The Bosphorus Brewing Company is a long journey from the tourist throngs of Sultanahmet, but it seemed like it was the only place to have a chance to experience Turkish beer, so we decided to give it a go. I was surprised as we came out of the metro that there quite a few skyscrapers around. A short walk later we discovered the entrance to our beer destination. We were given a seat on the partially open patio and given an ipad with a menu. There were lots of semi spaced out tables on the tiered terrace. At the end was the bar and a bit of indoor seating. I scrolled through the menu on the ipad some and came to a decision fairly quickly. I then discovered the ipad would not work for ordering, and we would need a waiter.
Not long after tracking down a server and placing our order the beers arrived. I was surprised that four of the five beers that they had available were cask ales. Gnats flittered overhead as I took a deeper look at the menu. Besides the beers that they brew there were bottles from Gara Guza, Leffe, Weihenstephan, Hoegaarden, and Fuller's. Prices were fairly steep with 33cl drafts coming in at about 18 Lira (6 euro) and bottles costing about the same. I was happy that they had two bottles from Gara Guza as they were a newer Turkish Brewery. I sipped my beer and became nervous as it didn't do much to impress.
Servers paced around oddly and without purpose. Street noise combine with wandering waiters and a lack of music made for an odd and uncomfortable atmosphere. Despite creating the wrong mood, I decided I'd need to see out my experience considering the long journey and lack of opportunity to try beer other than Efes around town. Lots of people were ordering food and while the menu and plates looked appetizing I was a bit uncertain if the quality would be worth it considering the beer was unimpressive.
I didn't really enjoy my time at the Bosphorus Brewing Company. The waiters were quick but their pacing around was a bit odd. I also didn't get the feeling they were into beer which is not the case at most beer bars let alone a place that brews their own. The beers weren't overpriced as far as craft beer goes but considering the quality of the beer they weren't worth the going rate. A 10% percent service fee is included, so extra tipping isn't necessary. I'm glad I got to try some Turkish beer, but I wouldn't come back here even if I lived in Istanbul. There just wasn't much positive about my visit.
Overall: 6/10
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