There's no disputing the fact that Slovenia has always been first and foremost a wine drinking country; it's as ingrained in the culture as vodka is for Russians, whiskey for the Irish and blueberry pancake wrapped hot dogs dipped in Baconaise® are for Americans. When it comes to beer, the question usually comes down to Union or Laško, the two domestic brews, which dominate the local market and fiercely divide the populace: Union's loyal following resides mainly in and around Ljubljana (where it's headquartered), while most of the rest of the country prefers Laško. The rivalry only seems to have been marginally tempered by Laško's acquisition of Union in 2005 - although coincidently, the country's aggregate level of irony increased noticeably around the same time.
 

This is why we were so surprised to see a new option on tap at one of our favourite locals a few months back: Human Fish. After ordering a pint purely out of curiosity, and then another for the sake of thorough research, we concluded that the stuff was actually quite tasty and decided to make some enquiries.

It turns out that Human Fish is Slovenia's first proper craft brewery, based in the town of Slovenj Gradec in the far north of the country, and comes in three distinct varieties: pale ale, red ale and oatmeal stout. Cheekily named after a blind amphibious creature indigenous to Slovenia's Karst caves, the brewery was started in 2008 by a resident Australian who decided to settle in Slovenia after years of living in more exotic locales (and graduating from the American Brewers Guild in the meantime). The "slightly evil" brew can currently be found on tap at Irish Pub, Premier Pub, Tozd, Art Café, Zlata Ladjica and Pri Zelenem Zajcu and several other places in Ljubljana. If you ask nicely they'll also deliver mini kegs directly to your house, which work out to about half the price you'd pay per pint at a pub and are always a welcome addition at our weekly poker nights.