One might say that
Efes is to
Turkey what
Budweiser is to America, but only if one meant to put down
America entirely. It is easily the most common beer in
Turkey, and comes in 50cl and 33cl varieties, the 33cl being closest to the American 12oz beer bottle. Only the
Pilsen, the standard variety, comes in 50cl bottles, as a rule. Cans are available as well in the same measurements, and the quality of the beer is such that they are of no terrible detriment to its flavor (growing up in a world of American
canned beers, I was amazed to find that anything good could come from
aluminum).
Efes comes in three varieties:
Pilsen,
Dark, and
Light. Let me begin by saying that I am as a rule entirely preferential toward
dark beers; if it tastes like someone spilled beer in a sugary
ashtray and then slipped it back into my bottle, I am a pleased fellow. This in mind, I was pleased with Efes Dark, but the original Pilsen is in all ways its superior. It is
sweet and
thick with moderate
hops. The Dark was clearly made in imitation of better darks, as it is in many ways like a slightly sweeter, slightly hoppier Pilsen, without the subtlety of flavor found in the original. Efes Light was in all ways unremarkable, essentially a better tasting
MGD.
Efes is named for the Turkish city of its origin, Ephesus, at which there is a brewery purported to have a very nice (and rather generous) tour. Availability of the drink in America is severely limited (though I do not cease to look), and it supposedly can be found in
Great Britain.
soytari: It can be found in Europe under name Efes Pilsener. Efes Pilsen as a brand, has the 83 percent of the beer market in Turkey.