Craft beer in Slovenia:
Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery

Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery

Published: July 5, 2025
Our craft beer tour in stunning Slovenia continued from Kamnik to the southwestern part of the country, the historical region of Goriška, close to the border with Italy. In this beautiful region between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, we had a pleasure to get to know two great breweries; Reservoir Dogs brewery from Nova Gorica and Pelicon Brewery from Ajdovščina.
Landcape in Slovenia | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads

Reservoir Dogs Brewery brews bold beers with passion

Reservoir Dogs Brewery, operating in the town of Nova Gorica right on the Italian border, is among the most internationally recognized Slovenian breweries. Exporting to about 30 countries, Reservoir Dogs is particularly known for its richly hopped IPAs and delicious barrel-aged Imperial Stouts, but the brewery makes various beers across a very wide range of styles.
Tasting plate in Reservoir Dogs brewery | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
The Dogs say that they are quenching their passion for craft beer and loving it to death – they unleashed the craft beer hobby in 2014, starting first as a gypsy brewery and establishing an own brewery in 2017. Reservoir Dogs craft beers are brewed with a 4000-liter Slovenian-made brewhouse, roughly 350 000 liters a year, using quality ingredients. Dogs use a lot of domestic hops, especially Styrian Wolf from Savinja Valley, that has been in the brewery’s hop selection since its first harvest in 2015.
Reservoir Dogs brewery and taproom restaurant | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
Reservoir Dogs brewery | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
The beer selection of Reservoir Dogs is delightful; they brew a lot of hop-forward IPAs in different styles, but also for example Sours, Lagers, Blonde Ales, Stouts and Barleywines. Their barrel-aged series includes wonderful, strong and dark beers as well as sophisticated, modern BA Wild Ales.
Beer taps and bottles in Reservoir Dogs brewery | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
Green Gold brewery | Craft beer in Slovenia: Green Gold and Clef brew in the middle of hop fields | Craft Beer Nomads
Reservoir Dogs sells a notable amount of their beers in their stylish taproom restaurant and beer garden, adjacent to the brewery. It is a great venue to taste the beers super fresh from 16 taps, and to pair them with with delicious Pinsa Romanas and focaccias! You can also find Reservoir Dogs beers elsewhere around Slovenia, and furthermore, a lot is exported abroad. Italy is just a steps away from Nova Gorica, but that’s just one of 30 countries the beers are shipped to – that is a lot for a relatively small Slovenian brewery!
Reservoir Dogs brewery taproom restaurant | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
Reservoir Dogs brewery taproom restaurant | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
We had a pleasure to taste a wide range of Reservoir Dogs craft beers, and liked all of them, but we listed some of our favorites bewlo. Jump from the links to beer cards with more info and tasting notes.
Reservoir Dogs Seere Wild Ale

The Apocalypse series, with the four horseman of the Apocalypse in the labels, is all about heavily hopped IPAs and Pale Ales. It includes Conqueror Session IPA, Warrior Pale Ale, Grim Reaper American IPA and Starvation Black IPA. It’s hard to choose a favorite among these great beers, but if we’d have to, I think we’d name Starvation. It’s an aromatic, roasted and bitter Black IPA with a balanced combination of hoppy, fruity flavors and roastiness with coffee, crowned with a bitterish, herbal finish.

Reservoir Dogs Apocalypse series | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
Reservoir Dogs Conqueror Session IPA on the mountains | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads

Of the barrel series of Reservoir Dogs we got to taste both Wild Ales and the dark stuff; Imperial Stouts, Quadruple and Barleywine. Again it’s pretty hard to judge these delicious beers and choose favorites, but ended up giving the best ratings to Seere, wine-yest-fermented, matured Wild Ale with sour cherries, to Black Hole #50 Imperial Stout aged in Caribbean rum barrels and to The Last Bourbon, Imperial Stout aged in 3 different bourbon barrels for one year.

Reservoir Dogs BA craft beers | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
Reservoir Dogs The Last Bourbon

Of the lighter beers of the Dogs we liked a lot for example the Cum Grano Salis Gose with Karst juniper berries and the Mediterranean salt. Furthermore, you should check out the Sister -series, with delicious IPAs in different styles.

Reservoir Dogs - Sour Sister Sour Neipa | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
If you are traveling around the border of Italy and Slovenia, a warm recommendation to head to Nova Gorica, and to visit the Reservoir Dogs taproom restaurant, that is open daily from 3 pm until late, in the weekends until midnight!
Tasting plate at Reservoir Dogs brewery | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads

Pelicon Brewery is one of the craft beer pioneers in Slovenia

Pivovarna Pelicon from the small town of Ajdovščina, jusst 30 km east from Nova Gorica, is one of the first microbreweries of the country. Pelicon has been bringing delicious craft beers to the market since 2013, focusing on quality and creativity.

Pelicon Brewery craft beers | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads

The co-founder and head brewer of the brewery, Matej Pelicon, started with home-brewing when craft beer was still a very new phenomena in Slovenia. After getting good results, he moved in to commercial brewing, operating with a small kettles and fermenters, and spreading the word of the world of modern artisan beers. The market started to grow, and soon it was time for an expansion, and the current, locally-made 1000-liter brewhouse was taken in use.

Pelicon beer stand in a festival | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
Their first Pelicon brew, called Pally Pale Ale, was launched in November 2013, and shortly after The 3rd Pill IPA came to the market. This beer, that is still one of the core beers of Pelicon, won two silver medals a year later, and was named the best Slovenian beer on RateBeer. Since then, Pelicon has been a well respected and awarded microbrewery that brews artisan beers that are full of taste, the kind of beers that the small crew likes to drink themselves.
Pelicon - 3rd Pill IPA | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
The unfiltered, unpasteurized beers of Pelicon come in many flavors, and there is something for everyone in the selection, from light and easy brews to strong and heavy artisan beers. Pelicon has a small barrel series too, with intensive, strong beers aged different types of barrels. Furthermore, the Pelicon crew also makes delicious alcohol-free drinks, like a citric, hoppy craft soda called Hoppy Collins, that works super well as mixers in cocktails!
Pelicon Brewery craft beers | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads

The stylish black-and-white labels are a a kind of trademark of the brewery – they want to stand out from the common “a-little-bit-of-everything-with-a-bunch-of-colors” label style. The designs are designed by the brewery’s co-founder, Anita Lozar, who is also responsible for customer service and tastings as well as product development.

Pelicon - Quantum Double IPA | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
Pelicon offers wonderful Beer and Cheese packages, pairing craft beers with delicious cheeses by Golden Ring, a small boutique cheese factory from Sinji vrh, right above Ajdovščina. We had a pleasure to taste a few beers with different cheese, and the flavour combinations were fantastic!
Pelicon - Leaking Barrel | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
In the tasting we got to try Walter W. American Wheat paired with young White Valley cheese, Yes Boss Pale Ale with English-style Cheddar cheese, Quantum Double IPA with Sinji vrh Herb cheese and The Leaking Barrel Bourbon Stout 2021 with cave-aged Vipava Valley Colby cheese. Delicious!
Pelicon Brewery craft beers | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads

Out of the Pelicon beers that we tasted, our favorites were the Pelicon classic The 3rd Pill IPA, the fruity and balanced Quantum Double IPA and the delicious, intense The Leaking Barrel – Bourbon Stout 2021 (jump from the links to beer cards with more info and tasting notes), but we also liked a lot their lighter Ales and Lagers.

Pelicon - Superlager | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads

Should you travel to the beautiful Vipava Valley, a recommendation to taste craft beers by Pelicon Brewery! Their brewery shop in Ajdovščina is open on Thursday and Friday afternoons, and you can find Pelicon beers in a bunch of pubs and restaurants around Slovenia too.

Pelicon Brewery beer shop | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads
Pelicon Brewery beer shop | Craft beer in Slovenia: Reservoir Dogs and Pelicon Brewery | Craft Beer Nomads

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 4.8 / 5. Vote count: 26

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 4.8 / 5. Vote count: 26

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Any thoughts, questions or additions to this article?
Leave a comment below!

We really appreciate all feedback and updates if something has changed. You can also leave comment anonymously and your email address will not be published anyway.

Cheers!