OnTap Magazine

ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2025 | 49 WORLD OF BEER also have Zăganu, another major craft brewer; Maktoob, run by a Moroccan gypsy brewer married to a Romanian; Anagram, run by a California brewer also married to a Romanian; Ground Zero; One Beer Later; Ultima; and Oriel, which concentrates on Belgian styles such as quadrupels. Cluj-Napoca has Blackout Brewing, concentrating on bourbon barrel-aged beers. Timișoara has Bereta, also one of the largest craft brewers, as well as One Two. Iași, where we stayed, has Capra Nostra and Tomești Hill Brewing. In terms of styles, NEIPA was all the rage while we were there, followed by West Coast IPA. Fruit beers and sours were popular albeit less so now. There is also a fashion for unusual Spice, Herb and Vegetable beers. For example, Ultima has a Ramen Gose with ramen noodles, habanero, salt, MSG and cinnamon. Anagram has a Blood Orange, Fennel and Mint Gose; and a Mango and Salted Caramel Gose. One Two has a Mango Habanero Sour; a West Coast IPA with Tarragon; a Cucumber Lime Pepper sour; and a Tomato Gose collaboration with Ultima. Overall, I was pleased to see that the number of beer bars in Iași had grown from one in 2019 to four now. The beer quality had also improved, from roughly an average of low ‘Very good’ to medium ‘Very good’ on a BJCP score sheet. Romania remains a worthwhile country to visit. It is much cheaper than Western Europe, and most people that one encounters in public places speak fair to excellent English. As can be seen in some of the pictures, the majority of beer labels are in English, with a minority in Romanian. The food, and particularly the pasta, is also good. In Iași, Cârciuma Veche and Bolta Rece are good choices for traditional Romanian food, and Panoramic and Romeo e Giulietta for pasta. Kaze Taproom menu