Craft beer in Slovenia:
Introduction
Craft beer in Slovenia: Introduction
Slovenia is an ancient wine country, and in its second-largest city, Maribor, you can admire the world’s oldest living grapevine. In addition to wine, the country also has long and strong traditions in brewing and hop cultivation. The boom of modern craft beer reached Slovenia relatively late, but today there are over 100 artisan breweries in the country, and the popularity of craft beer in Slovenia is growing. Slovenia has also invested in beer tourism, and visitors can choose from different beer related tours, some of them including visits to breweries and even to hop farms. Furthermore, Slovenia is home to one of the major hop growing areas of Europe, and the first beer fountain of the continent. In this introduction post, we provide an overview on Slovenia as a hop growing region and as a craft beer country.
Savinja Valley is home to Slovenia's green gold
In the valley of the Savinja River, which flows from the Alps through central Slovenia, hops have been cultivated for centuries, and this lush region is one of the largest hop-producing areas in Europe. The central city of hop cultivation is Žalec, home to the Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing (IHPS), which has been responsible for the scientific and technological development of Slovenian hop cultivation since 1952, as well as to the hop processing company Hmezad. In and around Žalec, there are dozens of hop farms that cultivate the green gold of the Lower Savinja Valley. And then there are modern hop harvesting centers, where hop cones are separated from the harvested hop vines and dried. During the hop harvest in late summer, the delicious aroma of fresh hops wafts over Žalec and the entire valley.
Slovenian hop fields cover a total of about 1,700 hectares, and up to 98% of the hops produced in the country are exported, mainly to other European countries. Traditional Slovenian bitter hop varieties, such as Aurora, Celeia, Savinjski golding, and Bobek, dominate production, but there are also several aroma hop varieties on the market. The Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing is leading the development of new hop varieties, to meet the strong demand for more aromatic hops and to bring European alternatives to the market. These new Slovenian varieties, often used as aroma hops in Pale Ales and Hoppy Lagers, for example, include varieties like Styrian Wolf, Styrian Fox, and Styrian Dragon.
Let’s take a closer look of one of these new aroma hop varieties. Styrian Wolf, bred in Žalec, is a kind of hybrid of European and American hop heritage. This hop brings an intense hop aroma and fruity notes of mango, lemon, lemongrass, pear, melon, or berries to beer, and in some cases even a hint of coconut aroma. Styrian Wolf is typically used in aroma-hopped India Pale Ales, combined with other newer Slovenian hops. Wolf is also often used together with American varieties such as Mosaic, Chinook, or Citra.
Beer tourism is growing in Slovenia
During our beer and hop farming related travels in Slovenia, we were pleased to see that beer tourism has become quite a popular phenomenon in the country and there is plenty of quality craft beer in Slovenia. The operators in the field aim to improve the awareness of artisan beer, brewing and hop cultivation, and to do joint marketing for craft breweries. One such company is Beer Way Slovenia (Pot Pivo Slovenia), from the small, beautiful town of Kamnik, north of the capital Ljubljana. We had a pleasure to meet Ksenija from Beer Way Slovenia, and to make with her a quick tour in the town, learning about beer tourism in Slovenia.
In Kamnik, Beer Way has several tour packages to choose from. There is a walking tour in the city, including local stories about history and freedom, guided beer tasting of locally brewed craft beers, including the Beer of Freedom, Beer Way’s “house beer”. You can also choose a tour that includes a wider tasting session and a visit to one of the four local breweries, or a package outdoor beer quiz and tasting. A full day “Beer Lovers” package that includes three hours walking along the Beer Way trail, with four stops to taste the beer of four Kamnik breweries and a guided brewery tour too. Furthermore, there is a full day e-bike and beer tour, with cycling in the mountains and a visit to a brewery and hop plantation. More about craft breweries in Kamnik will follow in a separate article soon.
In Ljubljana, Beer Way organizes Beer and River tours that include a canoe ride and a brewery visit with a beer tasting. There are also Boat and Beer Tasting tours, with a river boat ride and a tasting session with locally brewed craft beers. Both sound like an amazing way to get to explore Ljubljana and get familiar with artisan breweries that call this beautiful city home! Furthermore, there are brewery visit packages available too. More about craft breweries in Ljubljana will follow in a separate article soon.
In Žalec, Beer Way organizes Hop Harvest tours during the hop harvesting season. During these tours, visitors can take a trip to a hop farm, pick hops, hike among the hop-fields and have a tour and tasting in a local microbrewery. Furthermore, the tours of course include a visit to the beer fountain of Žalec! The Green Gold Fountain, built in the central park is a tribute to the hop tradition of the Savinja Valley. Opened in 2016, the beer fountain makes local beers brewed with Slovenian hops accessible to everyone in a fun and educational way. You can also visit the fountain independently, just simply buy a beer glass from the store right next to the fountain, and place it under one of the taps to get a pour of beer. There are introductions of each beer and hops used in them. For the price of 12 € you get six 1 dl tasters – the glass is equipped with a microchip that the tap detects, and the beer is poured automatically.
The Slovenian Association of Small Breweries, which aims to unite players in the brewing industry and improve the position and awareness of artisan breweries, has also taken steps to promote beer tourism. In 2023, the association launched the BeerPass project, which resulted in a Beer Passport that introduces Slovenian beers and small breweries to domestic and foreign visitors. BeerPass is a small, passport-sized booklet that presents 15 small breweries and their beers, and where you can collect stamps from having tasting flights in the breweries’ taprooms. With the passport you can get discounts and other benefits, and after collecting stamps, you can participate in a raffle, where you can win 100 liters or 300 liters Slovenian artisan beers!
Especially during the summer season, there are several beer festivals and other beer events around Slovenia. One of the most famous events organized in Ljubljana is Pivo & Burger Fest, a food and beer festival held twice a year in the heart of the old town. The event brings together numerous Slovenian breweries, restaurants, and chefs specializing in artisan burgers. The combination of good beer and tasty burgers is likely never to go out of style, and the Pivo & Burger Festival is a great opportunity to combine gourmet experiences with a city tour in charming Ljubljana.
Slovenia's craft beer scene is delightfully diverse
During our beer trip last summer, we visited a total of 13 Slovenian microbreweries and had the opportunity to meet owners and brew masters alike, and hear the stories behind the breweries and their beers. Ljubljana can be considered the country’s beer capital, with several artisan breweries, taprooms, and beer restaurants, but craft breweries are also abundant elsewhere, in cities as well as smaller towns and villages across the country.
In the post series to follow this first post about craft beer in Slovenia, we will introduce microbreweries from different parts of the country, so stay tuned for a big splash of information about hoppy, crispy, sweet and funky Slovenian artisan beers and breweries behind them!
About Craft Beer Nomads
Craft Beer Nomads is a blog about artisan beer, microbreweries and craft beer culture in Europe and beyond. The blog is written by FinnsAway, a nomad couple who has been on the road since 2017, and enjoys tasting new craft beers all around the world.
Subscribe our newsletter
Where are we now?
BA Prototype 2023: Martinique BlendA delicious, flavorful BA Russian Imperial Stout by Nova Runda Brewery from Croatia
Read More »
