Part I: The Beer
Rarely is a bar just a bar and a pint just a pint. No place is this more evident than at Bosphorus Brewing Company (BBC) in Istanbul, Turkey. Yes, this is supposed to be Brew Through “USA”, but hey, I’m in Istanbul and just visited the only brewpub within hundreds, if not thousands, of miles.
If you think the blue laws in your Bible-belt town are restrictive, you haven’t been to BBC. A British pub by design to cater to Turkish ex-pats, they soon will be closing their taps on that most British of beer exports, real ale. Due to a new restrictive law which requires bars to serve beer through kegs, this will negate the ability to naturally carbonate their beer and serve from a cask. Additional restrictions are likely forthcoming as Turkey’s current prime minister was recently quoted as saying, “I want them to know that I want these (restrictions) for the sake of their health … Whoever drinks alcohol is an alcoholic.” Quite an ironic statement from a country whose most revered figure and founder of their republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, died from cirrhosis of the liver brought on by years of heavy drinking, and whom it is still illegal to criticize.
I was the lone patron on what is typically a busy Saturday afternoon. The area near BBC, Taksim, is currently at the epicenter of what has become the biggest political and social issue in Turkey at the moment, free speech. Due to massive protests, public transit was closed off in the area so that demonstrators would be deterred from congregating. They were not however, as tens of thousands crowded the streets and public areas for several days, despite being pummeled with water cannons and tear gas so heavy that I was able to smell it from miles away. With a google map in tow though, I was able to direct a cab to the general area, and with some luck (and recognition of their logo) able to find the new brewpub.
Not only is it a difficult road to navigate to produce their beer legally, it’s also a logistical nightmare. Due to the lack of drinkable water all of the water used in BBC’s beers goes through reverse osmosis. One in particular, the Yagangee, goes through additional burtonization with the addition of minerals so that nice mouthfeel of traditional English beers shines through.
BBC’s Karbon Stout combines the three traits most characteristic of a stout: chocolate, coffee and creaminess, to make it my favorite of the lot. All three traits are so evident I was surprised that no adjuncts were used in the process of this brew.
The portfolio is rounded out with several traditional and well-made English bitters and a nod to the American IPA with a their “Istanbul Pale Ale” made with fruity Cascade and Amarillo hops (but with a little help from some English Maris Otter malt).
The Haliç Gold is a great example of brewing to your crowd without caring about the critics. This beer, a Belgian blond, has enough diacetyl to make even the most conservative of BJCP sanctioned judges sneer. It is made this way on purpose, as head brewer and owner Philip Hall says the locals love it due to the added sweetness. Some people talk about not compromising to meet the larger demand, but in this case it’s about not compromising your market to suck up to the beer snobs, which is quite refreshing in an industry obsessed with “brewing to style”.
Originally, I had some misgivings about spending time going to a 21st century brewpub versus a 500 year old mosque or palace, but I don’t think I would’ve gained nearly as much perspective about what the country of Turkey is currently going through, especially on that particular day. So kudos to the Phil Halls of the world who, despite the nearly impossible obstacles before them, are literally risking life, limb and money to bring their passion to all parts of the world, and hopefully make a change for the better not only on the palate of beer drinkers, but as a force for social change.
Part II: The Rubdown
Two pints and a tasting of all six taps gave me the courage to go looking for another of this great country’s well known institutions, a Turkish Hamam, or more commonly known as, a Turkish bath.
The closest one to my hostel ended up being Çemberlitas Hamami, a Hamam built in 1584 by the sultan Nurbanu.
Upon entering the structure, which is located below street level as Istanbul is such an old city and has been built literally on top of itself numerous times, you are given a key to a personal room to change into the tiniest of tiny towels and then directed to the steam room.
The steam room isn’t like your typical hot and humid wooden closet at the local Holiday Inn, but rather a vast stone structure with a circular slab of marble in the middle. I have to say, I personally hate being hot and am no friend of sweat, but the totality of moisture that you shed is so relaxing that it seems almost natural.
Once you have a good sheen going, you lie down on the slab and wait for a tap on the foot indicating it’s your turn for a bath. On this occasion I was greeted by a bear of a mustachioed man (in an equally teeny towel) by the name of Mustafa. A scrubbing ensues in which one is given the choice of “hard” or “soft”. Feeling emboldened and not wanting to disappoint the Turkish version of Ron Swanson, I of course opted for hard. Once the pain of what felt like sand paper being rubbed across every part of my body began to subside, Mustafa pointed to a soggy sawdust-like substance that had formed on my arm and stated simply, “skin… good.”
From here your senses continue to take a pounding and you begin to question why are you being subjected to this forced penance. Before you try to convince yourself of your own righteousness a bucket of water from a guilded brass bowl is heaved in your direction, and you await that cool, refreshing sensation, only to experience hydro-flagellation in the form of nearly boiling water that washes away your final transgressions. It’s no wonder most Hamams were built near mosques.
Mustafa’s actions are forceful and deliberate, as he finishes with a soapy lather and massage (well, more of a tugging, cracking and twisting) and again, only a handful of words: “done.. now oil.” You are directed to a smaller, cooler room and oiled head to toe and given a proper massaging for about twenty minutes that eases all the tension and abuse that one has just experienced in the previous hour.
Following what I thought was a nice thorough shower I am stopped by my friend Mustafa who rubs his index finger across my skin like that of a school-house nun with white gloves on a chalk board, and proceeds to wash me again not unlike a punished child who is being shown the proper way to conduct a task. The slap on my back indicating he is finished is again accompanied by only a handful of words, this time, “good.. clean… now tip.”
I gladly hand him five Turkish Lira and leave the Hamam a happier, more relaxed, if not bruised and battered, man.
Turkey is an oasis and an enigma in a region fraught with religious strife and constant political upheaval. What appears to be a free and democratized country on the inside, one soon finds out, is merely a shell of what could be a shining example of secular freedom within an area known for severe oppression. It is an oasis, in that it is by far the most westernized of Muslim countries in the Middle East, but an enigma in that what freedoms they purport to have, are heavily curtailed, especially in the form of free speech. Turkey still remains the number one country on the planet for jailed journalists (even ahead of notorious China and Iran). As I recently saw though, the people have grown accustomed to the freedoms they once enjoyed, and as those begin to slowly be stripped away, the people have responded.
Update, July 16, 2013 – Due to restrictions by the government in Turkey regarding advertising beer-related articles on websites, Bosphorus Brewing Co. has launched a blog at http://beer-ist.com/. Additional info can also be found on their facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/bosphorusbrewingcompany.
Update, July 22, 2013 – Recipe for ‘Narbeer‘ (a pomegranate ale) now available under Brewer’s Corner section of blog
Brew Through USA 