Kosovars Raise a Pint to Emerging Beer Culture

Kosovars by and large are not big beer drinkers. They drink 13 litres per person on average per year- compared to roughly 150 litres consumed by Czechs in the same period of time.

But for five nights, concluding on Tuesday, the centre of Pristina was awash in all things beer for the fourth annual Beerfest. Organizers estimated that 10,000 people came through on each night.

Flori Hasanramaj, 36, sipping a beer at a table at Zahir Pajaziti Square, said Kosovo’s beer culture is on the rise.

“Kosovo is slowly moving towards European countries and will soon find its place where it belongs”, Hasanramaj said.

Among Kosovo Albanians, who make up the majority of the country, there isn’t a strong tradition of drinking, even though alcohol is widely available. Hasanramaj thinks this is changing.

“It’s not that Albanians are not consuming beer. The younger generations, especially, are drinking it more often”, he said.

Reflecting the state of beer in Kosovo, just three of the 17 beer brands available were from Kosovo - representing the only domestic brewers. Foreign beers dominate the market, with some 15.5 million litres brought in during 2013. Macedonia’s Skopsko takes the top spot.

Still, Beerfest organiser Ekrem Tahiri said local brews are getting more attention.

“The local producers Peja, Sabaja and Hugos have done better this year, having in mind that only back in 2011 the Peja brewery started promoting its beer. This time, people were more interested in these brands”, Tahiri told Balkan Insight.

Peja, founded in 1971, is the main domestic producer. Hugos, a smaller brewery, started in 2001, while microbrewery Sabaja opened last year.

Etida Zeka, co-owner of Sabaja told Balkan Insight...