Balans Bräu
Recent ratings and reviews.
Rated by CraigTravor from California
2.73/5 rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2
2.73/5 rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2
Not the best selection in the world. But i recommend giving it a look see. Turkey is not well known for its beer selections.
Dec 18, 2015
Reviewed by Chinookie from District of Columbia
2.93/5 rDev +3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 3.5
2.93/5 rDev +3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 3.5
Turns out my hotel in Istanbul was a short walk from one of the two pubs listed on Beerfly, so of course had to give it a try...
Balans is in the middle of a )mostly) pedestrian area with a lot of small markets, food stalls, and pubs/restaurants. A good number of tourists, but seemed to be mostly locals.
I was a bit skeptical at first because neighboring pubs had good crowds and this place was empty. Several folks came in later, though.
Beers are limited to pilsner, "caramel," and weissbier. It would be a nice addition to include one seasonal. Overall, this brewpub is clearly German in influence, with a few signs here and there referring to the Reinheitsgebot.
Without getting into full beer reviews on this page, I will say the caramel was quite a shock. It reminded me of a Leipziger Gose. Not sure if that is intentional or not, but fans of that style take note. Pilsner was more mainstream, but did also have a bit of tang to it like the caramel. I'd like to find out more: if only I spoke Turkish (or if their website had the info Google Translate would work)! Did not try (yet) the weiss.
Food was decent: I had a Turkish dish that was a good accompaniment to the beer and a generous portion.
Overall I thought the prices to be a bit on the high side, although I have to admit I am not exactly a pro at comparing to other Istanbul establishments. But two beers and an entree were just over $30.
UPDATE: I went the next night and the Caramel was not nearly as sour or tangy as the night before. Not sure what to attribute that to. It still had a slight amount of sour, but was more like a malty but light-bodied lager.
Jul 13, 2011Balans is in the middle of a )mostly) pedestrian area with a lot of small markets, food stalls, and pubs/restaurants. A good number of tourists, but seemed to be mostly locals.
I was a bit skeptical at first because neighboring pubs had good crowds and this place was empty. Several folks came in later, though.
Beers are limited to pilsner, "caramel," and weissbier. It would be a nice addition to include one seasonal. Overall, this brewpub is clearly German in influence, with a few signs here and there referring to the Reinheitsgebot.
Without getting into full beer reviews on this page, I will say the caramel was quite a shock. It reminded me of a Leipziger Gose. Not sure if that is intentional or not, but fans of that style take note. Pilsner was more mainstream, but did also have a bit of tang to it like the caramel. I'd like to find out more: if only I spoke Turkish (or if their website had the info Google Translate would work)! Did not try (yet) the weiss.
Food was decent: I had a Turkish dish that was a good accompaniment to the beer and a generous portion.
Overall I thought the prices to be a bit on the high side, although I have to admit I am not exactly a pro at comparing to other Istanbul establishments. But two beers and an entree were just over $30.
UPDATE: I went the next night and the Caramel was not nearly as sour or tangy as the night before. Not sure what to attribute that to. It still had a slight amount of sour, but was more like a malty but light-bodied lager.
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