“We’ve got to start at Samo Pivo or Beersheep. Got a bus at 00:45 to Sofia, Bulgaria. I need to be no more that 15 minutes walking from the station.”
“Samo Pivo it is then. See you.”
Night buses are not kind to me. I’m a notoriously light sleeper. But in Belgrade, after knocking back a few beers with a friend, and taking a pill, I tried to doze off in my seat for the 8 hour overnight trip. After one transfer in southern Nis, and a short border crossing, at 9:30am Eastern European Time, I groggily woke up in Sofia, Bulgaria.
I was here for Sofia’s Balkan Beer Bash, and ready to try all 72 beers from breweries from across Europe. But my ticket was for Saturday. For today, Friday, I would spend these 24 hours drinking in Sofia’s best craft beer bars.
Oh, and a tour at Sofia Electric Brewing too.
This wasn’t my first time in Sofia. Before, I’d always been in the company of friends and other travelers. So we always walked into whatever popular bar or club was in our immediate vicinity, being the trainwrecks that we were. But this time I was alone, and could chase craft beer like I wanted.
For me, Sofia is small enough to walk around the center easily. However, you may prefer taking a taxi or a tram for some of the farther places. Trollybuses along Vasil Levski Boulevard make a ring around the center, so hopping this road from place to place is a good way to get around the city.
Yet, I chose BlaBla Hostel in Sofia since it was no more than a 15 minute walk from the bus station. When I arrived in Sofia I had slept, but terribly. The beers and pill didn’t work. A long walk would do me no good. And anyway, I couldn’t check in until 2pm. But at least, as I asked, I could leave my bag behind the check-in desk. Before I left the station I ate my breakfast, a sandwich I’d packed, then ordered an espresso at the café.
It helped more than I imagined. Within 30 minutes, I had located Sofia Electric Brewing, then walked to BlaBla Hostel. The lady at the check-in was kind, and my attempts to speak Serbian-Bulgarian endured me to her. She upgraded me from my regular 4-bed dorm to their deluxe 4-bed dorm for free. “Everything newer, bigger, cleaner, better!” Then she recommended I eat brunch (I’m still hungry) at Rainbow Factory around the corner.
The Rainbow Factory
Kermit The Frog’s ‘Rainbow Connection’ rang in my head while I walked to Rainbow Factory. And it’s not too far off the mark. A cute, modern interior and friendly waiters give the place a cozy vibe. The menu was in Bulgarian and English, and the girl who took my order had no problem with me speaking English.
This is a breakfast joint, so there’s a variety of eggs and toast meals. I got something named, “Panagurski Eggs,” which were poached eggs in yogurt and cream cheese with spices on top. More commonly it’s known as Turkish Eggs.
Whatever the name, this (second) breakfast was healthy and delicious. The espresso (also my second of the day) I drank with it was strong and dark.
I still had 4 hours to kill until my check-in at BlaBla Hostel. So I set off for the furthest craft beer bar I could find within walking distance. First, I would drink there, then head back to the hostel.
On the map, at the southern end of central Sofia, near the massive Borisova Gradina Park, I saw Pivoteka Craft Beer Shop.
Pivoteka Craft Beer Shop
After a 25 minute walk south, I crossed over Vasil Levski Boulevard. One block away, on a quiet little street, was Pivoteka Craft Beer Shop. Principally, it is a small to-go bottleshop, with just two tables inside and two outside. But there are 6 taps. Although it was noon – they had just opened -the tables inside were full.
No doubt these patrons were going to the craft Balkan Beer Bash later. Who else drinks a 9% Imperial Porter first thing in the morning?
These guys, a crew from Israel visiting for the festival. And me.
Although Pivoteka has several Bulgarian beers in bottles and cans, at the moment, none of their taps were local. Since I was traveling to Portugal in a month, I figured I should try the Finisterra Imperial Porter, from the Portuguese brewery Dois Corvos. It’s dry and roasty, with enough coffee taste for me to call it my third espresso of the day. The bartender was not surprised that I ordered such a beer in the morning. She smiled, saying she doesn’t drink much, “but the owner is from Netherlands, and his wife here, they are masters of beer.”
After a few “L’chaims” with the Israelis, and an assurance we’d meet again at the festival, I headed back north to the hostel. On the way, I could stop at one of Bulgaria’s first beer stores, 100 Beers.
One More Beer at 100 Beers
My expectation was to drink one beer at 100 Beers, then hit up another early hours craft beer bar, Nosferatu, before my 2pm check-in. But why should I expect that at a place named 100 Beers?
100 Beers Craft Beer Shop is smaller than Pivoteka, yet it certainly lives up to its name. Far more than 100 bottles line both walls of the place, and there are 4 taps. They have been open since 2013, and are responsible for much of Bulgaria’s craft beer movement, including organizing the Balkan Beer Bash that weekend. Here they had a Bulgarian beer on tap, from Metalhead Brewery, in eastern Burgas. Silvera, name-checking Gojira, is something like a saison. It has barnyard hay and lemon citrus, and worked well on the rather hot day.
There were two other guys in the shop who joined me for toast. By their accents, I guessed they were from England.
“Yeah, it rains a lot Manchester, rainy, very grey,” one of them sighed.
“Well, I’ve never heard any happy music out of Manchester,” I smirked, then hummed, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.”
While I chatted with the blokes, Gaz and Paul, the bartender erased one of the beers from the board, then slowly wrote in a new beer from a brewery called Pomona Island. This simple American IPA had the rather cumbersome name of “The Enemy Of The Perfectly Adequate.” One of the Brits apologized to the bartender, “Sorry for the long name.”
“Christ, let’s hope the beer isn’t perfectly adequate,” I chuckled.
“Let’s hope not. It’s our beer,” Gaz deadpanned.
So I’m drinking with the brewers: challenge accepted. I ordered Pomona Island’s American IPA, whose name I won’t repeat. It was dry, yet had fruits like pineapple and, surprisingly, lemongrass. Gaz and Paul watched me, and I told them, honestly, that their beer was good. “Enjoy…It’s been difficult trying to get our beer through here since Brexit,” grimaced Paul.
As if to show me that they believed my assessment of their beer, they invited me to bottle of their choice. We cracked open a Trail & Terroir, one of a Wild Ale series from Romania’s Hop Hooligans. It featured Romanian Fragola Grapes, and was tart to hell. It reminded of my hometown, St. Louis’s, well-known Side Project Brewery’s…projects. I made a note to try more from this series, then excused myself from 100 Beers.
“Got a tour at Sofia Electric Brewing at 3pm. Running late.”
“Good guys. See you – drunk no doubt – at Balkan Beer Bash tomorrow.”
Sofia Electric Brewing
After I checked into BlaBla hostel, I showered quickly, changed clothes, then rushed off to Sofia Electric Brewing. Fortunately, I had emailed the brewery in advance to tell them I would be late. Their response: No worries. We’ll wait a little.
A light rain fell as I jogged north. I wanted a tour later than 3pm, but it wasn’t possible. Sofia Electric Brewing is just 100 meters from Despred, the warehouse where the Balkan Beer Bash was happening. They needed to close early in order to be ready for the festival that evening.
At fifteen minutes after three, I stood in front of Sofia Electric Brewing. About a dozen people were in front of the entrance, speaking in many languages and drinking beers from cans and tasting glasses. The tour cost 20 Bulgarian Lev (10 Euro,) and that included two beers.
Approximately. No one seemed to be counting.
The brewery is small. We did a circle around the warehouse while the guide, Todo, talked about fermentation tanks, production, barrel-aging, etc. Within 30 minutes the tour was finished, and Todo fielded questions while we cracked open more beers.
With a few other tourists, I shared two big cans, both Imperial Stouts. First, the Judicator is a complex 15% ABV banger, aged in Rum, Bourbon and Red Wine Barrels. It hurt- in a good way. Second, I slowed down with The Bureaucrat, a slightly lower ABV beer, but aged in the same style with the addition of Tonka and vanilla beans.
After those big beers, I needed to clear my head in the fresh air. Fortunately, the next beer bar, KANAAL, was a long 30 minute walk from the city center.
KANAAL Craft Beer Bar
Following some railroad tracks, I strolled down General Danail Nikoleav Boulevard. Eventually, just caddy-corner from Zaimov Park, I saw KANAAL Cafe at an intersection. Like the other beer bars, it was full of foreigners in town for the Balkan Beer Bash. As I walked inside, a large sweaty man barreled in past me, shouting in German. German may sound angry, but he wasn’t angry. Just drunk.
The staff, clearly used to this behavior, calmed the German down and insisted he get a coffee. And for good reason. In addition to craft beer, KANAAL is an excellent coffee shop. They’ve been special-brewing coffee since 2011. Before I even touched another beer, I asked for their blended macchiato. It was one of the few times I drank coffee for pleasure, and not just to wake me up.
So far, KANAAL has the largest tap selection I’ve seen in Sofia. There are some 38 taps to choose from, many of them local. I ordered another from Burgas’s Metalhead, a Grisette Rakau. It was better than their previous sour. Belgium yeastiness floated over tastes of corn chowder, wheat and salt and pepper.
All day, I had been touring Sofia by myself. But from my previous trips here, I had made friends. Now, I had a date with some local Hash House Harriers at Vitamin B Craft Beer Bar.
Vitamin B Craft Beer Bar
Unless you’re already in Hash House Harriers, there’s no need to talk further about it here. Let’s just say it explains why I’m used to walking (and running) to all these bars, rather than taking a taxi or bus. Sofia’s local Hash leader, Motormouth, also an American expat, and his girlfriend were up for a few beers at Vitamin B around 6:30pm.
Vitamin B is a 15 minute walk from KANAAL. Just before 6pm, I stepped into the bar. Except for a tattooed ginger bartender, it was totally empty. Empty at 6pm on a Friday? I can guess.
“So everyone is at the Balkan Beer Bash?'” I asked the cheerful bartender.
“Yes, it starts at 7pm. But people are already in que there. I will be there tomorrow…doing this. I think I will see you,” she laughed.
Sure thing. I looked at the list of 8 taps. Well, there’s Sofia Electric Brewing, but a much lighter brew. I took the Cold Lies, (naturally) a Cold IPA with the “good old trusty hop combination” fermented with a lager strain. It tasted like a lager, with oatmeal flakes, and an odd old flowers taste. Certainly not as good as their big barrel-aged brews from earlier.
However, I gave Sofia Electric Brewing another chance with their Decoup Imperial IPA, specifically because I love Vic Secret hops. The bartender said it was great, and it was: creamy, citrusy, with vanilla on top. Still, at 8.5% ABV, it was also a heavy hitter.
While I was carefully sipping this beer, a guy with dreads and a Grateful Dead t-shirt came in the bar. Now, I was no longer alone. As the guy looked at the beer list, I warned him, “Be careful of this Decoup. It’s about 9% ABV.”
For a moment, he looked at me derisively, then snorted, “Whatever. I’m Belgium. I drink beers like that for breakfast.”
Touché. Best beer comeback I’ve ever heard. With the joke well taken, we started chatting. Of course, he was in Sofia for the Balkan Beer Bash, and also traveling around the region. Although the festival was starting in 30 minutes, he was in no hurry to go. I didn’t mind. Motormouth was running late.
Around 7pm, Motormouth and his girlfriend arrived. True to his name, he immediately started chatting up the bartender, the Belgium, and me. Hash House Harriers have dirty minds, and one beer on tap, an espresso lager named “I’m So Horny,” suited our group. Although I had been in Poland three months before, and had many Pinta Brewery beers, this dirty one I’d missed.
Later, Motormouth asked me if I knew of Nosferatu Craft Beer Shop. Of course. I had planned to go there earlier – before the Pomona Island brewers happily delayed my plans. While the Belgium left us for the festival, the three of us hopped a tram to Nosferatu.
Nosferatu Craft Beer Shop
Summer solstice was almost here. Although it was 8pm, it was still bright and shiny when we arrived at Nosferatu Craft Beer Shop. However, that changed when we went inside.
As the name suggests, Nosferatu is a beer bar for anyone into all things dark: horror, goth, metal, punk, etc. The low ceiling, low lighting and unfinished concrete interior make the bar feel like an underground music venue. Thrash music played at a level too loud for an average bar, but just right for the dark t-shirted patrons here. In contrast to the other beer bars that day, this place was completely full, and most of the people seemed local. There’s just 5 taps, but an infinite amount of bottles on the walls.
At this point, I was just drinking whatever was in front of me. Motormouth ordered a round. His girlfriend ordered a round. I ordered a round. By 9pm, Nosferatu was calling me, and night fell on Sofia.
Later, alone, on a haphazard way to BlaBla Hostel, I found my way back in Vitamin B. Again, it was quiet; everyone was still at the Balkan Beer Bash. But the bartender was there with a friend. She mused, “I had a feeling you could return.” Reaching to the back of the fridge behind the bar, she pulled out a clear bottle of what looked like red wine.
Not quite wine, but close. It was Highway of Diamonds, a wild ale from Baghaven Brewing from Denmark. They are Mikkeller’s Foeder Barrel project, and make many elaborate blends. This particular one, from 2020, had Syrah, Grenache and Marselan grapes.
She popped open the bottle and poured three wine glasses full. “Not everyone likes this, but I think you will. Enjoy – the Bulgarian way.”
