The amazing ninth day of my epic adventure in Albania continued in the city of Korçë, where I dove into the local food and beer culture! Join me as I go on a VIP tour of Korçë Brewery, have an Albanian beer tasting, and enjoy a mouthwatering steak lunch in Korçë, Albania!
My boy Erjan from Travel Media EU and I began our day at Taverna Vasili. Like nearly every restaurant I had visited in Albania, it seemed like it was an old house that had been converted into a restaurant.
Up the stairs is a covered outdoor terrace with 5 tables where you can enjoy the breeze, and inside, there is a cozy dining area with wooden tables and a couch. There are photos of old-school Korçë on the walls, wines, and even display the beef behind windows. Downstairs, the dining area has a very farm-like rustic feel. There’s a mini wine cellar, and everything felt and looked like a super unique steakhouse.
I started with some Korçë beer to begin my Albanian beer tasting in Korçë, Albania. The beer comes in two styles here: dark and blonde. The dark was nice and chilled. It was basically their version of craft beer. It was a porter style and had notes of coffee beans in it!
Then, we started with a soup with egg yolk, lemon, pepper, butter, and tiny noodles. It was light but full of delicious flavor. I enjoyed it a lot, but then, it was time for our main course!
The pork ribs were marinated in the Korçë beer and baked in it before it was grilled. The skin was super crispy, and the meat was tender and juicy. It’s one of the best ribs I’ve ever eaten!
Our mixed platter also contained grilled pork, marinated veal, beans, potatoes, red peppers, grilled cucumbers, and eggplant! The eggplant was phenomenal and super fresh! I also loved the smoky grilled pork. The beans were tasty and oily, and the veal was amazing!
Then, we had a unique type of petulla that was very soft, not fried, and covered in nuts! It was like several layers of crepes topped with walnuts. It was bitter and not sweet at all, but tasty! I loved it with the grilled pork! The red peppers were also super tasty and full of moisture.
Before we left, I headed back inside the restaurant, where I saw some of their aged sirloin steaks. They’re aged 300 days and look unbelievable! You can tell there’s a lot of flavor in them!
7
Now that I was stuffed, we headed to Korçë Brewery, a.k.a. Birra Korçë. It’s the oldest brewery in Albania and opened in 1928. I could see a building with offices, some huge tanks, and a beer garden. It smelled amazing inside the brewery. They several of their beers arranged on a table, including a light, a blonde, and the dark beer I tried earlier.
The stools inside were made from barrels! Then, I saw their 4 massive tanks, including a masher and boiler, and some of the ingredients they use. It’s a classic large brewery, which is a well-oiled machine. They produce 10 million liters of beer per year!
In the chemical room, they keep a bottle of each beer here and constantly check the beer quality. Next, we headed through a dark tunnel to the filtration room, a huge system. We drank two large beers, which were light and refreshing. It was fresh from the tank, and it was perfect!
Next, we saw where they increase the cells of the yeast. It was freezing there! Under the 58,000-liter fermenting tanks is a type of room I’d never been in! Then, we saw how they check the quality of the water they use and how they can and keg the beers. The cans go down a long assembly line. It was such a unique VIP experience that most people can’t get! I hadn’t been to a brewery this big in a long time!
Then, we headed to the beer garden to try the blond and the dark. The blond is on tap there while the dark is bottled. The garden reminded me of Munich, Germany! The blond is not too alcoholic or filling and a nice summer beer. The dark one was so tasty with the notes of espresso beans!
What an awesome afternoon tour of Korçë Brewery and Albanian beer tasting in Korçë, Albania! Even though most guests can’t enjoy the same tour I did, a trip to Korçë Brewery is a must when you visit the city! Huge thanks to my friends at Travel Media EU, Balkan Pearls Tour Operator, and Rental Car Albania for making this trip possible!
Also, read about my trip experience in Pogradec, just a 50-minute drive away from Korçë.
I hope you liked coming to Korçë Brewery with me and tagging along on my first Albanian beer tasting in Korçë, Albania! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell, so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
Counter
101 Countries • 1432 Cities
