Equipped with a list of addresses compiled from google, I set to the streets of Almaty today to explore and find any local beer I could get my hands on. The walk was long and strenuous; the first couple addresses turned out to be out of date, one replaced with a sex shop, another boarded up and under construction. On the south side of town I managed to find one place called John's, unfortunately after a test glass I decided that it was undrinkable.
While in between places on my list I stumbled across an underground bar/brewery called Babylon Craft Beer Bar located on Furmanov Street. They served five of their own brewed beers, traditional bar drinks and large menu of vapor tobacco. They were clearly newer to the beer brewing thing, as all of their beers were poured out of refrigerated plastic bottles instead of a tap; leaving them a teansy bit flat. Regardless of the plastic bottles, the beer was drinkable here and I enjoyed quite a few.
While getting to know the beer, I had a long talk with the bartender which shed light on many useful topics. I learned that Kazak people do not understand the trend toward craft beer. Apparently with the average local monthly salary being 100,000 tenge (300 dollars), the idea of spending anything more than 200 teng (60 cents) on a beer doesn't make any sense to them. During this conversation I also had reaffirmed what I'd heard on the flight from Beijing, that Trump winning the election was a great thing. Everyone in Kazakhstan apparently believes he is the only leader who will be able to ensure world peace, specifically by mending relations between the USA and Russia thus preventing WW3.
Later I also took a stop by Line Brew, an expensive steak restaurant which happens to also serve its own beer. I was somehow expecting something similar to John's here, however I was pleasantly surprised to find that their "Diamond Stout" was both a bit frothy and smooth to drink.
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| Random street on my walk |
While getting to know the beer, I had a long talk with the bartender which shed light on many useful topics. I learned that Kazak people do not understand the trend toward craft beer. Apparently with the average local monthly salary being 100,000 tenge (300 dollars), the idea of spending anything more than 200 teng (60 cents) on a beer doesn't make any sense to them. During this conversation I also had reaffirmed what I'd heard on the flight from Beijing, that Trump winning the election was a great thing. Everyone in Kazakhstan apparently believes he is the only leader who will be able to ensure world peace, specifically by mending relations between the USA and Russia thus preventing WW3.
Later I also took a stop by Line Brew, an expensive steak restaurant which happens to also serve its own beer. I was somehow expecting something similar to John's here, however I was pleasantly surprised to find that their "Diamond Stout" was both a bit frothy and smooth to drink.
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