope I’m wrong.
Next on the list was Armazém da CervejaR. Formosa 130, 4000-254 Porto. Another specialist bar with a very ordinary shop-looking frontage, but once in you immediately realise that this place knows what it’s good at! As well as the 12 beers on tap, there was a shed-load of cans and bottles in the cold room behind the bar, visible through a window. From the taps, I chose a Fuerst Wiacek (Germany) – Jejune, a luscious 6.8% American IPA. We sat at one of the tall tables next to another couple, who immediately commented on my Yards Brewing (Philadelphia) T-shirt, asking me if I’d actually been there. When I confirmed that I had, we struck up a conversation. It turned out that Adam and his lovely lady (I’m embarrassed to say I’ve forgotten her name) were from Pennsylvania and knew the brewery well. Small world.
New friends at the Armazém.
Adam and I decided to do a can share and selected one each from the back room. I chose a Sibeeria (Czech Republic) – Yummy/Gelato Strawberry & Rhubarb 5.4% pastry sour, which was frickkin’ awesome and he went for a Nepomucen (Poland) – Maria, a 5.4%, fruited Berliner Weisse, also mighty tasty. Adam told us he worked for some kind of tech company and had recently, along with his co-workers, had his name etched into a plaque attached to a probe (oo-er, missus) destined for the moon (or Mars, I can’t remember), which I thought was pretty damn cool! We enjoyed their company for an hour or so, then it was time for the next and last beer stop of the day.
Letraria PortoRua da Alegria 101, 4000-042 Porto, advertises itself as ‘Porto’s Beer Garden‘, but we elected to sit inside as the early evening had sprung a chilly breeze, despite the pleasant sunshine.
Great selection at Letraria Porto.
An impressive 24 taps here, but just two sampled: Moersleutel (Netherlands) – Fruit Bomb Batch #1 8.0% which was fantastic, and one of their own beers, Letra – Mango Berliner Weisse BA 5.5% which was also very tasty. The evening was drawing on now and we had to find the station for the 50-odd minute tram ride back, so we decided to call it a day in order to be back at the flat before we turned into pumpkins.
Sunday’s route.
MONDAY 27/6/22
Today, we decided to cross the Ponte Luizi I and explore the other side of the river, along the Av. de Diogo Leite. This side of the river is, as you would expect, somewhat quieter. It’s a little less characterful too, but still has many bars and eateries along the front, along with another rather large food hall, whose name escapes me. We ambled along the riverfront, browsing the gift stalls until we reached the terminal for the Teleférico de Gaia Cablecar. The cable car runs along the length of Av. de Diogo Leite, back to the Ponte Liuz I and serves no other purpose than to be for tourists, as far as I could fathom. Anyway, we took the bait and paid €6 each to make the 600 metre, five-minute ride back to the bridge. It wasn’t particularly good value for money, but at least I can now say ‘done that’ and it did actually afford fantastic views of Old Porto.
By 3 o’clock it was time for a beer and today’s first visit was to the newest addition to Porto’s craft beer scene, BaobabRua do Almada 377, 4000-303 Porto, which had only opened eight weeks previously. And you could tell! The place was immaculately clean, the paintwork blindingly white with large expanses of unadorned wall. It all felt a little too clinical. I really hope it develops some character. The place was a single room, with a WC off to one side. No cellar room, no storage area, no office. Nowt! It just shows how simple it is to set up a craft bar nowadays, but I can’t help thinking that the owner would struggle once the business takes off. The beer selection, although small, was pretty decent.
Beans at the Baobab.
I chose two beers: Dois Corvos – Benta APA 5.4% and a Maltgarden (Poland) – Trunk Full of Fruits, a 3.5% fruited Berliner Weisse, both of which were fine. The beers came with a complimentary bowl of beans. I thought they were a bit leathery, but ate them anyway. Apparently you’re supposed to bite and split the outer shell to squeeze out the contents and then discard the skin (thanks Gazza!). A bit late now, but at least you’ll know how to eat them. I bet the bar lady thought I was a right doilum! Before we left, the owner told us of another recent start-up, so we decided to make that the next port of call.
An hour’s walk and a mile or so later, we arrived at Cask BeerR. da Arménia 54, 4050-066 Porto, tucked away in a cobbled street, adjacent to the main riverside road. Upon entering, it was immediately apparent that these guys knew what they were doing! Despite the bar’s name, they didn’t serve any cask beer, but did have thirteen on tap plus shed loads of bottled and canned choices. I must say the cans seemed a bit on the expensive side, for example, a can of Ārpus beer would set you back around between 11-13 Euros, something you could get for maybe seven or eight quid in the UK. No matter, there was a great selection on draft to go at!
No cask at Cask Beer!
I ordered four: Piggy (France) – All in 2022 Edition 8.0% DIPA, Burguesa (Portugal)- NEIPA HBC472 at 6.0%, Fuerst Wiacek (Germany) – Logic Maze, a 6.8% NEIPA and a Lupum (Portugal) – Triple IPA Citra a whopping 9.6% DNEIPA. All massive, massive beers. Not content with those, I also dipped into the fridge and bought a can from another German brewery, BrewHeart – Tour de France at 8.0%. Again, a cracking DNEIPA. All the beers I had here were superb.
Cask Beer had been open for three months. Their location, I felt, was a bit off-track and I’m not sure what the skull logo had to do with cask beer, but everything else they were doing right, and I’m sure these guys will make a massive impression on the Porto craft beer scene. Totally recommended!
Our last call for the day was CatraioR. de Cedofeita 256, 4050-174 Porto. Catraio ‘Craft Beer shop & Bar’ was a pub on three levels, with a winding staircase from the street level taking you to a covered second bar, which lead to a raised outdoor terrace. The ‘kitchen’ was a hipster with a home-barbeque precariously perched on the stairs outside. Very H&S, and I’m sure he would’ve been pulled up by the authorities in the UK! Anyway, he was doing a roaring trade. It felt all very ramshackle-make-do, but it all seemed to work.
It’s hard to say how many beers were available as the taps were spread over two bars, but the overall offering seemed good. We located a table in the second bar area. Only 10 taps here! Mrs Belvoir ordered some food from Chef Makeshift whilst I fetched beer. Two sampled here: Piratas – Sailing the Milky Way 22:02, a 4.5% fruited Gose and a Maltgarden – Red Carpet Stars, a banger 8.2% DIPA.
The food was basic but tasty and good value. Both beers were delicious and a great end to another very tiring day. More adventures tomorrow.
Monday’s route.
TUESDAY 28/6/22
A full day’s walking around today, general sight-seeing, including the magnificently decorated São Bento Station (the Portuguese sure do like their tiles) plus the Museo do Vitral and after about eight miles, we thought we’d earned a beer or two. First stop was Cervejaria do Carmo (Goulden Draak) Praça de Carlos Alberto 124, 4050-526 Porto. As the name might suggest, they majored on Belgian-style beers. I chose one from the tap: Madam Lindinha Lucas – The Margarita Gose Solo 5.0% followed by a bottle of 6% APA from Athor (Argentina). I couldn’t work out the provenance of the former, despite asking the lady behind the bar for some gen. I got the impression that they like to say they brew their own, but suspect it’s all contracted. Whatever, both beers were very average, and summed the whole place up for me really.
Average beer at do Carmo.
We sat outside in the sun but the constant screeching of the ‘walk now’ alarm of the nearby pedestrian crossing was starting to grate on our nerves and we quickly drank up and left.
Time had taken us by surprise today, so we decided to find some food before walking back to the tram. I had spotted a tucked-away spit-n-sawdust Asian restaurant on our first day in Porto, so we decide to eat there before making a second visit to the superb Armazém as it was on our way back to the station. The Royal Nobab Grill & Halal Restaurant was obviously catering for the local Asian population as many popped in and out during our short stay for the food. The menu was simple and basic but delicious and marvellous value for money. As I said before – always eat with the locals!
Great VFM at the Nobab.
On to the Armazém now, but unfortunately only time for two. I had one on draft; Attik (Spain) – Bushido, a superb 6.5% DDH IPA, and a can (that I had spotted on our last visit) selected from the cold room – Three Little Birds, a stunning 8% Double NEIPA from Dutch hop masters Floem. Time to head towards the tram.
Superb Double NEIPA at Armazém.
We had visited a bar near our digs in the Matosinhos district the previous evening only to find it was closed on Mondays, so rather than call it a night we made the short walk from our home tram stop to HopTripR. Heróis de França 617, 4450-159 Matosinhos, our last call of the night and boy, was it a winner! Despite a superb selection of 15 on tap and dozens more in cans, I was limited to two, as their card machine was kaput and I only had a few Euros on me. No matter, I would make a return visit tomorrow with plenty of dosh! I chose two from the wall: Fuerst Wiacek – Nodding Dog 6.8% NEIPA and a Maltgarden – Most Beautiful Places 8.2% Imperial IPA.
Great selection at HopTrip.
A perfect finish to the evening and, to be honest, I was ready for my pit! Tomorrow was our last full day and we were going to make the most of it.
Tuesday’s route.
WEDNESDAY 29/6/22
By now, we’d seen most of what we wanted, so our last day was spent just browsing around the shops and sitting around the various squares enjoying the street entertainers and general people-watching.
By mid-afternoon, it was food time and I decided that before I went home, I had to try the traditional Portuguese dish of Francesinha. This is a heart attack on a plate, a sandwich of sausage, ham and steak with fried egg top and bottom, smothered in melted cheese and coated in a spicy sauce. It was a Herculean effort for me to actually finish it and the lady that took our order had asked me if I wanted fries with it! Luckily, I had declined.
Totally pigged-out, it was a good job we had chance to burn calories during the fair walk to the first bar, Musa das VirtudesPasseio das Virtudes 28, 4050-629 Porto. A small entrance off the street led to a long, narrow bar running back from the frontage. The plain stainless steel-topped bar had 15 taps behind it. Truth be told, the beer choice here was pretty lacklustre. I chose two, both from Post Scriptum, Calapa, a 4% APA and Catarônica, a 7% sour. Both were below average, which was strange as I’d had a superb Post Scriptum at the CAL bar a couple of days before. The overall atmosphere was lacking here, but I couldn’t really put my finger on what it was. Hey-ho, time to move on.
Lacklustre beer at Musa.
Next on the list (and our last bar visit in the city) was a tiny brewpub, A Fábrica da Picaria Rua da Picaria 72, 4050-477 Porto. This bar had a tiny space at the front which, by any definition of the term, was a micropub. I selected two from the nine taps on the bar: A FábricaAmerican Pale Ale 5.0% and a Milkshake IPA at 6.2%. Sadly again they were both below par and we decided to cut our losses and make our way back to the HopTrip at Matosinhos for the last drinkies of the holiday.
All their own at A Fábrica.
In the event, Mrs Belvoir decided to call it a night and go back to the AirBnB early to pack our bags and do wifey stuff (is that PC? – I never know nowadays). I reached HopTrip to find it bustling both inside and out. The beer menu had changed slightly since last night’s visit and I chose one on tap from local boys Dois Corvos – POGO 8.5%, an OK Milkshake IPA, but this was blown out of the water by my last selection, a can of Prizm (France) – On Phone Lines & Letterheads – a monster, monster 10% Triple NEIPA. A superb beer to finish the holiday on and I couldn’t have chosen better.
Final winner at HopTrip.
And that was it. Time to take the short walk back to the digs and prepare for the flight home tomorrow.
Wednesday’s route.
Overall, I enjoyed Portugal. Porto (IMO) was better than Lisbon in every way (but of course, much more touristy). Both cities were easily walkable (I estimate we covered around 80 miles on foot over the whole nine days) although public transport was cheap if that was your option. Ubers are another really cheap alternative, especially if there are two or more sharing.
Highlights for me (beer-wise) were the Quimera and Outro Lado in Lisbon, and Cask Beer, Armazém and especially HopTrip in Porto (although the latter is a fair way out of the main city). The craft beer scene seems to be burgeoning in both cities, but more so in Porto. It was a little frustrating that many of the craft establishments didn’t open until around 4pm, but I guess that’s the norm in many European countries where socialising doesn’t really get going until early evening at least.
I hope my brief reports give you some insights into the beer scene in Portugal. Many thanks to both Gazza Prescott and Owen Ogletree for their recommendations whilst planning this trip. Go check their web sites.
See the first leg of our Portuguese trip: Pt.1 – Lisbon
Find me on Untappd Some tinnies wot I have necked. And some more pics from Porto below.
This visit was actually a rearranged trip, the original having been cancelled two years previously because of the Covid-19 malarky. Then, the plan was to fly into Porto, then bus to Lisbon and fly home from there.
As it happens, because flight routes have changed since lockdown, we were doing it the opposite way and on June 21st 2022 we flew out to Lisbon on the first leg of our Portuguese break.
Because this trip was primarily about the beer (don’t tell Mrs Belvoir), I’d already researched the beer scene and come up with a lot of recommendations. Here’s my Google map for Lisbon:
Arriving at Lisbon airport, we promptly found the ‘AeroBus‘ stop outside the terminal and awaited the cheap shuttle bus to take us into the city. Despite a sign saying that the shuttle ran every ten minutes, after a wait of about thirty minutes with no sign of a bus, we were approached by a taxi driver who informed us that the service had been suspended until further notice. He pointed to a sign on the bus shelter which said so. Unfortunately, neither Mrs Belvoir nor I can read Portuguese.
After offering his (rather expensive) taxi service to us (we politely declined as he was cash-only and we didn’t have any), we entered the adjacent metro station and tried to figure out a) how to purchase a ticket and b) which station to get off at. We sussed out a) quite quickly, with the help of a friendly local. Point b) was a bit trickier, and of course, we ended up on completely the wrong side of town. We finished up getting an Uber. At least they didn’t want cash.
Our AirBnB was duly located in the Belém district, and by early evening we were installed in our new temporary home. It was a lovely apartment, but we were soon to find out why it was so cheap. It had been a long day and there was really no time to go beer hunting, so we just had a meal in a nearby eatery and went back to have an early kip so that we were refreshed for our first day’s exploring tomorrow. Or so we thought.
AirBnB advertised this place as being handy for the tram into town. And it was. The tramline was literally right outside our window, and they rumbled by with monotonous regularity every 10 minutes or so. Until 2 am. And started again at about 5.30 am. We were also directly underneath the flight path of planes taking off from Lisbon airport. And the icing on the cake (literally) was that the ovens for the bakery, situated immediately beneath our flat, roared into life at 7 am on the dot. We certainly weren’t going to get any meaningful sleep here, that was for sure.
WEDNESDAY 22/6/22
On the first day of our holiday proper, rather than take the tram into town, we decided to walk and get a feel for the place. When we booked the flat, we didn’t realise how far out of town the Belém district is from the main city. It was a good five miles or so into the main areas, but we had no schedule so it didn’t matter. Despite being very overcast and drizzling with rain, we walked along the ex-industrial seafront. //Big warning here! Most of the walkways are stoned with a patchwork of very shiny ceramic-looking tiles. They are very slippery in the dry and lethal in the wet, especially when some of the pavements are very narrow and the traffic and trams pass by with seemingly little regard for pedestrians. Please be careful! \\ Eventually reaching the more ‘picture book’ areas of the town about an hour and a half later, we had a few hours of just general nosing around and getting used to the layout of the place, and by about 2 o’clock, it was beer time. Yaaay!
The first establishment on the list was Crafty CornerR. de São João da Praça 95, 1100-519 Lisboa, a one-roomed bar with an open frontage onto a cobbled alley, offering 12 beers on tap. I had a flight of five, consisting of: Praxis – IPA 6.4%, HopSin – American IPA 6.5%, Lince – Ariana 6.0%, Aldeana – Pale Ale 6.7% and Oitava Colina – Joe APA 5.5%. They were all pretty average, to be honest, the Aldeana being best of the bunch, but I enjoyed them all.
Beer flight at the Crafty Corner.
Onwards, and a leisurely 40-minute stroll away took us to the Duque BrewpubCalçada do Duque 51, 1200-156 Lisboa, another one-roomed establishment, with a couple of tables outside on the steep killer-tiled terrace. I tried just the one here, Duque – SOURreal 5.0%, which was only slightly tart but very refreshing in the building heat of the day.
Duque SOUReal on the terrace, complete with lethal tiling!
After another hour of meandering around the tiled streets (it was dry by this time but we still had to mind our footing), we arrived at 8a Graça (Oitava Graça)R. Damasceno Monteiro 8A, 1170-112 Lisboa, where I sampled two of their own creations: Devil’s DIPA at 8.0% and Sour Imperial Gose at 7.3%, both very tasty. Another tiny bar, this time with an industrial feel, and additional seating out on the street, overlooking Lisbon and out to the sea. Very relaxing, (albeit windy) and it was worth the hike up the hill for both the views and the beer.
8a Graça – Worth the hike.
It was approaching evening now, so it was decided that the next stop would be the last, and in another half an hour or so, we were at 21 Gallas BrewpubR. Angelina Vidal 53A, 1170-122 Lisboa. Again, I tried just two of their own beers, Simcoe IPA 6.0% and Dona Filipa 9.0%, a Double NEIPA, the latter of which turned out to be the best beer of the day and a nice way to round off the evening. Home now for some kip – or not!
Wednesday’s route.
THURSDAY 23/6/22
A five-minute stroll from our front door was the World-famous Pastéis de Belém, bakers of (amongst other things) the traditional Portuguese custard tarts, or Pastéis de Nata. The shop was more full of masked Oriental tourists taking photographs than paying customers, but I waited my turn and bought two very reasonably priced and delicious custard tarts for breakfast. Well worth the wait.
There was more touristy stuff to be done before starting on the peeve, and today we decided to do the famous Tram 28, which starts (or finishes, depending on which way you travel) at Martim Monez and finishes (ditto, vice-versa) at Campo de Ourique. We walked through some pretty dodgy-looking areas to get to the stop at Martim Monez, but (obviously) still here to tell the tale! The tram’s route meanders around the twisty (and sometimes insanely steep) streets of the old city, some of them being so narrow you feel you could almost stretch out and touch both sides! The trip lasts about 40 minutes and cost (I think) less than 4 Euros. If you’re going to do Tram 28, be sure to get a window seat. If the window seats are all taken, it’s worth hanging back for another 10 minutes or so to catch the next one. We did, and it was totally worth the short wait.
By about 2 o’clock, we (well, only me actually) began to think about beer and first on today’s list was The Beer StationLargo duque de Cadaval 17 Quiosque D, 1200-160 Lisboa. After doubling back several times, we eventually located the place underneath the terrace we were standing on and duly made our way down the steps toward its door, which was open. Alas, the pub itself wasn’t (until 4 pm), so the owner directed us to the establishment next door and told us to ask for ‘an IPA’.
Self service at the Pisco Bar.
The Pisco Peruvian BarLargo Duque Cadaval, 1200-090 Lisboa, was basically a serving hatch in the side of the building, with a ‘SELF SERVICE‘ sign hanging above it. What they actually meant was no table service, which I didn’t actually twig onto until after about 10 minutes of sitting at the table, waiting for someone to take the order. I went to the bar and asked for an IPA, as instructed. The beer served was a 5.9% Dois Corvos1 of 6 Cold IPA. Disappointingly average, but it would suffice whilst waiting for next door to open. At the stroke of 4 o’clock, we moved a couple of yards across the, er, yard, to sit outside the aforementioned Beer Station. The four-tap selection here wasn’t inspiring, so I delved into the well-stocked can fridge and found a Dois Corvos X Basqueland (Spain) collaboration brew, TOPA! an 8.0% Double NEPA. I love Basqueland beers, and this was a stunner!
Whilst searching for this place a little earlier, we had noticed signs in various windows such as ‘NOT A STATION‘ and ‘NO TRAINS‘. I asked the owner of the Beer Station (now there’s a clue) what the significance of that was, and he told us that the buildings were originally on the periphery of the courtyard leading to an underground railway station that was decommissioned many decades ago. Every day’s a learning day.
TOPA!
The next stop was only a fifteen-minute walk away, and by about 5.30 we had reached the Sacarrabos Beer Co.R. Moeda 12, 1200-275 Lisboa. Another brewpub, this one had around 15 taps, of which I sampled two: Sovina500 Double IPA 7.3% and one of their own brews: Crocodilo APA at 6.0%. The former was the better of the two, by some margin. Sacarrabos was OK, but I didn’t feel like there was anything there to attract me back again. We decided to take the long trudge back by Shanks’s Pony and call in one further place en route to our AirBnB.
All quiet at Sacarrabos Beer Co.
Just before 8 o’clock, we arrived at our last call of the day, the excellent Quimera Brew Pub R. Moeda 12, 1200-275 Lisboa. Situated just off the main street, it is easy to miss. But once found, everything about it is charming. Entering through a shaded courtyard, you enter a stone-walled vault which to me – and to anyone of a certain age and location to remember – was reminiscent of the old (now closed) Cornhill Vaults in Lincoln. The place had real character, as did the owner, who came over to explain the beer menu at our table. The pub has 12 taps, all offering Quimera beers. I chose a flight of four which were promptly delivered and described once more. Excellent service. I chose a Bloody Mary Sour 4.3% DIPA at 7.0%, NEIPA at 5.3% and finally a Raspberry Sour at 4.7%. They were all good, the sours being better than the IPAs. They weren’t face-puckeringly sour like some of your favourite Belgian Lambics, but very acceptable nonetheless. If you visit but one pub whilst in Lisbon, make it the Quimera!
Plenty of character at the Quimera.
Embarrassingly, we walked out of Quimera without paying and the poor barman had to run about five minutes down the road to catch us. We backtracked to pay our dues, of course… and that was the end of our second full day. A short hike back to the digs to try and get some shut-eye between trams. All to do again tomorrow.
Thursday’s route.
FRIDAY 24/6/22
Another morning and early afternoon was spent just wandering and taking in the sights, including the massive Time Out Food Hall, so busy we couldn’t find a seat, despite its size. After a strenuous uphill trek to see the Castelo de São Jorge and have a well-earned ice cream, we settled on a more modest family-run establishment amid the maze of tiered streets of the Alfama district. Incredulously, some motor vehicles still drive through these streets, when it was obvious that even a donkey would’ve struggled to get through.
Thoroughly knackered, but now well fed, it was time to get watered (read: ‘beered’). First on today’s list (and fortuitously nearest to our current location) was Outro LadoBeco do Arco Escuro 1, 1100-585 Lisboa. In another blink-and-you-miss-it location, it is situated up a cobbled side alley, but once in you are rewarded with a magnificent array of 15 taps from some fantastic craft breweries. This was by far the best selection (IMO) I’d seen so far in Lisbon.
A superb selection at Outro Lado.
The place itself was a little dingy, due to there not being any window light, but the beer selection and the pleasant bar lady more than made up for the lack of sunlight! I opted for a flight of four beers: Nepomucen (Poland) – Time for Tropics a pastry sour at 7.5%, Sibeeria (Czech Republic) – Blackcurrant Sorbet, a 4.4% Berliner Weisse, Aguarela (Portugal) – Impressing an 8.0% DIPA and another one from Sibeeria – Star Factory 6.5% IPA. They were all mightily tasty and impressive – and a great start to the evening. Well recommended.
Another 30-minute’s walk and another mile away, we arrived at Sputnik Craft BeerR. Andrade 41A, 1170-014 Lisboa. This bar was a bit trendier, with large plate glass windows to the frontage and a light, airy, modern feel to the inside. This was possibly the busiest bar we’d seen so far. The modest 10 taps offered up mainly local breweries. I sampled three tasters: a Dois Corvos – Creature 6.3% and two from Letra – Plata, a Fruited Berliner Weisse at 5.0% and Rebendita, a 6.0% Milkshake IPA, which was absolutely lush.
Busy at the Sputnik.
Our last port-of-call was supposed to be Livraria Ler devagarR. Rodrigues de Faria 103 – G 0.3, 1300-501 Lisboa. It is a bizarre industrial unit/library/art centre/bar hybrid, and part of the LX Factory. Alas, tonight there was no beer (except some dusty and presumably warm) bottles on the back shelf and the bar appeared permanently closed. The LX Factory itself, situated underneath the supporting columns of Ponte 25 de Abril – Lisbon’s own Golden Gatesque bridge (designed by the same geezer) – is now a bustling avenue of various bars and eateries and it seemed very popular with the trendies. Not for these old duffers though, and we decided to call it a night. Tomorrow we were starting our second leg of the holiday and travelling to Porto.
Friday’s route.
Lisbon is a big city, lovely in parts and underwhelming in others. Once you’re in the centre it’s very walkable (though I estimate we walked about 40 miles over the three days), despite the steep hills and the killer paving tiles. I wouldn’t go out of my way to return any time soon but would not put anybody off visiting. I’m glad we’ve been and hope the above report gives any potential beery tourists at least some pointers.
