The Craft Beer Oases of The Dalmatian Coast

“Yes, Dalmacija is very beautiful area, but it is a craft beer desert.”

Crni, the owner of Zagreb’s X Bar and Horvati Pub, told me to contact him if I came to Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. He had a family house in Vodice, a seaside town an hour and half east of Zadar. After a year stuck in Zagreb struggling to keep his businesses afloat throughout the COVID pandemic, he was finally taking a much-deserved holiday with his family.

I took an hour-long bus from Zadar to Sibenik. Vodice was about halfway between the cities. Crni and I coordinated a meeting at a gas station on the outskirts of Vodice where the bus stopped. The bus was almost 20 minutes late. I panicked when I got out. His car, with an “easy to see” car-top carrier, was nowhere.

And I had no phone service in Croatia.

The Craft Beer Oases of The Dalmatian Coast

Aimless and sweating, I walked around the parking lot in circles. After I calmed down, I entered the gas station, thinking to beg the attendant for his mobile. The line was long. Suddenly, I saw a car with a carrier enter the parking lot while I was standing there. I ran out and waved at it. Crni’s face appeared at the window. As a long-time bar owner, he was always happy and quick to crack a joke. “This is our Croatia’s buses,” he chuckled. “When I didn’t see you, I thought, ‘Of course the bus is late,’ so I returned in 10 minutes.”

Another moment of panic averted. While Crni waited, I bought a bottle of water in the station. When I stepped in his car, he laughed at my water, reached in the back seat and handed me a beer from a cooler. He told me of our plans for the day, then hit the gas, quickly. I guessed he needed a break from his family.

“I swim with the kids, the wife. We go to the beach, eat dinner.” Crni sighed, “It’s all nice. But gets boring. And we aren’t drinking craft beer. …Ok, I get one keg there.”

We were on an adventure to find the Dalmatian Coast’s craft beer bars and breweries…what few there were:

Ninkasi Beer Bar In Beautiful Tisno

First, we drove to the village of Tisno to visit Ninkasi Beer Bar. Tisno sits in a strait between a row of gorgeous white cliffs and the large island of Murter.

The car descended to the blue water, then slowly crossed a narrow bridge which connects the mainland to the island. The village looks beautiful, yet wealthy. Everywhere, yachts and small cruise ships lined the shores. People sunbathed, ate and fished on them.

Ninkasi Bar hides about 100 meters from the water’s edge in a wide alley just off a small square. Its owner, Ivana, has had the building in her family for two generations. After a visit to Crni’s pubs in Zagreb, she got into craft beer. There was practically no beer like that in Dalmatia. Yet Tisno had a steady stream of visitors – mainly British and Irish – who asked for craft beer. Consequently, Ivana decided to open the pub during the busy tourist season (May – September) to answer those pleas. Since she is one of the few female craft bar owners in Croatia, she named the pub after the Sumerian goddess of beer and brewing.

But how to maintain good fresh beer when it’s 90(40)+ degrees outside every day? Ivana went to the trouble of making a proper cool chamber. While the coastal summer heat rages, the five tap beers stay a comfortable 30-40 degrees. Well worth it. Under Ninkasi’s white veranda, Crni and I enjoyed a properly chilled Dubrovnik Vienna Lager.

Next, after Ninkasi Bar, Crni drove me to Sibenik, another popular tourist town. But we drove past the scenic old town to the outskirts. We were going to a microbrewery, Pivovara 022.

Sunset And Scenery In Sibenik

Pivovara 022 has an interesting concept. Their beers are named for important numbers in Sibenik’s history and culture. The owner, although he struggled with English, was accommodating and gave me a short tour of the place while Crni translated. They have a small selection of five regular beers, most of which are decent. However, the 1646 Pale Ale is recommended.

It was late afternoon. While the sun got lower in the sky, we chatted over our beers. We joked. The owner explained each beer’s stories. Then we drank more beer. After some time, Crni said it was time to go to the center of Sibenik.

Finally, we entered the historic old town of Sibenik. As we drove laps around the center, not finding a spot, Crni muttered, “So many tourist here.” Eventually, he settled on paid parking. We walked a short way through one of the white-marbled alleys to our last stop, S.H.E. Bio Bistro.

Young romantic vegetarian couples rejoice: S.H.E. Bistro is your place. The restaurant has a full vegetarian/vegan menu. There’s a second-floor balcony bar with a gorgeous view over the azure bay of Sibenik. Yet, as always, Crni and I were just there for the craft beer.

“My friend, Bubo, owns this bar. He prefers wine, and vegetarian food. He is a gay,” Crni laughed. “But I started him into craft beer. It is the best choice you will find here so…ok, but not great.”

Bubo showed us a refrigerator with bottled beer. There were a few bottles of Primarius Pivovara and Sibenik Pivo, but none of the major Croatian craft brews like Nova Runda or Zmajska. Crni and I choose Primarius’s APA, the Blagoslov. Bubo looked amused. He walked us to a hall with a flight of narrow stairs. They ascended to a white stone balcony which looked like it had been a castle’s parapet in ancient times. On the right was a bar. To the left patrons sat on the long white wall with their drinks. About two hundred years ago these people would be armed and waiting on this stone wall for invading foreign navies. Now, they were awaiting the sunset over the beautiful bay.

Already, lamps were turning on in the streets below. While Bubo attended to his employees, Crni and I talked and sipped our beers. We were in the minority; most of the patrons, mainly foreign couples, drank elaborate cocktails or local white wine.

When the sun set, a slight lull came over the bar. Everyone stopping talking to witness the moment. The sky flared yellow, crimson, orange, purple. Even I forgot about my beer as I watched the sun dip into the blue Mediterranean Sea.

I had found my craft beer oasis on the Dalmatian coast.