Raketa Bar
Sofia
SOFIA · BEER DIRECTORY
Good beer lives here
Independent bottle shops, taprooms, beer halls and neighbourhood pubs worth saving.
22placesSOFIA
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Витамин В
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The Wrong Bar
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Ale House Craft & Draft
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Amant Wines & Craft Beer
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Pivoteka Craft Beer Shop
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Tom’s Place
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Kanaal
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The World of Beer · The Mall
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Crafter
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Rock’n’Rolla
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McCarthy’s Irish Pub
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Halbite Beer Hall
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High Five
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Бирария Дондуковъ
Sofia
100 Beers
Юрий Венелин 1
Beer Shop Бирен Рай
Цар Иван Асен II 52
Коловоз 41
Черковна 41
BiraBar
Париж 8
Tap Local
Георги Бенковски 6
Jeevs
Ангел Кънчев 26
Кафе Тони
Шипка 22
TASTING EDITION
Beer
Passport
Seven beers. Five styles. One route from a clean lager to a dark imperial stout.
Seven beers, five styles, one tasting
Start tasting ↓BEER KNOWLEDGE EDITION
Beer
Guide
Learn the numbers, styles and stories behind beer.
Beer metrics, styles and stories
Start learning ↓01
02
03
04
05
06
07
START CLEAN → FINISH DARK
BEER BASICS · READ THE LABEL
Three numbers worth knowing
IBU describes bitterness, ABV measures alcohol and OG shows how much fermentable sugar the brewer started with.
The three main beer metrics
IBU01
International Bitterness Units
More hops and a longer boil usually mean more bitterness. Above roughly 100–120 IBU, the tongue struggles to tell the difference.
Bitterness
5–20 mild30–50 balanced50–100 bitter
ABV02
Alcohol by Volume
The percentage of alcohol in the finished beer. Yeast turns the difference between OG and FG into alcohol and CO₂.
Alcohol strength
3–4.5%Light5–7%Medium8–12%+Strong
OG03
Original Gravity
The density of sugar in the wort before fermentation — in other words, the beer’s alcohol potential.
Wort density before fermentation
Water1.000Standard beer~1.050Strong beer1.075+
BEER ANATOMY
Four ingredients, thousands of outcomes
Beer begins with water, malt, hops and yeast. Change one variable and the entire sensory profile can move.
Water
Sets the mineral profile and can sharpen hops, soften malt or brighten acidity.
Malt
Provides fermentable sugar, body and flavours from fresh bread to coffee and chocolate.
Hops
Bring bitterness, aroma and notes such as citrus, herbs, resin, flowers and tropical fruit.
Yeast
Turns sugar into alcohol and CO₂ while creating fruity, spicy, clean or funky character.
FROM GRAIN TO GLASS
How beer is made
Brewing extracts sugar; fermentation turns it into alcohol, carbonation and flavour.
1
Malt
Crush the grain
2
Mash
Convert starch into sugar
3
Boil
Sterilise and concentrate
4
Hops
Add bitterness and aroma
5
Ferment
Yeast makes alcohol and CO₂
6
Condition
Let flavour settle and mature
BEER HISTORY
Thousands of years in five stops
The process changed. The social idea stayed: make, share and taste.
Early grain ferments
Probably discovered when wet grain began to ferment.
Everyday product
Beer was part of daily food, work and wages.
Monastic refinement
Recipes became more systematic and hops more important.
Scale and precision
Refrigeration, microbiology and pure yeast made beer more consistent.
Craft experimentation
Brewers reinterpret history with new ingredients and techniques.
CRAFT BEER
Small. Independent. A brewer.
The Brewers Association defines an American craft brewer through scale, independence and the act of brewing—not through one flavour or style.
Brewers Association ↗≤ 6Mbarrels per year
< 25%owned by a non-craft alcohol company
BREWERlicensed brewer or owner of beer brands
Outside the United States
There is no single global legal definition of craft. Independence, scale and brewing approach carry different weight in different markets.
INTERACTIVE STYLE MAP
What are you in the mood for?
Choose a direction. This is a starting point, not a rigid rule: styles overlap and brewers reinterpret them.
TRY THIS FAMILY
Pilsner or Kölsch
Clean, dry, refreshing and easy to read.
COLOUR · EBC
From straw to black
18 EBCGold
PaleAmberDark
READ THE LABEL
Six clues on one can
6.2% strength48 IBU bitterness14°P original extractIPA style440 ml volumeDD/MM freshness
STRENGTH SPECTRUM
How strong can beer get?
Most beer sits around 4–10% ABV. Beyond the normal tolerance of brewing yeast, extreme products may use repeated freezing or added spirit, moving closer to liqueur or whisky territory.
4–10%Typical beer
10–15%+High-gravity brewing
20%+Concentrated or fortified
~40%Vodka reference
These extremes are sipped in small portions, not consumed like ordinary beer.
FLAVOUR VOCABULARY
Name what you notice
Start broad, then become specific. There is no prize for finding an aroma that is not really there.
Hops
CitrusTropical fruitFlowersHerbsResin
Malt
BreadBiscuitCaramelCoffeeChocolate
Fermentation
BananaClovePepperStone fruitFunk
Structure
SweetSourBitterSaltyDry
GLASS & TEMPERATURE
Serve aroma, not just cold
Very cold beer can hide aroma and flavour. Stronger, darker beers usually reveal more as they warm.
Pilsner glass
4–7°C
Tall and narrow: shows clarity and keeps carbonation lively.
BEER & FOOD
Match, contrast or cleanse
Match intensity first. Then echo a flavour, create contrast or use carbonation and bitterness to reset the palate.
PAIR WITH
IPA or amber ale
Bitterness cuts fat; toasted malt echoes the crust.
OFF-FLAVOURS
Feature or fault?
Context matters: a note may suit one style and spoil another. These five are useful warning signals.
Diacetyl
Can be acceptable in a few styles, but often signals incomplete fermentation or poor handling.
DMS
May come from malt or an insufficiently vigorous boil.
Oxidation
Oxygen and age flatten fresh flavour and create papery notes.
Light-struck
UV light reacts with hop compounds; brown glass offers better protection.
Hot alcohols
Often linked to fermentation that was too warm or stressed.
TABLE FACTS
Four facts worth dropping in
90–95% water
Local water chemistry can genuinely change the taste.
An ancient recipe
The Sumerian Hymn to Ninkasi also preserves a description of brewing.
1516
The Bavarian purity law named water, barley and hops; yeast was understood later.
One fermentation
Yeast creates both alcohol and the CO₂ behind natural carbonation.
QUICK CHECK
Your beer knowledge
Five questions. Choose one answer for each and see your result immediately.
Which ingredient creates alcohol?
What does IBU describe?
Which fault smells like wet cardboard?
Why not serve every beer ice-cold?
Which glass helps preserve a large aromatic head?
0 / 5Answer all five questions
YOUR TASTING ROUTE
From light to complex
Order matters: begin with clean, delicate flavours and finish with dark, strong beers.
From light to complex tasting
PERSONAL TASTING NOTES
My tasting passport
Your personal tasting passport
0/ 7 stamps
7 still to taste
01
Põhjala Laager
Start the tasting · clean and light
TASTE
Crisp bitterness, toasted biscuit, fresh bread and floral hops.
STYLE STORY
Lager is defined by cold fermentation and maturation, not by being pale. Its clean flavor leaves nowhere for flaws to hide.
TABLE FACT
This bottle has 30 IBU and floral, spicy notes from three classic hops.
02
Sofia Electric Brewing Kisel
Compare acidity and salinity
TASTE
Clean lactic sourness, gentle salt, white grape and floral hops.
STYLE STORY
Gose is a historical German style built on bright acidity, salt and refreshment.
TABLE FACT
Hallertau Blanc adds white-wine and citrus aroma without turning the beer into a bitter IPA.
03
Sofia Electric Brewing One Track Lover
Aroma first, bitterness second
TASTE
Bright hop aroma, citrus, white grape, light resin and a clean bitter edge.
STYLE STORY
No Coast IPA combines New England juiciness with a drier, more bitter West Coast finish.
TABLE FACT
Nelson Sauvin can suggest Sauvignon Blanc and gooseberry; Dolcita brings peach, pineapple and orange.
04
PINTA Hazy Delivery
Look for texture and tropical notes
TASTE
Juicy citrus and tropical fruit, a silky body and low bitterness.
STYLE STORY
Hazy IPA grew from New England IPA: cloudy, soft and built around hop aroma.
TABLE FACT
Wheat and oats soften the body; Idaho 7, Strata, Sabro and Talus drive the aroma.
05
Anderson’s Catch Up! Chili
Balance tomato, salt and heat
TASTE
Ripe tomato, basil, salt, bright acidity and slow-building chili heat.
STYLE STORY
A culinary twist on a sour-salty German style: the bridge between beer, gazpacho and Bloody Mary.
TABLE FACT
Tomato, basil and Carolina Reaper create a remarkably gastronomic beer at only 4.1% ABV.
06
Anderson’s Applehoff Cherry Brandy BA 2023
Sip slowly · find the oak and brandy
TASTE
Tart apple and cherry, cinnamon, brandy and dessert-like acidity.
STYLE STORY
A sour ale aged with apple and cherry in brandy barrels. Oak and spirit warmth add depth.
TABLE FACT
Granny Smith apple, Ceylon cinnamon and lactose make the base beer feel like liquid apple pie.
07
Põhjala Pime Öö
The finale · dark, strong and slow
TASTE
Chocolate cake, coffee, liquorice, blackcurrant and plum.
STYLE STORY
Imperial stout grew from strong export stouts: dark, warming and made for slow sipping.
TABLE FACT
Pime Öö means Dark Night. At 12–16°C its chocolate and dark-fruit notes open up.
0
PASSPORT CONTROL
Your passport is taking shape
Add a stamp after every pour. Your ratings and notes stay saved on this device.
Data is saved on this device
INTERACTIVE TOOL
From gravity
to strength
Yeast eats the difference between original and final gravity. Move the sliders and watch the ABV and glass level update live.
From gravity to alcohol strength
ABV≈ (OG − FG) × 131.25
STRENGTH (ABV)5.3%Standard ale / IPACalculated from OG and FG
OG measures sugar before fermentation; FG shows what remains after. Water = 1.000.
TASTING METHOD
Four simple moves
Four tasting steps
01
Aroma
Smell first: hops, malt, fruit, roast and spice.
Aroma02
Body
Notice whether it feels light, silky, creamy or thick.
Body03
Balance
Compare sweetness, acidity, bitterness, salt and alcohol.
Balance04
Finish
Ask what remains after the sip and how long it lasts.
Finish18+
Taste small pours, drink water between beers and never drive after drinking.
Drink responsiblyHOMEWORK · BEER COCKTAILS
Six mixes that actually work
Try one after the tasting — or save the recipe for another evening.
Homework — beer cocktails
TRY ONE
01
Shandy
Lager + lemon soda · 50/50Light, fizzy and low-ABV.
Beer cocktail recipe02
Radler
Lager + grapefruit or citrus sodaThe German cyclist’s classic.
Beer cocktail recipe03
Michelada
Lager + lime, hot sauce, spice and a salt rimA savoury Mexican brunch drink.
Beer cocktail recipe04
Snakebite
Lager + cider · half and halfAdd blackcurrant for a Snakebite & Black.
Beer cocktail recipe05
Black Velvet
Stout + sparkling wine · layeredRich, elegant and surprisingly smooth.
Beer cocktail recipe06
Beermosa
Wheat beer + orange juiceA mimosa that went to a brewery.
Beer cocktail recipe