14th of February is quite popular in Bulgaria, not only because of the relatively modern Valentine's day but because we celebrate our own Trifon Zarezan - a holiday, which roots are connected (the legends say so) to the Thracian god of wine - Dionysius. We drink a lot of wine on that day, but as I am not fond of traditions (confession), I convinced my buddies to have beer instead.
It was my first time visiting Kanaal in Sofia, and I quite liked the place - besides the cozy atmosphere, they had 12 beers on tap (mostly European ones). The prices were so-so, ranging from €3 all the way up to €8 for 550 ml. If you are a fan of craft beer and if you happen to be in Sofia, this Kanaal should be on your list of places to visit.
I started with a glass of Swedish Oatmeal Pale Ale - Mazarin by Omnipollo. Nice pale orange color, small but long-lasting head, strong aroma of fruits and hops. The flavor was fruity - grapefruits and peaches - with a strong bitter finish (a bit too much for my taste). I emptied the glass rather quickly because I wanted to go for something less hoppy.
Beer affair
My second choice was a Danish Saison Ale - Darkest of Suns by Amager Bryghus. To be honest, I had never heard of Amager Bryghus despite the fact that I lived in Copenhagen for a few years. Although the guys had several of their brews in stock, the Darkest of Suns was the only one that was cooled down. It poured dark brown with a decent beige head. The aroma was sweet and malty, and so was the taste; there were also some spicy notes at the end.
In case you wonder what that thing in the background is - it's a disco ball
My drinking buddy @agniese quenching the thirst with black rye IPA (which by the way tasted great)
My third beer was another Omnipollo - the Zodiak. This one reminded me a lot of Omnipollo's Mackaper, which I had a couple of weeks ago. The Zodiak was hands down the best beer of the night - a fruity IPA with a well-balanced bitterness. Very smooth! Details are hard to recall because I was already tipsy.
Confession - The next day, I went to work with a hangover.
How did you guys spend the 14th of Feb?
Cheers and thanks for stopping by!
Dan
Oh the visions of you drinking by the refracted light of a disco ball. 😄
Great photos as always. You have such a knack for this.
I truly hope the beer took y’all to Funky Town. 😂
As for Valentine’s Day, we did laundry. And ordered a pizza. Who says romance is dead?
Aw, thank you Lisa! How come I didn't think of taking a selfie?!
You did laundry, others bottled beer - romance is surely not dead :D
We are all so hopelessly ... irreverent 😉
Nice! I love the disco ball background idea. It's like bokeh ball insanity back there! Lol... "Darkest of Sons" sounds very romantic.
The top-down shot of the table is also interesting. You weren't hanging from the rafters, were you?
I taught all day, then had a beer and went to bed. Valentine's Day isn't fun, single.
Thanks man! Bokeh insanity is a great way of describing the disco ball :)) No, I wasn't hanging, hehe :) My hands are long enough to take such shots from a standing position :P
Glad you and @agniese are beer buddies. How fun! The bar you were at looks so colorful, especially that groovy disco ball!! lol. ha ha ha ha stayin' alive.
alcohol poisoininghangovers are no joke. Hope you feel beerter :)Sometimes I feel like a beer assistant ;) Lol. Yeah, it's a cool place. The funny thing is that I used to live in that neighborhood for a few months and had no idea about the bar! Well... better later than never ;)
You should charge a fee for being an assistant :) Sounds like you guys had fun. That's important.
Lol, I wished they played Stayin' alive and other such songs so that we have a proper disco night :D
Beerter 😂 You are so funny!
Amazing shots as always, the bokeh on the first shot is amazing.
Thanks man! The disco balls allows for some amazing bokeh :)
Looks like a great way to spend Valentine's Day/Evening. It is much more convenient to have it on a weekend. My VD will be documented in my next beersaturday. I'm just glad I survived.
Great post. Thanks for the pics and the information.
Thank you, man! Lol, I look forward to seeing your beersaturday post :))
Cheers!
Йей, посетил си го! Няма как да отидеш там и да не си с махмурлук на следващия ден! Радвам се, че си го харесал :)
Хаха, другият път по-умерено :)
Другият път - на друго място (:. Ако това ти е харесало и не си бил във Флип-флоп до сега, предполагам, че ще ти хареса и там. Наблизо е до Канаал, също имат фенси бирички и атмосферата е готина :)
И във флип-флоп не съм бил :D Общо взето си я пия или вкъщи или в Nosferatu биричката :) Ще го погледна този бар!
(: супер, аз ще видя твоя :) май е нещо ново :)
Go to Vitamin B.
Very nice post with wonderful photos. I am surprised, that this was your first Kanaal visit!
My 14th February was extraordinary. I was bottling a nice black pepper and lemon zest saison! I hope to come out great!
Cheers!
Haha, what an awesome way to spend the holiday :P How many bottles did you fill?
Thanks and Cheers, Miro!
1- converting wine drinkers to beer drinkers: respect.
2- nice review and especially nice photos. I'll see if I can grab a Zodiak here in Rotterdam.
Cheers.
Thank you, man! I think I may have also converted a few non-beer-drinkers 😁 Could you suggest a nice Dutch beer to try? :)
Cheers!
About the next day... I will never drink with you again!!!
Okay, I’m joking :D!
We had one too many :)
Yeah... let's put it this way... ;)
Nice way to spend February 14th and nice selection of beer. Good to see you included a Danish one. I actually lived on Amager but before the micro brewery revolution :(
I am not sure when the revolution started, 10-15 years ago? Slowly, bit by bit, I learn more about you :)
By the way, I have a soft spot for Danish beers :P
Those photos are really really good, capture the atmosphere and those beers so well! I want to try some of theses and visit Kanaal after reading :) Cheers man
Thank you, @ablaze, and sorry for the late reply :) I think you should be able to find the Omnipollos in Ireland. By the way, is craft beer popular over there?
Cool man, there is a really good off license in the city, that has a great selection of craft beers, I'll have a look for Omnipollos next time I stop by.. and yes craft beer is really popular here now. There used to be just a few pubs around town that stocked it. Now all the bars have it, and the supermarkets too have an extensive offering. It's great!!
From my observations, the craft beer has become somewhat of a global trend :) I hope I will manage to visit Ireland one day. Cheers!
Ya, it's really taken off globally now, it seems that nearly all countries are embracing them now, which is so sweet. You should put Ireland on your list for sure, it's a little expensive, but most people love their visits here. People are very friendly and welcoming and the place is steeped in history..
There are so many places on the list now that I seriously have to consider quitting my job and becoming self-employed. Thus, I would probably have more time for travel :) Where are you from in Ireland?
If you figure out how to quit your job, let me know!! Steem hitting $100 this year would be a good start :o) I'm from the west - Galway, but I live in the east where most of the work in my field, Optical/IP Engineering
wow. beautiful narration and excellent photographs. I like framing :)
congratulations . Cheers!
Thank you, Ceren! Cheers 🍻
Wonderful shot. So very well seen and taken. Congratulations ;)
Thank you, Mustafa! 🙇
Darkest of Suns looks delicious :) Nice photos!
Well I spend it at home lol I am single this year and the weather was very cold what made me very lazy. Had chocolate and hot coffee and worked a bit on Steemit :)
Thank you, Cleopatra :) Chocolate and coffee is a great combo! On the next morning, I actually wished I had drank something else instead of beers :P
The shots with the pink and purple bokeh are absolutely gorgeous! Great job capturing your celebration :)
I almost overlooked your comment :P Thanks a lot, Marieta!
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