As my epic final day in the Republic of Georgia continued, I set out to explore a different side of the country’s second-largest city. Come with me as I check out the incredible nightlife and food scene in Batumi, Georgia!
My guide Tim from Friendly GE and I started our evening at Maximus Beer, a family brewery and craft beer shop that has been around since 1884. They produce four beers, including to lagers, a witbier, and an ale. Inside, we met Nikokay and picked mugs from their wall to drink from!
Then, we headed into the brewery, which is a huge facility. I could see 16 stainless steel tanks in total. We’d be drinking beer straight from the tanks.
We started with a cold, light, and fresh witbier. I loved it! Next was their dark lager, which was creamy and had a lot of head on it. They sell the beer in a few different fars and shops in Batumi. Then, I tried their German lager, which was light and also had a creamy texture.
We then saw their brewing system, including the boiler where they were boiling wheat and barley. Later, they’d add hops and aromas. Finally, I tried their non-alcoholic golden ale, which was light and a nice summer beer. We followed that with a Czech lager, which wasn’t too bitter, and some kvass, a non-alcoholic drink that’s like drinking bread. I could taste cinnamon in it!
Then, they took me elsewhere to enjoy a huge spread of pork, sausage, chicken wings, fries, fritters, bread, nuts, pork legs, jerky, and cheese. It was an amazing spread. I loved the oily jerky, the fritters with the spicy mustard, and the pork, which had been boiled in the dark lager and then fried! The pork with the mustard was unreal!
Then, Nikolay took us down to their onsite youth boxing gym! It’s a non-profit gym for underprivileged kids!
From there, we drove past lots of modern buildings in the new side of Batumi to Adjarian House, where we had two different salads, sinori (wheat rolls topped with cottage cheese, butter, herbs, and garlic), borano (cheese fried in butter), chakondrili (stewed beef with pomegranate seeds and sauteed onions), and some Saperavi dry red wine.
The Saperavi dry red wine was nice and dry, and the borano was soft, fluffy, and chewy. It’s basically a string cheese cooked in butter from free-range cows from the Adjarian mountains. I loved the herbal and creamy sinori.
The chakondrili was really nice and tender. I loved the pomegranate seeds. I was loving the Adjarian dishes and tried some super strong chacha. Then, we jumped on the salads, which included nigvziani badrijani (stuffed eggplant rolls), shredded carrots, and tomatoes with nigvzis sakmazi (walnut paste) and pomegranate seeds. We also had mchadi, which is a cornbread fritter.
The mchadi was similar to American cornbread but was crispier on the outside. The nigvziani badrijani was so fresh, and there was a nice dish with walnut paste, pomegranate seeds, and a bit of spice!
Then, we headed to some local bars near our apartment with our friend Nina, starting at Popeye, a cozy craft bar. They make a drink called nastoika, which is vodka infused with fruits and botanicals. They were light and fruity, but they are deceptively strong at 30% if you drink too much.
Next, we hit up Sami Ludi (which translates to “Three Beers” in Georgian) to try a lager, an American Pale Ale, and a stout. Experiencing the nightlife and food in Batumi, Georgia, was such a fun way to end my trip! The APA was a light, creamy, crisp pale ale. The lager was nice, and the stout was my favorite. It tasted like chocolate and espresso.
Finally, at Chacha Time, we had some chacha! It’s extremely strong! What a great night with good people! If you can, go experience the nightlife and food in Batumi, Georgia. You won’t be disappointed!
Counter
101 Countries • 1432 Cities
