We only had one night in Podgorica, so I thought it was worthwhile to go out and discover the craft beer bar that seemed to be getting itself some rather positive reviews, namely Tap. I’m not sure whether Jonathan was quite as keen as I was to go, but he’s always enthusiastic.
We arrived at the right time as although it was busy we were able to get a seat, which wasn’t the case for some arriving a little later. I liked the whole style of this place, there were higher and lower tables to suit the individual preferences of customers, with staff on hand if customers had any issues or questions.
I’ve experienced bars with similar concepts to this, namely you top a card up with some money and then you self-pour whichever drinks you might so desire.
I put €10 on the card and that got me five different drinks, which I was suitably pleased about. The self-service system was easy to operate until I operated it, at which point another customer kindly intervened, but that was just me getting muddled up.
They had a range of Serbian and Montenegrin beers and also some from further afield, covering a range of beer styles although there was a focus on lagers and pales. The screen displayed the price for every 100ml, and the information was available online as well, and it went down as I poured the beer. The dispense amount was entirely up to the customers, so there was the option of just trying numerous tasters or committing to something more substantial.
The five beers that I went for were:
(i) Joker from the Belgrade based Docker Brewery, this was a tropical IPA with stonefruit and it was punchy and fluffy.
(ii) South Dakota 61 from the Nikšić-based Mammut Brewery, this was clean, hoppy and I thought better than the Untappd ratings suggested.
(iii) Brat Dekan from the Beer Academy Podgorica Brewery, this had a bit of toffee, it was malty and I thought quite quirky.
(iv) Nikšićko Svijetlo from the Trebjesa Brewery, this was slightly soapy, had some weird creaminess, it was malty but I still rather liked it and I was to encounter this beer a few more times.
(v) The New Pils on the Block from the Belgrade based Dogma Brewery, this was light, fruity and maybe slightly clumpy in a neutral rather than negative way.
Incidentally, one slight downside is that I couldn’t find the venue on Untappd, but I’m sure it’ll be added soon enough.
I also went for a burger with blue cheese and it was a sizeable affair, cooked medium and it had a meaty taste which is always positive from something made from meat. Nicely seasoned and well presented, it tempted Jonathan into getting something similar. I was pleased to be presented with cutlery for my burger, but they just gave gloves to Jonathan, although I didn’t say anything.
It will likely come as no great surprise to my hordes of readers, well, two, that I really rather enjoyed this venue. The staff were friendly, the surroundings were clean, there was lots of beer on hand, the food was decent and there was value for money offered. I intend to return to Podgorica and I’d certainly come back here. Indeed, I’ve kept the card that I was given to top up with money ready for my return.