When you fly to Turkey with a travel agency to a five-star resort, you probably won’t notice a difference in the approach to alcohol. It flows freely at the hotel bar, is included in the all-inclusive price, and no one gives it a second thought. However, as soon as you leave the hotel gates or if you head to Turkey on your own, you will encounter a different picture.
Turkey is a Muslim country. Official data indicates that only about 15 to 20 percent of the adult population consumes alcohol. Although this is still a huge market in a country with 80 million inhabitants, drinking is not a society-wide norm here as it is in Czechia. It is rather the choice of a specific, urban, and Western-oriented part of society.
Efes Pilsen, the flagship of the Anadolu Efes brewery, controls roughly three-quarters of the Turkish market. For travelers, this means one thing: you will rarely come across other brands. In terms of production and taste, Efes is a typical representative of southern lagers designed for a hot climate. Hop bitterness is suppressed to a minimum so as not to discourage consumers who are not used to bitter beers.
Turkey is divided into “wet” and “dry” zones. The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, all of Thrace, and most of Istanbul (especially the European side and the Kadıköy district) are places where acquiring alcohol is easy. Here, beer is part of life, restaurants commonly offer it, and people drink it in outdoor seating areas. However, once you head into the Anatolian interior, the situation changes dramatically. In cities like Konya, Kayseri, or Şanlıurfa, you can walk for hours without encountering a restaurant licensed to sell alcohol (this is truly the case!).
If you get a craving for a beer in these regions, you must look for specialized establishments called tekel. These are small shops with distinctive blue signs or neon Efes or Tuborg logos. A tekel is essentially a tobacconist with an alcohol license. While large chains like Migros or Carrefour sell alcohol, widespread discounters like BIM, A101, or Şok are “dry” for religious and political reasons, and you won’t buy beer there.
It is also important to know that there is a strict ban on alcohol sales in shops after 10 PM throughout Turkey.
Turks do not have the same relationship with beer as we do. They want to get a “buzz” faster. So you will also come across Efes Xtra beer with 7.5% alcohol or Efes Xtra Shot with 9.0% alcohol (0.25 l volume).
The quality of Turkish beer is closely linked to the quality of water. The Efes brewery takes water from several sources (Adana – code 01, Ankara – code 06, Izmir – code 35). Local beer lovers state that the best beer is from source 35, the worst from source 01. The source is indicated by a number on the beer bottle/can right after the TR mark. A half-liter of canned beer costs approximately 30 TRY (1.60 EUR) when bought in a store.
Enjoy Turkish beer and drink responsibly!
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