Hungary’s best beers on tap – a guide
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As we reported, in recent years Hungarian breweries have been conjuring up award-winning craft beers. However, what do Hungarians drink on a day-to-day basis at the bar? We look at some of the most popular Hungarian beer brands in the country.
Arany Ászok
Created in 1924 by the Dreher Brewery, this light pilsner is one of the most iconic brands in the country. Its manufacture was stopped in 1948, but resumed in 1989 after the fall of the communist regime. Named after its golden colour, it has a bitter taste and a high carbon dioxide content. Due to its popularity, Arany Ászok is one of the few Hungarian beers that you may be able to find in a store abroad which sells Eastern European products.
Borsodi
The Borsodi brewery is one of the most popular breweries in Hungary. Founded in North-eastern Hungary near Miskolc and named after the county it is located in, the local population are very proud of their pilsner, which has a slightly grainy taste.
Relative to other breweries, Borsodi was established very recently. The company began operations in the 1970s and since then it has become one of the most recognisable products in the country.
Similarly to Arany Ászok, Borsodi is big enough of a brand to be found outside of Hungary if potential customers are looking in the right place. The brewery also produces the best fruit-tasting beers, with lemon being the most popular one. Borsodi beers can be found on tap in every bar or pub in Hungary. If you are after a stronger lager, the Borsodi Bivaly (Borsodi Buffalo) is the beer for you.
This is a joke, right? Hungary is home to dozens of high-quality independent craft breweries that produce sought-after beers that are starting to appear in Europe’s top bars. Every one of these beers listed are low-quality industrial lagers that Hungarians should be embarrassed by.