Since half of Istanbul is in Europe, I'm posting this in the Euro thread... Later on this year I'm visiting Istanbul for a couple of days. Are there any locals here on BA, that can point me to some good local bars/beers ?
All I can say is that my friend was there a few years back and the best he could do was Efes pils. If you find anywhere cool, please report back. Planning a trip there in a year or two. Cheers!
Yeah I'd be curious if you find anything. I was there and there were a couple places that I read about, I forget where, but they were pretty far outside the city center and we gave up trying to get there the one night we tried.
I heard about a place that was opened by and English guy, but was unable to visit last time I was in Istanbul. It is located on the European side and this is their website http://bosphorus-brewing.com/. Unfortunately, due to Turkish law, they are unable to advertise what beer they have on tap, so you may have to email and discretely ask, or just pop in. Otherwise, your options are limited to Efes Pils, Efes Dark, Tuborg, and Bomanti. Efes Dark and Bomanti are my preferences, being a bit more malty. Good Luck! I'll be in Turkey in July, and if I get to Istanbul, I'll try to check it out update the thread.
The brother in law and his family live there so we went over for a stay. I went with no expectation of encountering good beer and I wasn't disappointed. Zero good beer as expected. I drank plenty of chai and chain smoked Camels.
