For most people beer from Belgium, Bavaria and the USA is not something new. But what’s the story with Hungarian beer types? The Budapest Times went to the Sörmanufaktúra beer pub to discover this country’s artisan brands. Come take a tipple with us among the colourful diversity.

Summer is in the air; time for the urban catering institutions to bring up the dusty beer benches from the basement and announce that the beer garden season is here. Here’s a tip for those who want to enjoy locally brewed drinks with fresh air and sunshine: the pub Sörmanufaktúra in Buda.
Opposite Szent Flórián Church in a hidden corner of District II’s Tarasz Sevcsenko tér the rustic pub is hiding in a basement. There is an enchanted ivy garden just in front of the door, where white round tables invite the guests to take a seat. Looking at the drinks card it’s not hard to guess what they specialise in: exclusive beer types – mainly from Germany, Austria and Hungary.
Just as in the case of wine, there is beer tasting too. Sörmanufaktúra cooperates closely with the micro-brewery Legenda, and if you would like to taste some of the recipes from brew master Roland Utassy, here is a beer tasting list that goes from light to dark, from weak to strong:

The light starter: Hableány (in English: Mermaid)

This ale from Legenda is mainly produced from malted barley. The beer with its sweet and fruity smell is an ideal starter for the inexperienced craft-beer drinker. The light texture is similar to that of natural apple juice. It tastes very aromatic, a bit like cider, just suitable for springtime. You can only feel a slight bitter note at the finish of Hableány. The lack of foam is noticeable, pointing out that the drink contains hardly any carbon dioxide. With its 4.5% alcohol content Hableány is one of the weakest beer types. A 0.3-litre bottle costs HUF 550.

The bitter clown: Jokerface

This India Pale Ale, also brewed in American style, contains citrus hops. The colour gives away that we are talking about a black beer. It has an even more intensive fruity smell than Hableány. However, the smell is deceiving, since Jokerface has a very bitter herbal note in its taste. Besides the controversy between the taste and the smell, the design of the bottle is very interesting: a hatefully grinning clown stares down from the label. This beer recipe was also invented by Utassy from Legenda. It has an alcohol content of 6.5%, and a 0.5-litre bottle costs HUF 850.

The smoking panzer: Bazooka

This rye smoked beer brewed from a combination of rye and malt already has a very strong smell, which reminds us of smoked ham and large counters with sausages. With the hearty smell in the nose the first sip will be just as overwhelming. As a matter of fact, Bazooka does indeed taste like smoked ham. Why the recipe was named after the armament is a mystery. The texture reminds us of a creamy cappuccino. With no bitterness at all but still with a very strong smell and taste, Bazooka is a quite unique experience. The Legenda beer with 6.5% alcohol costs HUF 750 for a 0.5-litre bottle.

A bar of chocolate: Édes Élet (in English: Sweet Life)

This deep black stout promises a chocolate note, since besides barley and malt, cocoa is one of the ingredients. It smells neutral, surprisingly not sweet at all. When you taste it, however, it is very sweet and at the same time has some bitter note, similarly to bitter chocolate. The inspiration for the name of the most liquid praline in the world came from the Italian black-and-white film “La Dolce Vita” by Federico Fellini in 1960. Will the chocolate beer cause the same frenzy as the film once did? In any case, Édes Élet with 6.3% alcohol promises an interesting taste and it relaxes the tongue after tasting the smoky Bazooka, so it’s an ideal drink to finish the beer tasting. A 0.3-litre bottle is HUF 750.

Sörmanufaktúra
    
Address:
Ganz utca 6, District II
Monday to Thursday 3-11pm
Friday and Saturday noon-11pm
www.sorspecialista.hu

Prices: HUF 790-4900