ABOUT BREW MATES

Brew Mates is a non-commercial homebrewery from Slovenia, whose story began in 2014, when my girlfriend surprised me with my first homebrewing kit. That first beer wasn’t the best—but it tasted like beer, and it was drinkable. From that moment, I was hooked. I quickly moved on to all-grain brewing and began experimenting with different styles and ingredients.

With the great support of my friends and family, I built my own brewing system and later a temperature-controlled fermentation chamber—both of which helped me significantly improve the quality of my beers.

Over the years, I kept learning and refining my brewing skills. I visited many breweries, spoke with master brewers, and in 2017 earned a National Vocational Qualification in Brewing. While many pursue this qualification for professional reasons, I did it simply to deepen my understanding and passion for the craft. It was a great experience and taught me a lot.

Besides brewing, I also decided to grow my own hops. As some may know, Slovenia is renowned for its high-quality hop varieties, so I chose to cultivate three Slovene types: Styrian Dana, Aurora, and Celeia. I’ve even learned that hops were once grown in my hometown, and continuing that legacy makes the process feel even more meaningful. Growing my own hops adds a unique local character to my beers and allows me to explore techniques like wet hopping.

Throughout this journey, my friends and family have been by my side—helping, supporting, and most importantly, tasting. I brew exclusively for them, and for the joy of the process itself.

Brewing remains my favorite hobby, and I have many plans for the future—new styles to try, new gear to build, and new beers to share with the people I care about most.

Thanks for being part of the story.

Cheers,

Lino

Brewer behind Brew Mates