Bucharest certainly doesn’t have a shortage of craft beer bars, all offering a great range of beer styles in bottles, cans and on tap. And although we opted to stick to Romanian-brewed beers, there were plenty of international beers available too.
We managed to visit seven craft beer bars during our stay (plus one outside Bucharest), but there were plenty more we could have added to the list. And although all seven are within walking distance of each other (and the old town), they each have such a good range of beers that there’s no reason to try and squeeze them all into one night. We recommend spreading them out so you can try a few brews in each.
Ground Zero
Two-minute walk from University Square
Inside Ground Zero
We arrived in Bucharest around 8pm and headed straight to University Square to grab some food. After lining our stomachs, we stumbled across Ground Zero. Since they had 20 beers on tap, we decided it would be a shame not to pop in and sample a couple.
Enjoying a red ale
20 beers on tap
What we drank
We decided to stick to beers brewed by Ground Zero, starting with a red ale, then moving on to a hazy IPA.
Amber Guerre 5.6% Red Ale
Brewer’s note: There is only one right way to ask for this beer. First, start growing a moustache. Second, practice your French accent. Then, when you are finally confident that you can pass for a French tourist in Oklahoma, put on your turtle neck, go to the bar and say to the bartender: "I WOULD LIKE TO BUY AN AMBERGUERRE". You will be rewarded with a beer bursting of floral hops in the aroma, with a complex taste where amber malt plays the leading role, followed by a bitter hoppy aftertaste. Pour les connaiseurs.
Split the Pot 7% Hazy IPA
Brewer’s note: In poker, when 2 opponents have both the winning hand they split the pot. When the time came to add a new beer style to our lineup, we set up a vote for our fans. The race was neck and neck between 2 favorites, so in the end we've decided to have 2 winners and brew both. This beer was the runner up of the popular vote. It showcases our favorite hops, Centennial and Mosaic, and it is meant to be consumed fresh, so check the production date on the label, to track the beer's trip from our studio to your glass. We hope you'll share our views and have no problem splitting the pot with your friends.
Amber Guerre
Split the Pot
Beer Station
A fantastic range of local and international brews
Beer Station is located on Lipscani - a street that’s well-known for its bars. Just around the corner, you’ll find Beer O’ Clock and Tap Craft Beer, so you can do a mini bar crawl without having to walk more than a few metres. We intended to visit all three during our trip, but unfortunately, we didn’t manage to get to all of them. However, we did make it to Beer Station, which had an excellent range of local and international brews on offer.
Entrance to Beer Station
What we drank
There were so many beers we’d have loved to have tried, but we decided to stay local and stick to Romanian-brewed beers. We opted for an IPA from Bereta Brewing, described as a “West Coast-ish IPA.”
'Ai Pi Iei 6.3% IPA (Bereta Brewing)
‘Ai Pi Lei
Ironic Taproom
26 beers on tap - choose your pouring size
26 beers on tap
Ironic Taproom is about a ten-minute walk from Beer Station or eight minutes from Ground Zero.
While we weren’t blown away by the atmosphere in Ironic, we were impressed with the huge range of beers on tap. We also liked that they were all priced by the 100ml, and you could choose what size pour you’d like.
What we drank
Since we were in the Ironic Taproom, we thought it made sense to try two Ironic Brewery beers.
Don’t Feed The Cat 5.5% IPA
Ghinion 5.2% Fruited Sour
Don’t Feed The Cat
Ghinion
NoRoom Taproom
The smallest taproom in Bucharest
We’d heard about NoRoom Taproom before our trip, and it was on our list of must-visit bars. It’s on the same road as Ironic Taproom, so we did both in the same night.
As the name suggests, this is a very small venue. During our visit, there were a total of six of us inside, and it was pretty cosy. You could maybe fit ten, but after that, you’d be standing on each other’s toes. Despite the small size, the bar did have a good range of beers, with a total of ten taps.
What we drank
We don’t see many Black IPAs on tap in the UK, so we always like to try them when we get the chance. This one was 8% and was excellent.
3 Is A Crowd 8% Black IPA
Brewer’s note: 3 year anniversary brew for NoRoom Taproom brewed in collab with our partners Maktoob Brewing. Featuring New Zealand hops and light chocolate-roasted malts.
Pardon Pub & More
Lovely bar with good beer and good food
Entrance to Pardon Pub
Pardon Pub is north of the old town, a short walk from the National Museum of Art (an 18-minute walk from Beer Station).
As well as sampling a couple of brews, we also treated ourselves to a Flammkuchen (similar to a thin-crust pizza, but with a white base instead of tomato), which was delicious.
We really liked the atmosphere in Pardon Pub. Despite being relatively quiet (it was a Monday night), it had a nice feel about it, and we’d have happily sat there all night had we not already planned a visit to Hop Hooligans (which is a nine-minute walk away).
Pardon Pub & More Bar Area
Flammkuchen
What we drank
Turtă Dulce (Gingerbread) 5.7% Gingerbread Pale Ale (Delta Beer)
We started with a winter ale from Delta, made with hops, orange, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, anise, and coriander. I’ll admit I didn’t love it, but then, I don’t always love Christmas spices.
War Pigs 5% Fruited Sour (Delta Beer)
Our second brew was a lovely fruited sour ale made with sour cherries and passion fruit, which was delicious.
Turtă Dulce
War Pigs
Hop Hooligans Taproom
Modern beers in a historic building
The tap handles are all made from kitchen utensils
Although there were plenty of craft beer bars less than five minutes from our apartment, we wanted to visit the Hop Hooligans Taproom during our trip to Bucharest, and we’re glad we did.
The bar has two main rooms and a beer garden (although it was too cold to sit outside when we visited). And with 25 taps and a range of cans and bottles, there are plenty of brews to choose from.
What we drank
Shock Therapy V61 6.5% IPA
We started with this beer because we agreed that if they’ve made 61 versions of it, it must be pretty good. And it was. This version was made with Azacca, HBC431, and Galaxy hops.
Night Lights 6.5% Black IPA
Since the Black IPA we had the night before was so good, we decided to go for another. It was a great beer, but we decided 3 is a Crowd just pipped it.
Sharpest Knife In the Drawer 6% Smoothie Sour
This blueberry, sweet cherry, strawberry, vanilla and pistachio ice cream sour ale sounded interesting, so we thought we’d give it a whirl. Alex thought it was delicious, but I wasn’t keen. It just had a flavour I couldn’t quite place that I didn’t like at all.
Delta Taproom
Cosy taproom with a nice atmosphere and good beer
We popped into Delta Taproom on our last night and would recommend a visit. A lovely little bar, located by the river, just a two-minute walk from the bottom of Calea Victoriei. Despite being small in size, they have a big range of beers, including ten on tap.
What we drank
Chill Lizard Dilemma 8.1% IPA
We started with an 8.1% double dry hop IPA, which was very good.
No Mercy Sour 5% Sour
The No Mercy Sour appealed to us because it had no added fruits or flavourings, meaning it was a more traditional sour ale (and a very good one).
Imperial Pineapple Paradise 8% IPA
Pineapple Paradise sounded too good to miss and had lovely pineapple flavours without being too overpowering.
We also picked up a can of Butter Beer to take home with us as it sounded interesting and the image on the can was super cute.
Halftime
Not great for craft, but perfect for watching live sport
Cat not guaranteed to make an appearance
We wanted somewhere to watch the football, and Halftime was right near our apartment. Although it doesn’t have a huge range of beers (or any craft beers), it’s a good venue for watching live sport.
What we drank
There was a Romanian blond beer on draft (Bucur) so we went with that as we wanted to stay local. It wasn’t anything special, but not a bad beer either.
Mustața de Bere (Brașov)
Not in Bucharest, but worth a visit if you find yourself in Brașov
Cat not guaranteed to make an appearance
During our visit to Romania, we took a trip out to Transylvania and had a couple of hours in the city of Brașov. We managed to find a lovely taproom - Mustața de Bere - and couldn’t resist popping in for a brew.
What we drank
We’d have liked to have stayed for a couple of beers, but we had to head back to Bucharest, so we only had time for one. We decided the French Amber Ale sounded good, and it was.
If you do venture out of Bucharest and find yourself in Brașov, make sure you pop in for a beer.
Craft beer in Bucharest
We only scratched the surface of the craft beer scene in Bucharest and would definitely return in the future. If you like your craft brews, it’s a great destination for a long weekend or even a week away. But be sure to sample some local wines and plum brandy while you’re there too!
Join me for a beer
Did you know I run regular online meet-ups for beer lovers? Sign up, treat yourself to a beer you’ve never tried before and then join me and other friendly beer-lovers online for a brew and a chat.
