It looks like I will be going to Malta for 7 to 10 days. Can anyone recommend some bars, brew pubs, local beers or bottle shops? Searching Beer Fly is not that encouraging.. Thanks in advance!
No, I thought some of the Brits would chime in as they seem to make-up most of the tourist trade. Leaving in mid September, so maybe someone will still offer some pointers. I will recap what I find when I return.
I found 5 different bottled beer in Malta, all made by Simonds Farsons Cisk, which are available in most super markets. Blue Label ale (3.3%) was my preferred beer of the trip. Keep an eye out for Cisk XS, at 9% it's to be treated lightly. I saw lots of small supermarkets, and a few local bars but no brewpubs or bottle shops. Overall a pleasant enough place to visit with heaps of 2nd world war history.
When I was there a few years back, there were about 4-5 varieties of Cisk (Regular, Export, XS and Chil) and about three versions of Farsons (blue, red and shandy). Available in most markets, even the small ones, although not all in the same ones.
As promised, here is my “after action” report on Malta. The country is terrific. There is a ton of history, friendly people, good food, nice beaches and waterfront. We stayed in St Julian’s and thought it was a perfect location as it is centrally located and easy to get to Valetta via the Ferry, or you can walk to Pachville and other neighborhoods. As for beer, Simonds Farsons Cisk (pronounced Chisk) is the local brewery and their beers are pretty much everywhere. Their lager hits the spot with the hot weather. I thought their Export was pretty decent. I liked the Blue label which is a Mild (very mild…) & the Hopleaf which is an EPA (also barley hoped). I thought their Shandy was bad and their lactose stout was also a miss. Good news is there is a new craft brewery in Gozo. The bad news is that the beers are hard to find and are like 3.3 euros per bottle in the store compared .80 for the Cisk line. I had their Belgian Pale ale and their regular ale and both were tasty. You can find their beer in some of these beers in the better restaurants like the Villa. Not really any craft beer bars that I could find. Most offer at least one beer from Cisk and some Euro lagers like Carlsberg, Bavaria, Heineken, Stella, etc. Guinness is pretty easy to find and I found two bars that had Paulina Heffe in cans. I enjoy the bars. I can recommend the Ballutta bar as the owner is great, his beer selection is better than average and you can catch American Football and baseball there. Simons is located about a block away. Well worth a stop as it has a nice terrace, a slightly eccentric owner and they offer great free bar snacks. I will also put in a plug for the Crow’s Nest, The Scotsman & the Dubliner (Killkenny on tap). You should also try the old St Julian's Band Club which they have converted to a fun bar and restaurant. Pints in Bars ranged from $2 to 3.80 Euros. It is easy to drink pretty cheaply plus the wine is also fairly priced. Beer Mail me if you are thinking of going and I can give you a few tips and a heads-up on a few things to avoid.
