The other day we were shooting a video with Igor Chersky about beer in the “Gradusy” chain, and I saw a beer from Bosnia and Herzegovina on their shelf (at first I thought it was from Macedonia) from Banjalučka Pivara brewery. I had never had a beer from that country before. Naturally I bought it for a tasting.
Banjalučka Pivara is a relatively small regional brewery, founded in 1873. Curiously enough, it was founded by Trappist monks from the monastery of Maria Zvizda. The brewery is no longer a Trappist brewery, but an ordinary secular one, but the fact itself is interesting!
The flagship brand of this brewery is Nektar, but for some reason Banjalučko Pivo and Baraba were brought to us.
Banjalučko Pivo (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Banja Luka) – 4.6% alcohol. On the whole an ordinary lager. Aroma is weak. Taste is malty and clean. In the aftertaste has a bit of hops, which is nice and a little bit of honey hints. Not a bad beer. No frills, but drinks well and has no complaints. Rated C+.
Baraba (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Banja Luka) – 4.2% Seems like a slightly lighter version of the previous beer. All the same malt body and grassy hops, but more watery. Also quite mono-drinkable, although I would prefer Banjalučko, as more full-bodied. Rating “C”.
The price of this beer is 99 rubles. I can’t really imagine who would be a fan of this beer (Yugoslavian beer is not a “brand” after all), but you can buy it, purely out of curiosity.
