Pivovara Slavonica

Ulica kralja Tomislava 21, 34550 Pakrac, Croatia

Brewer

1 PHOTOS

Gault&Millau presents

Brewer Marko Barčan believes one should always strive for improvement and that courage is a key element of success in any business. He followed this principle when opening the Slavonica brewery in Pakrac in 2017. He got the idea after tasting beer produced in Zadar by his former schoolmate Maja Šepetavec, was impressed, and thought he could do it too. Although trained as an electrical engineer, his career led him into journalism, where he was editor of the monthly magazine Compas. The brewery became a new challenge. He carefully listened to advice from experienced friends, educated himself online for three months, traveled the world visiting small private breweries in Italy and New York, and connected with Croatian craft brewers. He brewed his first beer in 2016 in a 50-liter kitchen pot. For a year and a half, he experimented and refined his own recipe, resulting in the amber ale Grof, named after Count Julije Janković, who greatly influenced Pakrac’s development in the 18th century. He later brewed Grofica (APA) and IPA Carica. Slavonica produces 3,000 beers per month. The brewery is open for visits, with prior reservation, for individuals and groups interested in tastings and purchasing the “noble” beer line.