I spent both days of the weekend with glasses of beer in my hand.
I drank it in a restaurant, in a pub, and at home.
I guess that's how it should be during the festive atmosphere?
And that's why January is sometimes called a dry month, because the previous one was very intense😀
I spent Saturday evening with my friends in a local cuisine restaurant.
For the dish we chose a Stuffed Rolled Pork Loin, and for the salad we chose sauerkraut.
If you haven't had a chance to try sauerkraut, that's a shame, it's full of vitamin C and goes very well with drinks.
Just because of this meat specialty, I put the restaurant "Trpeza" on my map, with a recommendation for good food and a nice interior over the winter (the exterior is not promising, but the facade doesn't matter, when there are tasty bites on the plate and good beer in the glass 🙂).
After an aperitif in the form of plum brandy (šljivovica), we moved on to Stella Artois, a Belgian pilsner.
Stella is one of the world's oldest and most recognizable brands with a history spanning more than 650 years, rooted deep in Belgian tradition.
This beer was first mentioned six centuries ago, where it was brewed in a brewery called Den Hoorn (which means "horn"). This is the reason why there is a horn symbol on the label.
Sebastian Artois became the owner of the brewery in the 18th century and gave the brewery his last name.
The full name of Stella Artois was created in 1926, when the brewery produced a seasonal Christmas beer, "clear and bright like a star", and due to the huge interest, the recipe and this beer survive to this day.
Stella Artois is a lager that is classified as a pilsner with a characteristic balance, only Saaz hops from the Czech Republic are used, which gives the beer a floral aroma and mild bitterness.
Stella keeps a small percentage of corn in the recipe so that the beer has a lighter body. Dominant notes of malt, mild bread and herbal aromas of hops.
In order to ensure maximum quality, aroma and taste, this beer is poured into a glass - Chalice, which is designed to retain the foam and direct the bubbles to the top.
Unlike the Belgian original with 5.2% alcohol, the beer in our restaurants has 4.8% and is very drinkable.
Due to its high carbonation and clean finish, Stella pairs perfectly with seafood, but we've paired it with spicy food to wash your palate.
And that with a few tours during dinner 🙂
I didn't give up on Sunday, the beer weekend got a continuation.
In the nearby Pub, with a delicious lunch, like two weeks ago, when I ordered the same food, I drank only one glass of Matador, Red Ale from Tron Brewery (only one glass because I had to drive).
Although the name just says Red Ale Matador is brewed in an American style, distinct from Irish reds, and enhanced with hops.
It has a beautiful copper-red color that comes from special types of roasted barley malt.
When brought to the nose, you can feel the mixture of sweet notes (caramel, biscuit) and fresh notes of hops that lead to citrus and pine.
At the first sip, you can feel the fullness of the body and the mild sweetness of caramel and baked bread, followed immediately by the hop bitterness that cuts through that sweetness and leaves your mouth dry and ready for the next sip.
With 5.5% alcohol and medium bitterness (IBU around 35-40) Matador goes fantastically with grilled meat or burgers. Caramel notes from the malt complement the seared meat perfectly, while the hops help wash away the greasy mouthfeel.
From the Pub, I had to drive into town, and when I got home, still thirsty, I find a few cans of Robocraft beer in the fridge.
I chose Nakemono, a Cold IPA style that I haven't had the chance to taste before.
It is a relatively new style in the world of craft beer that combines the best of two worlds: the intense aroma of hops (characteristic of IPA beers) and the drinkability of lagers.
The name "Cold" was given to this beer because of the production method.
Unlike classic IPA beers, which use top-fermenting yeast, Cold IPA uses bottom-fermenting yeast (lager), but fermentation takes place at slightly higher temperatures than with regular lager.
In this way, a style is obtained that gives a lighter, very dry and refreshing beer, with an explosion of tropical and citrus notes of hops.
Nakemono has 4.5% alcohol, which makes it very light and it is a beer that can be drunk for a long time without getting satiated quickly.
Due to the Cold technology, the beer has a clean finish reminiscent of a premium lager, but with the bitterness and aroma of a serious IPA beer.
This beer is ideal for those who like the aroma of hops, citrus and tropical aromas and flavors, but do not want the heaviness and high alcohol percentages that come with classic IPA beers.
This is exactly the kind of beer I needed to quench my thirst and bring this beer weekend and the last #Beersaturday tasting in 2025 to an end.
Bottom line, this year I've written a total of 36 posts with beer tastings I've had, which is really the output of a serious beer drinker.
I met some interesting beers in those 36 weeks, and certainly in the new year, I will try to maintain the same or an even stronger pace, as far as my health, situation and nutritionist allow 😀
Happy New Year my dear Hive beer drinkers, take care and drink beer!
CHEERS!.
