Ursus beer

Ursus blond beer

Known as the king of beer in Romania, it is produced in Cluj County and it was founded in 1878. It is a sharp, light-color, light-bodied beer, somewhere between Czech and German pils.

Ursus dark beer

This is a rather sweet, pruny, thick beer, with caramel flavors.

It is probably good to know that Ursus is the official sponsor of the Romanian soccer team. Here's a TV spot they made to make this clear. Click the play button on the lower-left corner. (you can see a better quality version on their website: www.ursus.ro).

Timisoreana beer

Timisoreana is the oldest beer in Romania. The Timisoara beer factory was built in 1718.
Timisoara was initially a military city and represented the last defense of Western Europe agains the Otoman Empire. In 1552, Timisoara was occupied by the Turkish army and remained so for 164 years. In 1716, Eugene Prince of Savoy, with the help of a strong army freed Timisoara from the Turkish occupation. The industrialization of the city began, and in 1718 the Brewery of Timisoara was founded. The military administration of the first Romanian brewery was taken over by the local authorities. In 1920, the brewery became the official supplier of the Royal House
(Source: http://www.beretimisoreana.ro)

Here's an interesting video regarding Timisoara Brewery's history, with english subtitles. Click the play button on the lower-left corner. You can see a higher quality video on the official website of Timisoreana beer (http://www.beretimisoreana.ro/istoria).

Gambrinus beer

Gambrinus Beer - 150 years of tasty history

Although not the best, the most famous Romanian beer is Gambrinus.
This beer has been produced since 1869 in Bucharest to the delight of generations of hard working Romanians.
This is the beer that students drink to mark their ups and downs, the beer that fathers drink when watching soccer with friends, and this is the beer for all wedding and funeral parties. Now you might want to stick to your high end fancy and classy beer, but at least once, try a Gambrinus.
It's good and it's cheap. As a matter of fact, Gambrinus is cheaper than mineral water! And funny thing, it's being bottled in 2 liter PET bottles, too.
Note that in Czech Republic there is a beer that goes under the same name. And even has the same symbol! But that's considered a top beer. Read more on Gambrinus beer HERE.

See other Romanian foods and drinks