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Trying alcohol-free Bulgarian Beers

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As some may know I do enjoy travelling around the world and trying out alcohol-free beers that I cannot find in the UK. Last month I went to Sofia, Bulgaria for the first time and thought I would share a quick review on the alcohol-free drinks I found.

Firstly, though, I just thought I would give Bulgaria a thumbs-up. I found the weather perfect, Sofia interesting to walk around, people friendly and food tasty; a recommended destination for a city break.

The good news continues as there was quite a plethora of alcohol-free beers, spirits and wines to purchase in the local stores. Of course, there were some familiar drinks I’ve already tried (such as Heineken,) but I also came across three interesting alcohol-free drinks, including 2 beers and a cider (which I’ll review in another post).

As a non-Bulagairan speaker, I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce the beers below, but did do some research when I got back to give you some info on them just in case you plan to visit Bulgaria.

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ZAGORKA non-alcoholic beer review

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This particular alcohol-free beer is a popular one in Bulgaria called Zagorka 0.0%. It’s brewed by Zagorka Brewery which was founded in 1902 and named after the brewery’s home city of Stara Zagora. It is now fully owned by Heineken hence the availability of this beer across the country.

That said, this was pretty grim drinking. There was some strange, bitter metallic taste that really did not sit well with me. Perhaps it was the combination of hops used but I ended up pouring this down the sink. Shame really as it had a nice amber colour and a frothy head.

Score 48/100

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Pirinsko 0.0% review

As you can see, the above beer did not go down well. How about Pirinsko 0.0%?

Just like Zagorka, Pirinsko was bought up by a behemoth of the alcohol world – Carlsberg Group. They bought up the Pirinsko brewery (located in Blagoevgrad) in 2002 and as such have made Pirinsko a pretty commonly found beer across Bulgaria

The good news is that it was a lot tastier than Zagorka. There was a nice balance of malt and hops making for a refreshing lager. It had a light amber colour in the glass with a relatively low frothy head. A recommended non-alcoholic option if you are touring round Bulgaria.

Score – 69 / 100

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Final thoughts

As mentioned above, I was quite surprised by the variety of non-alcoholic drinks in Bulgaria. I can imagine 5 – 10 years ago there was little in the way of choice, but globally, I’ve seen a shift in mindset with people enjoying alcohol-free as well as alcoholic drinks. Hopefully you’ll visit Bulgaria soon and appreciate the food, drink and climate.

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I have tried to be as accurate as possible with the information above however if you feel there are any inaccuracies then please contact me and I’ll make the relevant amends.

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