Got back from Bucharest yesterday. As with Sofia which I visited last year, none of the local brands (mostly snapped up by West European biggies after the Soviet empire fell apart) are known over here except to beer tourist, and the basic flavour is on the lightish side (albeit not watery). But the reason you should check Romania/Bulgaria out is the incredibly low prices. At a café across the street from my hotel a 330mL bottle of Bere Bucuresti ('Beer of Bucharest - how original) will run you 10 lei (USD3.80), and at a more or less Irish-themed pub nearby a pint of Holsten, Tuborg or Carlsberg will set you back as little as 8 lei (USD 2.11). In the Radisson Blu hotel I stayed in it does get a bit pricier - a pint of domestically brewed Ursus costs 19 lei (USD5) but even and, at their poolside bar just a routine grounder away from that bar, it'll run you 23 lei (USD6.05) - but still comparing favourably to many London pubs recently (and American sports arenas!).
Romanian beers may not have the full-bodied refreshing flavour that I remember from Sofia, but in both cases they're still worth checking out 'cos they're CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP.
