It is time for Zurich Beer Tour's Top 3 beers for April 2022. Simona's pick is Pale Ale from her home country of Bulgaria and has something to do with potatoes. Sandro's going for a NEIPA that was brewed for International Women's Collaboration Brew Day. This month's staff pick is a beer that started off as a spicy homebrew. Let's do this
Simona's pick: Sofia Electric (BG) - WANT FRIES WITH THIS? Pale Ale
The Beer:
This hazy pale ale from #Bulgaria was specifically brewed for one of the best Burger restaurants in Bulgaria: Skapto. This hop loaded pale ale delivers enough hop aroma to go with a nice burger, but it doesn't overpower. Double dry-hopped with the classic #Citra hops, this beer is a modern take on a classic beer style. To have the ultimate food pairing, you need to add some of Skapto's loaded fries to your order. Hell yes we want fries with that!
The Breweries:
You can find out more about the brewery in this blog article.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Skapto's Satoshi Burger and Cheddar sauce and Jalapeño loaded fries.
Sandro's pick: BIERlab (CH) X B.I.E.R. Verein (CH) - U.N.I.T.Y. NEIPA
The Beer:
This amazing beer was brewed with an even more amazing purpose. The women of B.I.E.R. Verein (a society that "brews for inclusion, equality and respect is an association that brews beer to donate all profits to charities that support their values") made this collab together with several other #women working in Zurich's beer scene. It was brewed at one of our favourite #brewpubs in Zurich, the BIERlab. The brew was part of International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day, where women from all over the globe who work in the beer industry brewed beers for a good cause (find out more here). All of the profits of this beer went to Kweza Craft Brewery, Rwanda's first craft brewery owned, led and brewed by women.
The Brewery:
BIERlab is one of the best places in Zurich to have a delicious beer and if you are lucky enough, you can also watch them brew while having your beer because their brewery is visible from the seating area. If you're interested in finding out more about this place, you can book your Zurich Beer Tour here to learn more.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Grilled pork chops with grilled asparagus
Zurich Beer Tour's pick: Meltum Brewery (BG) - HomeBrewStar - Hot Sour Cherry Ale
The Beer:
This beer is an amazing mix of flavor and spice, and if you don't like spicy it could be too much for you. This sour beer was brewed with sour cherries and #chili extract. If you had beers brewed with chili peppers before, you know that most breweries are really careful with the amount of spice in those beers. But in this brew, the capsaicin (the spicy stuff in chili peppers) is to be felt in huge amounts. What is also special about this beer, is where the recipe comes from. This beer is part of the so called HomeBrewStar, a initiative for homebrewers in Bulgaria who want to show off their skills. The contestants' beers will be rated on untappd, and the winner recipe will be brewed on a big scale at Meltum brewery.
The Brewery:
Meltum brewery is based in Lovech, Bulgaria. Everything started when Pavel, one of the founders, experimented with homebrewing using a 7 liter brewing vessel he had borrowed from a friend. After some more brews Pavel, his father Georgi and his friend Todor decided to found an actual brewery. They were later joined by Dr. Petar Nedyalkov, technologist and lecturer in Wine and Beer Technology at the University of Food Technologies in Plovdiv. The name of the brewery is inspired by the oldest known name of their hometown of Lovech: Meltum.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Dark Chocolate with high cacao content
These are our three beers. Which ones were your favorite brews in April? Tell us in the comments!
Are you looking for more personalized recommendations, that are made to fit your taste? Check our Pocket Beer Sommelier.
Stay tuned for our May recommendations!
Cheers,
Your Zurich Beer Tour Guides