The following day, my reserved apartment would be full. Several places were available, but with prices for tourists whose typical travel plans include private jet. Just one place in Zadar’s Old Town – locally known as “The Peninsula” – didn’t have a price that made my heart rate increase. But it wouldn’t be available for three days.
Fortunately, after refreshing my feed, a ten-bed room in a hostel popped up. Great. But it’s only available for two days. Well, guess I’ll have to move to the fancy apartment.
With the COVID pandemic still raging on, I wanted to avoid hostels. I didn’t relish sharing air in a cramped room full of potentially infected strangers. However, Croatia’s primary industry is tourism, so the government was conveniently pretending Covid had disappeared that summer. Zadar was absolutely packed with tourists. For what it was worth, I was fully vaccinated.
Quickly, I booked the hostel, praying my vaccines would work. Then, I booked the expensive apartment on my “only for emergencies” credit card.
The following week was a roller coaster.
Zadar Is Too Hot And The Beer Is Too Cold
The night after I checked into a full-occupancy Guesthouse Mihalov, I checked in again. Luckily, a guest had canceled, so the owner let me to relocate to their empty room. I finished my morning classes, checked out of the first room, then hauled my luggage to the new room on the opposite side of the terrace.
The owner, a matronly old lady, was kind. Her English was as good as my Serbo-Croatian, which is to say: so-so. After I confirmed with her that I had moved, she cleaned the old room. Then, unexpectedly, she invited me to coffee and rakija on the terrace.
She chatted with me in Serbo-Croatian. I answered as best I could. She apologized for the room, for the Nazi skinheads who attacked me in Zagreb, for the massive number of tourists in Zadar despite the ongoing COVID pandemic. Her rakija – and later – her homemade cherry schnapps, helped my bad situation immensely. Seeing a stranger’s kindness, especially when faced with a language barrier, gives me faith in humanity.
That afternoon, I removed the bandages from my head, then set out to find craft beer in Zadar. If you venture off of The Peninsula, there’s quite a few places to visit:
- Backstage Bar
- Brlog Brewery, Bar & Shop
- Deja Brew Pub
- Pivovara Forum (ex-Donat)
- Pivovara Varoska
Brlog Brewery: Craft Beer In Zadar
Brlog Brewery’s location is new. After years as a homebrewing operation, they opened a brewpub in 2021 when Covid restrictions were easing…right before they tightened up again. They are a “brewing collective,” with around 40 people claiming title as owner. This includes their brewers, managers, bartenders and various other interested people.
Just a 10 minute walk from The Peninsula got me to Brlog Brewery. In a quiet residential area, their warehouse sits among several tall apartment complexes. In an improvised beer garden – the large paved parking lot – they host book readings, acoustic concerts, film showings and other cultural events. This goes all evening, that is, until the neighbors in the apartments start complaining that their residential area isn’t so quiet and call the police.
Irritating neighbors is part of Brlog Brewery’s proud legacy. Before the brewery, when the owners were homebrewing in a rented apartment, they were expelled for their “who-knows-what-they’re-up-to balcony experiments.”
Brlog Brewery’s brewers were expelled for their “who-knows-what-they’re-up-to balcony experiments.”
In Rijeka, I had already tried their flagship beers, Plavusa Blonde Ale and Neposlusna Hoppy Red Ale. They weren’t amazing, but I had better expectations drinking directly at their brewery. It didn’t disappoint.
I was at Brlog Brewery at 4pm when they opened. Naturally, I could try their brews with no interruptions from other guests. The bartender, a young blonde girl named Kruna, looked frightened when I greeted her in English. So I made a poor attempt at Serbo-Croatian, which made her friendlier. Outside of The Peninsula, tourists must not be common.
Fennel Gose Well In The Summertime
The Ninska Gose, which I ordered on tap, is one of my favorite beers from Croatia. However, this is because I love black licorice. The beer is fermented with fennel, which gives it a licorice or anise taste. Since it’s a gose, it also has salt, pepper and coriander flavors typical to the style. Licorice is not to everyone’s taste, but for me on this hot August afternoon, it felt great. Cool, clean, refreshing – a real summer beer.
Their Spurija Oatmeal Stout was too light and lacked flavor, although I reckon stouts are not a priority when you live in a hot Mediterranean climate. Gingerly, I sipped the beer while asking the bartender about seeing the brewery. She told me to come the next day when the owners would be there.
But which owners? Even as a collective, with 40 owners, there must be a number one. As it turns out, Brlog Brewery is notable for having two female managers and brewers. Additionally, their current brewmaster comes from Poland and lives with his Vietnamese wife in Zadar.
I met all of them the next day for the informal tour. It’s a small brewery. I walked up to the garage door, and introduced myself to the staff. They were busy packing beers for shipping, but they invited me to sit in the garage. While they worked, I ordered a beer.
That afternoon, I drank in the warehouse – chatting about beer, occasionally packing a crate, and wondering who owned Brlog Brewery. I wanted to keep my mind off of the COVID-infested hostel I would be checking into the next day. Besides that, my head, though not bleeding anymore, still hurt immensely.
Would things get better in Zadar?
For a guide to the best craft beer bars on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast click: here
