The Black Turtle Pub I

 

After a long trip through eastern Europe, where nearly every beer is some sort of skunky pilsner, this place was a bit of an oasis. I swung in here earlier today and tried each of the brewpub's offerings (FYI: It's about 6:30pm in Belgrade right now). While neither beer was anything special, their dark beer was the closest thing I've had to an American porter since, well, I was in the states.

The establishment can be a bit hard to find as it is unmarked and tucked away behind an abandoned fountain away from the street. A small, glass-etched turtle on the front door is the only indicator that you've found the right spot (it also says "The Black Turtle" on the front door, but it's written in Serbian).

The bartender was quick and spoke decent English, but she knew couldn't tell me anything about the beers being offered. I was able to figure out (from her) that this location isn't a brewpub, but actually at taproom; the two Black Turtle beers are brewed elsewhere. The menu was pretty difficult to read, but a quick chat with the bartender cleared things up.

The atmosphere of this establishment was pretty dull. Part of this dullness could be blamed on the time of day (roughly 3:00pm), but I still can't ever imagine this place filling up. The indoor space is pretty cramped, and while the outdoor patio is better, it isn't anything special.

As mentioned above, The Black Turtle only has two signature beers (a light and a dark). Their specialty, however, is flavoring either of these two beers with lemon, blueberry, or ripe cherry syrups. Sounded gross to me; I just ordered each of the beers plain.