Tuborg Beer

While visiting Igman, the location of the 1984 Olympic Ski Jump, I found myself in need of a thirst quencher. Climbing the time worn stairs along the ski jump was a good workout that resulted in a couple of decent photographs along with dry-mouth. A small concession stand located next to the main building offered coffee, juice and Tuborg Beer ina bottle. Although equipped for draft, this location did not have any.

The bottle of Tuborg set me back 4 KM (around three dollars, US). Also known as Tuborg Green, this brand of Danish beer is very popular in Eastern Europe and could be readily found during my visit to Bosnia. The brew has a surprisingly bright flavor that had remarkable thirst quenching qualities. Although my primary brew in Bosnia was the locally produced Sarajevska Premium, I found myself ordering Tuborg on a couple of outings, just to enjoy a change of pace. Although slightly more bitter than Sarajevska, the Tuborg was refreshing with a nice flavor and aroma.

Tuborg is a Danish beer that was first produced in 1873. Tuborg Green was Denmark's first Pilsner beer, introduced in 1880. The company entered into a business relationship with Carlsberg Beer in the early 1900s before being acquired by the latter in 1970. The bottles come with a unique ring-tab type cap that I noticed on other Eastern European beer (Pan, in particular). This feature was designed by Tuborg allowing for easy removal of the cap. It is a unique concept that works surprisingly well.

The Carlsberg website describes the beer as "...a bottom-fermented lager beer. It's brewed on lager malt, a slightly roasted, bright type of malt which results in the well-known mild, fresh taste and aroma of flowers and grain. The beer is medium rich and lively with a moderate bitterness in the aftertaste." I did not experience much in the way of aftertaste and found the bitterness to be on the mild side. Tuborg Green contains 4.9% alcohol by volume.

Read More About Tuborg Beer

Pan Lager

While visiting Bosnia, I was privileged to be able to celebrate Bajram (bi-dem) with my Bosniak friends. Bajram is a three-day holiday that marks the end of the Ramazan (Ramadan) Fast. During this celebration, I was introduced to a variety of local sweets, to include a variation on Baklava that was a bit dry but very tasty. I was also given a bottle of Pan Lager. Although my beer of choice in Bosnia was Sarajevska Premium, I am not one to turn down free beer.

Pan is another brew (like another beer I enjoyed in Bosnia, Tuborg) which is brewed by the Carlsberg Group. While I found the Tuborg to be bright and crisp, I felt that Pan was somewhat bitter with a strong aftertaste. Pan also emits a strong grainy aroma, which is not entirely unpleasant...but an indication of the bitter bite to come. It is odd to me that Pan describes itself as thirst-quenching and "less bitter" because, of the beers I sampled in Bosnia, Pan was the most bitter.

Read More About Pan Lager