Romanian beer
Romanian craft beer is young, but the scene has grown quickly in a short time. At Hoptimaal you'll find beers from Clandestin Beer, Bereta Brewing Co., Blackout Brewing and Hop Hooligans. The range is mostly stout, IPA and sour beer, plus barleywine.
- In stock now17 beers
- Breweries4
Breweries from Romania 4
All beers in stock 17
An old brewing tradition and a young craft scene
In what is now Romania, people were already drinking fermented grain drinks some eight thousand years ago, according to archaeological finds. The brewing tradition as we know it came later. The Saxons who settled in Transylvania in the twelfth century brought brewing with them. In the Middle Ages, monasteries played a large part in growing barley and brewing.
Larger-scale beer production began in 1718 with the Timișoreana brewery in Timișoara. In the nineteenth century, Griviţa (1869), Azuga (1870) and Rahova (1892) followed, among others. After the War of Independence of 1877, the berării spread across the country. In these beer halls, the urban middle class met and did business.
The old brands later largely ended up in the hands of international beer groups, and the independent brewers from the communist era disappeared. In January 2011, Clinica de Bere opened as the country's first craft brewery. Researchers see the growth since then as a mix of traditions from before 1989 and a revival of entrepreneurship, especially after 2010.
From mass-market brands to hoppy craft beers
For a long time, the country mainly knew mass-market brands such as Ursus, Timisoreana and Tuborg. The craft scene started at the basics. In 2013, Zăganu released an unfiltered, unpasteurised pilsner, an accessible step for drinkers coming from the big lagers. The turning point came in autumn 2014, when Ground Zero launched Morning Glory, a heavily hopped IPA.
Hop Hooligans opened a brewery in Jilava, near Bucharest, in November 2016. In 2018, the brewery announced it would become the country's first craft brewer to go into cans. The branding is also distinctive: many Romanian craft brewers use geographical, cultural and historical symbols to build a local identity.
Romanian beer at Hoptimaal
At Hoptimaal you'll find Romanian beer from Clandestin Beer, Bereta Brewing Co., Blackout Brewing and Hop Hooligans. The focus is on stout, IPA, sour beer and barleywine.
From Blackout, for example, you'll find The Past Is Obdurate - Wild Turkey BA, Entropy - Buffalo Trace BA and Arama Pe Față. From Bereta, Done With Everything and Chasm are among the beers rated highly on Untappd. Hop Hooligans has previously collaborated with Bereta.
Each brewery has its own page in our shop, where you can see that brewery's full range.
Frequently asked questions
What is typical Romanian beer?
Traditionally, Romanians mainly drink mass-market brands such as Ursus, Timisoreana and Tuborg. The craft scene is young and is characterised by hoppy IPAs and local branding. At Hoptimaal you'll mainly find stout, IPA, sour beer and barleywine.
Which Romanian breweries are well known?
Timișoreana is the oldest, founded in 1718. The craft brewers include Clinica de Bere, Zăganu, Ground Zero and Hop Hooligans. From us you can get Clandestin Beer, Bereta Brewing Co., Blackout Brewing and Hop Hooligans.
Since when has Romanian craft beer existed?
The country's first craft brewery, Clinica de Bere, opened in January 2011. The turning point towards hoppy beers came in 2014 with Morning Glory from Ground Zero, an IPA.
Beer from other countries
- Dutch beer 175
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- Norwegian beer 14
- Estonian beer 17
- Polish beer 11
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- Latvian beer 8
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- Danish beer 8
- Portuguese beer 4
- Welsh beer 5
- Scottish beer 4
- Brazilian beer 3
- Ukrainian beer 2
- Greek beer 3
- Slovenian beer 3
- Czech beer 3
