Sunstone Alehouse

This page was last updated January 6th 2021. No further updates and maintenance will be performed on it.

Location: Chișinău, Moldova
Brewing since: December 2014
Brewing for the Romanian market since: August 2016
Brewer: Kirill Zmurciuk

General Information:

We’ll be honest with you: we spend quite a lot of time debating whether we should include this little gypsy brewery in our database. After all, the company is registered in Moldova, and our focus is on Romanian brews. However, after much debate, and especially after we realized that the majority of their beers were made for the Romanian market, we decided that they’ve earned their spot.

Kirill’s brewing background stemmed from the same necessity most beer lovers come across: a love for great beer, and not enough to pick from when it came to quality. Clearly, when nature fails to provide, you must make your own, so taking on homebrewing was the next logical step. Several years down the line, his wares made a humble appearance at local craft markets, and from there, it was only a matter of time before his passion took a more lucrative turn.

Just like vikings in the olden days used the sun stone to navigate the seas, Kirill used his passion for beer to lead him on an adventure over the river Prut and the border with Romania, so in the summer of 2016, he ended up on the shores of Sikaru brewery. The 4 different beers they made together were a good omen, and since then, Sunstone Alehouse has collaborated with several other Romanian breweries, such as Hop Hooligans and Oriel Beer.

Ever busy, Kirill is also involved with the craft beer scene back home. Using his expertise, he concocted the first recipes for the Tenemu brewery, as well as giving a hand or two at Lumen Craft in Moldova, or Troubadour in Odessa. As a passionate photographer, he also held the first workshop in Romania on how to take photos of beers like a pro, as part of the Bucharest Craft Beer Festival. And because he’s an excellent storyteller with a knack for a joke or two, we highly recommend reading all about his brewing shenanigans on the Sunstone Alehouse blog.

His beers for the Romanian market are usually available by 330ml bottle, and you can find the latest releases online, on Berero Store. Or, if you’re a bit of a wanderer yourself, you can use this little map here and navigate to the nearest pub.

Products brewed for the Romanian market:

Brewed at Sikaru brewery:

  • Summer Tide – Pale Ale – 5.2% ABV
  • Alternosfera IPA (brewed for the band Alternosfera) – 5.2% ABV
  • Silky Surf – Coffee Milk Stout – 6.4% ABV
  • Highland Dew – Scotch Wee Heavy – 7.2% ABV

Collaborations at Hop Hooligans brewery:

  • Sinking Ship – Imperial Smoked Rye Porter – 9% ABV

Collaborations at Three Happy Brewers:

  • Tea Muppets – Tea Hopped ESB – 5% ABV

Collaborations at Oriel Beer:

  • Quadrupel IPA – 11% ABV
  • White Quadrupel – Belgian Strong Golden Ale – 9% ABV

For reviews, check out RateBeer, Untappd and Universitatea de Bere.

Contact details:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sunstoneale/
Web: http://sunstoneale.com/