Beers of Hungary

I didn’t start out this vacation with the intention of chronicling the various beers I enjoyed, but here we go. In short, I’m glad I did and look forward to trying more!

Street art from one of the many side streets we explored in Budapest. Artist unknown.

Budapest, Hungary was our second stop this summer and the city, food and beer did not disappoint. Sitting on both sides of the Danube, Buda and Pest became one in 1873 to form a truly magnificent city.

The Pariliament building along the Pest side of the Danube and Matthias Church fronted by Fisherman’s Bastion on Buda Hill are but a few of the many breathtaking treasures found here. More about those later - now the beer!

Ironically, the first beer I tried in the “Heart of Europe” was a Belgium beer - Hoegaarden White Ale or Witbier (first brewed in 1445) with a twist of lemon - so refreshing after traveling all day! Of course the hummus, lamb kafke and roasted cauliflower topped with tahini, almond slivers and pomegranates weren’t bad either! My quest did not end there - we had seven wonderful days to enjoy the city!

Did I mention Budapest is also known as the “Capital of Spas and Thermal Baths.” Being the good tourists and wanderers we were, we walked from our apartment across the Liberty Bridge to Géllert Hotel and Spa. The spa was lovely. Not the largest of the spas found around the city, we did found it to be a nice middle ground. Lavish enough but not too busy with people. Housing both inside and outside swimming pools, hot tubs and saunas, there were plenty of places to relax. Of course after a little time in the sun and walking to the spa another brew was in order!

This time called for a Borsodi (founded in 1973) made by the Brewery of Borsod found in the village of Böcs in northeastern Hungary. The brewery offers 5 beers, I opted for the Borostyan - an amber ale. After the fall of communism, the company ultimately was bought and sold and is now owned by Molson Coors Brewing Company.

Reading a bit about the company, I realized I was having a more authentic beer experience from day one than what I initially thought - Hoegaarden is distributed by Borsodi Sörgyár, Borsodi’s second location. Here they are also licensed to produce and distribute Stella Artois and Beck’s. Small world!

Sitting at a nice cafe on top of Buda Hill waiting for the rain to pass, my third beer was a Stella Artois. Not feeling authentic at the time, I feel much better about the choice knowing it was made just up the road!

The next day we stopped to get a snack and of course a refreshment while we were wandering. When beer is only a wee bit more than water- why not get beer! I remember it was a nice Witbier but can’t remember the name. The glass did have “Sörfesztivál” as part of the logo. Doing a little research, I also found that Budapest is known as the Capital of Festivals. Söfesztival is a yearly beer festival coming up the end of August, 2022.

This pub had a great selection of beer, and if I remember correctly, it started to rain about the same time we were finishing the first beer. Of course we had another round! The name of the pub is FIRST The Craft Beer Company. Fun atmosphere and a definite recommendation. There are several locations around town, but we stopped at the one in the Jewish neighborhood down the street from the Dohány Synagogue.

We were rained out our first attempt to enjoy Buda Hill, but finally made it back the following day. We toured the church. After touring Mathias Church (Mátyás-templom) we found another nice little cafe, grabbed a snack and of course a beer. Going off script for me, I chose a dark beer. It was delicious!

Brewed by Dreher Brewery right in Budapest, it didn’t get much more local. Dreher is the largest brewery in Hungary and older than Budapest itself! Dreher’s history has it’s beginnings in Germany, traveling to Vienna then finally settling in Budapest after three generations of Antons. While the Brewery is more known for it’s lighter beer, this is a Dreher Bak, a double bock with a slight caramel taste. A meal in and of itself.

Gaining a deserved reputation for its very cool Ruin Bar scene, we had to check it out. One of our last evenings, we ventured out into the dusk (let’s face it- I’m no spring chicken any more!). We tried one bar, had a beer and didn’t care for the vibe so we moved on to the next spot. The second stop ended up being our final watering hole for the night. A multilevel complex complete with an authentic musty basement smell and second floor great for people watching, it was easy to stop there. A very cool place and one to write about another time.

Covid hit the group, which curtailed some plans to explore outside the city limits. Being pretty bummed we decided to bring the tasting to us. Below is a nice ending picture for the week and some damage done in the apartment. Some names are now familiar I hope.

By now, you’ve figured out that beer is a big part of the culture here. During my travels, I have found it to be true in many countries. So onto Austria where my taste became a little more discerning!

Major breweries of Hungary

Dreher Breweries Ltd

Borsodi Brewery Co

Heineken Hungary Breweries

Carlsburg Hungary Company

All pictures taken by Hen Travels and Tours

For more information see below:

https://www.sorfesztival.hu Sörfesztival 2022

https://tastehungary.com The History of Hungarian Beer

https://asahiinternational.com Cheers to another 165 years of Dreher