They are known for their juicy burgers and hidden terrace, but they also brew their own excellent beer here

1. A PLACE FOR THE TEAM
They are known for their juicy burgers and hidden terrace, but they also brew their
own excellent beer here
A real beer garden where you can enjoy meat dishes, as well as unpasteurized and
unfiltered beers from our own production
At the intersection of Zvonimirova and Harambašićeva streets in Zagreb's Borongaj,
somewhat hidden in the corner of a small square with a fountain, is the entrance to BIR!, a
pub and brewery that opened its doors in June 2019 and where, in addition to preparing
serious meat specialties, they also cook own beer. The idea of ​
​
this gastronomic concept was
put into practice by restaurateur Adrijan Mamlić, who gained significant experience in
London, Great Britain, where he worked for several years in the kitchens of Gordon
Ramsey's fine dining restaurants such as the Ivy Chelsea Garden.
- The kitchen is very important to us and that's why we always emphasize that we are not
just a brewery, we also keep food and drinks. We buy live cattle from proven farms and then
process the meat ourselves, grind it, age it, smoke it and dry it... When we buy goods, it is
raw material that is processed here because we want to do as much as possible ourselves,
from cured meat products, sauces and juices, etc. right down to the beer - Adrijan Mamlić
explained to us.

2. The entire area of ​
​
the beer hall is lowered below the street level, and already at the entrance
to the front yard, which is reminiscent of German beer gardens, your attention will be drawn
to the tall shiny tanks in which four types of unpasteurized and unfiltered beers are
produced. They brew about six thousand liters of beer every month, and they got help with
the recipes from a German brewer. Today, everyone in the team knows something about
brewing beer, although the main leadership is taken by Adrijan's brother-in-law. He is also in
charge of some of the specialties in their offer. Among the products they make themselves,
there is also a spicy chorizo ​
​
sausage, which they then use in crispy croquettes, an appetizer
that is worth ordering when you want to have something small to eat with a draft beer.

3. - First we make fresh sausages, and then we smoke and dry them. Then they are peeled,
cut, ground and fried again, and with the obtained meat we prepare a mixture from which we
make croquettes. And those chorizo ​
​
croquettes came about by accident. We used to have
cold pay with our products and we made a bunch of sausages for them. But we discovered
that the cannon for stuffing the intestine with meat was also pushing air into the sausage by
mistake. They tasted great, but they were very difficult to cut, so we couldn't serve them to
our guests. So that they don't go to waste, we came up with these croquettes, which became
a hit, and now we process sausages in this way because of them - Mamlić told us.

4. Mamlić acquired additional knowledge about food preparation in a smoker at the London
restaurant Smokestak, with the aim of bringing what he learned to his own restaurant and as
soon as the opportunity arose to supplement the basic offer of BIR!, which he eventually did.
They also set up a smoker on the terrace, where they prepare four different dishes, and in
the kitchen, for those who know what to look for, they will cook a steak aged for 35-45 days.
- We have ramsteak and T-Bone from 12-13 month old heifers, beautifully colored meat that
we age additionally. We don't have portions, but when you order a steak, the waiter comes to
you with fresh products and explains the weights we have on offer, so you choose yourself.
Then the meat is returned to the kitchen and baked. We also take calves, so sometimes we
have veal steak. But for that specialty, you should definitely ask in advance and possibly
make an appointment, because we have it depending on the occasion - he points out.
Although they started with burgers, which are still a proven good choice, they are constantly
working on making something special with a glass of their Karantena lager. For example,
they are also proud of their steak sandwich:
- We don't sell thigh and shoulder steak from the back of a bull as dry-age steaks because
they are not fatty enough, but we first age them for a month, then we put them in a pac for a
week, and then they are cooked in a sous vide machine. This is how we get meat like ham
that we cut thinly - he describes and adds that the resulting meat strips are then served in a
soft brioche bun with cheese and caramelized onions.

5. Apart from their own, they don't have any other beer on tap or in bottles. Instead, you can

6. choose between Karantena lager, red X amber, Indian pale ale and American pale ale. If you
want to take their beer home, they will pour your chosen style on the spot into half-liter or
liter bottles, with instructions to drink the beer within three days, since they do not pasteurize
their beers. Every now and then, they brew a special batch, such as, for example, the dark
lager Crnjak, the right beer for winter.
- We are not a classic brewery and it was never our goal to produce beer for distribution, but
only for our own needs. Lager, Red X and IPA have been in our offer since day one, while
pale ale was added later. Lager and IPA are our best-selling beers, with lager being the
cheapest, which does not mean that it is of lower quality, and we offer it for HRK 16 per half
liter. On the other hand, IPA is the most expensive at HRK 23 - Mamlić told us.

7. With two terraces and a central area full of tables, BIR! there is enough space for a large

8. number of people to gather, although you can't really tell from the entrance. Hidden away
from the hustle and bustle of the city, they are a place where students can stop by to drink
craft beer, guests can come for a quick lunch, and family celebrations are often held at their
place. At the same time, 14 people are employed in the pub, some in the kitchen, some in
the service, and it took time for them, Adrijan Mamlić tells us, to become well-rounded
enough for him, as the owner and manager of the restaurant, to be convinced that they can
do everything themselves.
After being closed for a while due to the pandemic, they decided to publish their offer on
online food ordering platforms, where in addition to their many dishes, you can also order
their beer to your home address. We recommend that you still walk to them, especially if you
live in that part of the city, so if the weather permits, sit on the hidden terrace, maybe order
something to eat and relax with a well-chilled draft. And of course, you're looking for a liter to

9. take out as well!