Author: Guest

In December I visited friends in Istanbul with my wife. We’d lived there from 2020-23 for work and it’s always good to visit again – on this trip we stayed in the same apartment block we’d lived in, in Şişli.

I was fortunate enough to live nearby what you might consider Turkey’s home of ‘craft’ beer. Bomontiada was built in the late 1800s as a brewery by Swiss brewers the Bomonti brothers. Bomonti brewery was bought by Turkey’s Anadolu Efes macro-brewer in the 1990s and still exists as a spin-off ‘craft’ label – their Bomonti Filtresis (unfiltered lager, 4.8%) is widely available in both bottles and on taps in many restaurants and pubs in the city, and is my go-to when not in a craft beer bar.

Bomontiada is now home to several bars and restaurants, including Populist, my first stop on this trip – Populist is a chain of currently two brewpubs which, due to peculiarities of Turkish law meaning that a brewery cannot sell its beer direct to the public, serves exclusively beer from Torch Brewery.

Torch and Populist are legally distinct businesses, but all beer served in Populist is Torch. It’s a large space with a huge capacity, and serves what I’d describe as Turkish fusion pub food. Burgers, but also flatbread topped with kokoreç – chopped and spiced lamb intestines.

They brew a range of pale ales and IPAs which usually lean towards a more old school English or west coast IPA rather than the currently popular New England variety. They often have more than one variety of lager on (their 4.9% Kölsch is my go-to on a hot day), usually a nitro stout (5.8%) or occasionally an imperial stout (>8%). For their 1000th brew in 2022 they made a berry vanilla imperial stout at 8.6%. On this visit I had the 5.8% IPA on keg — 330ml for 265TL, or £6. Craft beer in Turkey is fairly expensive due to the various taxes and duties involved, and the cost of ingredients.

On my second day I visited another of Istanbul’s ‘brewery taps’ — SOMX’s Taproomx, in a very central location just off Istiklal. They’re a cuckoo brewery whose beer is brewed in 3 Kafadar’s brewery in Istanbul. I tried a single hop Idaho7 Pale (4.6%), then their Kent Caramel (5%), a brown ale with East Kent Goldings hops! I finished up with their new Nectarlicious NEIPA (6%) — hopped with Nectaron, of course. We then moved on to a local excellent Georgian restaurant, Galaktion.

On the third day (and again on the fourth to meet friends) I ended up in what should be any beer fan’s target when in Istanbul — Sanayi 1-A. They now have two branches and I began in their newer Nişantasi branch, which I hadn’t visited before. I had an Aşne Vişne by 3 Kafadar (5%) which is a sour cherry beer — I believe all its sourness comes from the fruit rather than the brew method.

Later that afternoon I visited the original Sanayi 1-A bar in Maslak, in an area called Atatürk Oto Sanayi. It’s an area full of car garages (oto sanayi means ‘auto industry’) and anyone who’s spent time wandering around industrial estates looking for a taproom will feel at home here. These bars are probably the only independent wholly craft beer bars in the country — many bars in busy areas will have occasional taps of craft beer or bottles in their fridges, but Sanayi is all craft (except for a few token Belfast lager bottles in their fridge).

The Maslak branch has 24 taps, which you’ll usually find occupied by at least 15 beers — all of them are fully engaged for special events. Every beer available is brewed by one of the 10+ breweries in Turkey.  I started my visit with an English Gold (a 5% bitter), by 3 Kafadar, who are probably my favourite Turkish brewer.

It also has cats — lots of them lurking, often behind the bar, sometimes getting into little brawls. You can’t go anywhere in Turkey without running into cats, and Sanayi is no exception.

Sanayi 1-A doesn’t offer food other than crisps and nuts, but doesn’t at all mind if you pick up some food from the nearby food truck offering köfte and chips, or order from one of the many food delivery services.

On the following day I visited the Maslak Sanayi 1-A  again to meet friends (current and former Sanayi staff) and finished the afternoon with a bottle share of two different years of Efes annual Grape Ale (8%). It’s particularly good, especially considering it’s from a macro brewer.

All in all a great trip, returning to my favourite spots in the city and finding time to ride a few ferries and visit excellent coffee shops, while catching up with friends.

Dan Rowe

As part of the celebration of a significant birthday I decided to return to Brussels for the “Belgium Beer Weekend”, an annual beer festival that happens in the Grand-Place Brussels.

I had been to the event over ten years ago, and had visited many of the classic brussels beer venues (Cantillon Brewery, Au Bon Vieux Temps etc). This time I was armed with a long list of venues from Dan and Martha at Saint Mars of the Desert, and Eurostar tickets for my Wife and I.

We arrived early Friday evening and first had a delightful seafood meal at “L’Océan” where you select your own fresh fish from a wide range on display, and they then cook it for you. Next on to the bars!

We had to walk past the Poechenellekelder, as it had a queue to get in, so went round the corner to GIST. This is a modern feeling craft beer style bar, with outdoor seating in a square. Its beer list was almost all new to us, but for a first drink we played it safe with a 5% Pils and 6% Hoppy blond. The outdoor bar experience on a warm evening watching the world go by is something not to miss when you get the chance.

Around the next corner was La Porte Noire, which from the outside didn’t promise much, but is a proper cellar bar, with an arched roof and exposed brickwork, and a more traditional Belgium beer list, draft and bottles. For a couple of old rock fans the hook was the music being played all evening, a mix of old and newer classics (Hendrix, Nirvana, Sabbath etc), such that it felt like a sophisticated return to our old Sheffield Wapentake Friday nights. Beers we had included Manneken Pils 6%, Val Dieu Blonde 6%, Barbar 8%, and Noir de Dottignies 8.5% all on draft. I need to mention the bar snacks, where a “portion de fromage” turns out to be enough bread and cheese to feed a family!. We ended up leaving after midnight, having wisely resisted the excellent whisky selection on offer.

Saturday drinking started with À La Mort Subite, the first Brussels bar I ever visited, and which again allowed us to sit outside in the sun. It offers draft Timmermans Faro, a style not seen in the UK very often, that has always appealed to my sweet tooth (do I need to mention the Chocolate shops in Belgium?). Next we tried A l’Imaige Nostre-Dame, but sad to say it may be closed down for now.

So round the corner to À la Bécasse, a classic old Belgium bar, where I very much enjoyed the draft Bourgogne Des Flandres 5%. Unfortunately a group of very noisy tourists turned up to the small bar, so we moved on.

After a stop for some of the belgium classic, Moules Frites, we had to walk past the Poechenellekelder, as it had a queue to get in (can you notice a theme), so went round the corner to La Fleur en Papier Doré, a bar famous for its surrealist patrons. A shorter beer list on offer, but Stouterik was a nice change of pace, a 5% dry stout.

Next we went to Cafe Bebo on the way back to our hotel. It says a lot for the belgium beer scene that even an ordinary bar will offer an interesting beer list, so I tried a beer/brewery I’d not come across before Lutgarde IPA 6.5%, and La Chouffe blonde 8% for my wife. Even when we got back to the hotel bar we were able to have some classic Belgium beers, Leffe Blonde 6.6%, Karmeliet 8.4%, Chimay blue 9%.

Sunday afternoon, and time for the festival in the Grande Place. Over 50 breweries present, 500+ beers. A very modern festival, with no entrance fee, and all beer bought via a specific smart card you charged with money, and beer measures costed in “tokens” (2 euro each) taken by the brewer, including 1/2 tokens. In common with almost every bar you go to, the Belgium beer scene that insists you drink your beer in the correct glass, and this applied at the beer festival!!.

You were “charged” a deposit for the glass for every drink, which was put back on your card when you returned it. Alternatively if you liked the glass you could keep it for the cost of the deposit. We ended up keeping our favourites, from Barbar and Martha (for a gift). Highlights of the beers were Bruges Zot Bok 6.5%, Lupulus Hopera 6%, Vicaris Lino 6.5% (brewed with flax), Vicaris triple 8.5%, Barbar Rouge 8%.

The festival was busy but felt very relaxed, with children allowed in, and take your own food in if you wanted.

For a little peace on a Sunday evening we went to the quirky bar at Royal Puppet Theater Toone, which also has a quiet beer garden. It was perfect for avoiding the crowds, and siping a Bush Ambrée 12%.

On the way back we had to walk past the Poechenellekelder, as it had a queue to get in yet again. Finally we tried a random bar near our hotel, Meia-Bar Saint-Gilles and enjoyed St Hubertus Triple Ambre 7.2%.

For a nightcap in our room a bottle of Vleesmeester Brewery Black Pudding bourbon barrel aged impy stout 12% fit the bill, and for the first time in the weekend not in the correct glass.

I can highly recommend a beery trip to Brussels, for the Belgium Beer weekend festival or not, there’s always somewhere interesting just around the corner. I know I’ll return, if only to finish my list of venues, and finally get into Poechenellekelder.

Paul Rugg