A Bosnian: Preminger

I think it’s time for another Balkan beer. Although it may not sound balkan, Preminger is in fact a Bosnian beer. And for that matter a very nice Bosnian beer.

• Name: Preminger
• Brewery: Bihaćka Pivovara
• City: Bihać
• Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Preminger is characterized by a golden color and a somewhat medium white and foamy head. There’s not much to the nose, except some minimal amount of skunkiness along with typical malty/grainy smell. The taste is nothing to remember it by really – a slightly watery and sweet beginning is followed by a grainy body and a slightly bitter and hoppy finish.

It doesn’t offer much taste, to be completely fair, but it still makes a pretty nice summer refreshment, expecially when extra ice cold. Nice, but nothing special. There are several better options when in Bosnia.

• Style: Pale Lager
• ABV: 5%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops, hop extract

RATINGS

• Appearance: 4 / 5
• Smell: 3 / 5
• Taste: 3 / 5
• Overall: 3 / 5

My Champion: Sarajevsko Pivo

I don’t know what it is with these “Balkan” beers (probably the fact that I grew up with this sort of beers, and the number of meetings with them, but still), but I believe they are the best tasting lagers out there (together with Czech beers). Well, at least most of them. Among them is also my favourite beer (most likely to be the favourite, tough to say for sure, though), named after the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

• Name: Sarajevsko Pivo
• Brewery: Sarajevska Pivara
• City: Sarajevo
• Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevsko Pivo may not seem anything different from most of the other lagers, but there are some differences, although subtle but no less important. And these subtle differences make this beer so great. It has a clear, golden color with a pretty decent white head that tries to stay with you for some time. The smell includes gentle aromas of malt, hops and some grains. So far, nothing really to set it apart from others. The taste starts with a sweetness of the malts, and is followed by a pretty decently hopped body, which offers just the right amount of taste. The finish is pleasantly bitter. Not too much or too little bitterness here.

It is an extremelly drinkable lager and it also makes a great refreshment. As some other lagers from this area, it is perfect to wash down some of the local foods (yes, I0m thinking čevapčiči again). You have to taste it, to really see what I’m talking about. Probably there are some other better beers, but for now, it remains my top beer.

• Style: Pale Lager
• ABV: 4,9%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops

RATINGS

• Appearance: 4 / 5
• Smell: 4,5 / 5
• Taste: 5 / 5
• Overall: 5 / 5

The Bridge Beer: Mostarsko Pivo

Ah, my final destination, the Bosnian town of Mostar, proved to be the highlight of my Balkan Tour. Throughout the history, Mostar has been somehow a divided city. Today, this is not as obvious, but is perhaps best seen in the fact that you can easily get a beer beside your meal on one side of the river, whereas there is no alcohol served in a bar on the other side. But leaving that behid, when in Mostar, treat yourself with a nice Mostar beer, you are sure to find at least one bar which does serve it.

• Name: Mostarsko Pivo
• Brewery: Hercegovačka Pivovara
• City: Mostar
• Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostarsko pours out with a familiar clear and golden color, with a finger of nice white and foamy head. The aroma is nothing special, since I can only point out a weak smell of grains and some malt. The taste is pretty neutral, although by no means watery. It starts on the sweet side and finishes with a pleasantly bitter finish. Nothing you haven’t seen really, but still a very decent lager.

The best quality of Mostarsko Pivo, in my opinion, is its compatibility with the local cuisine. It goes perfectly with some čevapčiči, ražniči and pleskavice. If you ever wander to Mostar, or to any other part of Bosnia or even other Balkan countries, you definitely must try some of these local foods, and don’t forget to wash it down with a nice glass of local beer. This worked perfectly in Mostar.

• Style: Premium Lager
• ABV: 5%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops

RATINGS

• Appearance: 4 / 5
• Smell: 2,5 / 5
• Taste: 3,5 / 5
• Overall: 3 / 5

The Nectar of Gods: Nektar Pivo

This is another beer from our party trips, this time to the Bosnian city of Banja Luka (to be precise, Banja Luka is part of Republika Srpska). Nektar proved to be a perfect companion, both to the Bosnian food (mmm, čevapčiči) and Bosnian party.

• Name: Nektar Pivo
• Brewery: Banjalučka Pivara
• City: Banja Luka
• Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina

This very pleasant Bosnian lager pours out with the typical golden color. The glass is topped with quite decent and thick white head, that stays around for a while. It has a very faint aroma of malt and some addition of hops. The taste is light, but pleasant. The sweetness of the malts in balanced by the hoppy bitterness. The finish is bitter, but not too much, neither too little.

The relatively high carbonation and its smoothness make it a perfect refreshment in the summer, and it quite easy to down a couple of these in a row. It feels especially good accompanied by Bosnian cusine, such as burek, čevapčiči, pleskavice, etc.

• Style: Pale Lager
• ABV: 5%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops, yeast

RATINGS

• Appearance: 4,5 / 5
• Smell: 3,5 / 5
• Taste: 4 / 5
• Overall: 4 / 5