The Ultimate Guide for a Belgrade Local Craft Beer Tasting Tour

If you’re an enthusiast of craft beer, then a tasting tour of Belgrade is a must. With an array of local breweries, offering unique and tantalizing flavors, Belgrade has made a name for itself in the craft beer sphere, and with good reason. While no visit to the city would be complete without sampling some local craft beers, we’ve created this guide for an ultimate Belgrade craft beer tasting tour, which offers an insight into what the city’s craft beer industry has to offer.

Why Craft Beer?

Officially defined as a beer made by a small and independent brewery, the craft beer scene offers a variety of flavors tailored to appreciators’ palettes. These beers are often made with unusual and creative ingredients, as brewers are free to use their imagination in their work, often transforming standard recipes and creating experimental flavors. As craft beer breweries eschew the mass production techniques used by other breweries, they are able to create beer with a distinct flavor and color profile. Beyond this, craft beer drinkers are able to engage with the brewers themselves in order to get a better understanding of their products.

The Tour

The city has plenty of options for beer drinkers who wish to experience firsthand the delights of Belgrade’s craft beer scene. So, we’ve outlined below a general tour of Belgrade breweries and taprooms for those keen to further their appreciation for craft beer.

The Salas 137 Brewery

Kicking off the tour is the Salas 137 brewery, located in the internationally renowned Stari Grad district of Belgrade. This brewery can often be found near the top of any serious craft beer fan’s list and serves up an array of full-bodied, hop-forward beers that are sure to tantalize your taste-buds. Notable mentions include their American IPA Kahuna, which sports a sweet malt base with a homey hop finish, as well as their more tropical New England IPA, Wanderlust. If you’d like to pair your experience with some food, they also have hints of barbeque in their SMASH IPA and serve up artisanal dishes to go along with it.

LAB Brewery & Kitchen

The second stop on our tour is the LAB Brewery & Kitchen, located near Belgrade’s Central Station. The brainchild of two passionate brewers, LAB Brewery serves up an array of English-inspired ales in a modern taproom setting. Headlining their ever-changing lineup is their extra special bitter fittingly named LAB No. 2. Those looking for something hoppier can try out LAB No. 4, an American pale ale that features an array of malt flavors backed up by notes of tropical fruits. The brewery also has a full kitchen serving up delicious pub-style dishes to accompany your drinks.

Usce Brewery

Number three on our tour is the Usce Brewery, one of the oldest craft beer breweries in Serbia located close to Belgrade’s Kalemegdan fortress. Best known for its Mileva Pils beer, Usce has built up quite a reputation among locals over the past few years and rightly so – having won multiple awards at major beer festivals around Europe. Aside from Mileva Pils, Usce specializes in British-style pale ales and IPAs that offer a more malt-forward flavor profile. Usce also has a Tap House which has 8 taps including 2 permanent taps and some guest beers for those eager to sample their wares.

Maker Brewery

Next on our tour is Maker Brewery, located just off Belgrade’s famous Skadarlija street. Maker brewery offers a unique take on craft beer that blends both European tradition and American innovation. Its standout beer is Maker IPA – deservedly named as it was voted one of the best IPAs in Serbia by Beer Judge Certification Program in 2017 – featuring aromas of ripe citrus fruits, perfectly balanced with its malty backbone rounded out with an earthy hop finish. Another noteworthy mention is the brewery’s black lager which boasts delicate citrus notes balanced against an array of roasted malts. It also regularly changes up its rotating taps to keep guests engaged!

Seven Hills Brewery

Our penultimate stop is the Seven Hills Brewery, another relatively new kid on the block located near the Danube river in Zemun. Also featuring a rotation of guest beers from local breweries, Seven Hills offers a handpicked selection of its own house brews for those looking to sample some top-notch craft beers. With innovative recipes under its belt, Seven Hills is best known for its Seven Hills Ale – an English pale ale featuring notes of lemon, pine and subtle grapefruit – as well as its malty 7 lager. The brewery also has a terrace cafe which offers indoor and outdoor seating options that overlook Belgrade’s wider historical river frontage which is simply too good to miss out on!

Blitz Brewery

Last but certainly not least on our tour is Blitz Brewery – located just off Novi Beograd’s well-known Knez Milos Street. Featuring 15 tap lines that showcase brews from both local and international breweries, Blitz focuses on its own recipes made from Slovenian malts and aromatic hops from Slovenia and New Zealand respectively. Its showcase beer is its exceptional Blitz IPA – loaded with citrusy and passion fruit hop aroma – along with its crisp Heller Blitz Lager that displays notes of grapefruit and citrus and perfect for out hose hot summer days! The brewery also serves up tasty burgers in its taproom if you fancy pairing your beers appropriately!

Conclusion

A craft beer tasting tour of Belgrade offers visitors a unique insight into Serbia’s burgeoning demand for artisanal beer as well as giving fans and connoisseurs a chance to sample some truly outstanding beverages. From stouts to IPAs and lagers to bitters, Belgrade has plenty of options for those looking to expand their understanding of craft beer. If you’d like to make your own craft beer tasting tour, then you can book it here with GetYourGuide. It includes guided visits to different bars, breweries and taprooms around town in order to give you the best insight possible into Serbia’s exciting craft beer scene!