With Christmas just around the corner, Romania’s craft brewers are pulling out all the stops. Below are some of the freshest beers on the market and where to find them.

Hophead – Pure C & Nebruna Dupa Tine

Two great beers that flew out of the brewery the first time have returned to tease our taste buds once again. Pure C is a C hop IPA and Nebruna Dupa Tine an Indian Brown Ale. Both are sure to please but get them while stocks last! Find them in bars around Cluj Napoca and online at berero.ro.

Sikaru – Christmas ale & Summer tide

Sikaru send seasons greetings with a brand new beer. Their Christmas ale is a wonderful red ale and is available now online at berero.ro. It can also be found at Piua book pub (Bucharest) currently and will make an appearance at 100 Berii this weekend. It hits the shelves of Auchen from next week and will be available at the Cluj street food festival. For those of us who think Christmas is overrated, Summer tide returns giving us another chance to taste the fresh hops of summer in this fantastic pale ale. Made in collaboration with Sunstone brewery, it is available online at berero.ro.

Bereta – Juicebag

Bereta’s latest concoction is ultra limited and is sure to sell out fast! Juicebag is a New England pale ale, the first of it’s kind from a Romanian (gypsy) brewery. Made in collaboration with Ground Zero, this beauty looks like peach juice with a head. Words are not an appropriate way to describe this beer. Tasting is believing. Available in limited numbers, in limited spots, Juicebag can currently be found online at berero.ro. In Bucharest get it at the Ground Zero taproom and Piua book pub while stocks last. In Timisoara head for, Viniloteca, Bibliotheka, Alt club and Reciproc. It’s to the Liquor store in Cluj Napoca tomorrow and will be available at the craft beer stand at the Cluj street food festival next week. Get it while you can!

Harvester – mulled cider

Thought cider was a summer drink? Think again! Mulled cider is a winter treat. Warming and delicious one can even make it at home. Check out this recipe or create your own! Otherwise, leave it to the pros and check out bars and restaurants in Cluj Napoca, such as 25 Avenue, Sisters, Studio 26 and Rod.

Hop Hooligans

New to the market, Hop Hooligans’ beers are currently available on tap in Beer ‘o Clock, Bucharest and Beer Zone, Iasi. Now also available by the bottle, look out for them next week in Cluj (including the street food festival), Timisoara and Bucharest. By all accounts, they are well worth seeking out!

Clinica de bere – Citrin IPA

The latest offering from Clinica de bere can currently be found at Auchen in Timisoreana and Arad. It will shortly begin to make it’s way around the country so look out for it!

Ground Zero – Spiced Oddity

Back by popular demand, spiced oddity should be ready to savour by New year’s eve. Some subtle changes to the spices ensure this batch will go down even easier than the last one.

There are some fantastic new beers out there, here’s hoping that we’ll see some more before the year is out!

P.S. For those in Cluj next week, be sure to check out the craft beer stand at the street food festival and savour most of the beers mentioned above as well as many others.