An Unorthodox Way of Celebrating the 14th of February

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