Beer is one of the oldest and most popular alcoholic beverages in the world. In recent years, smaller, boutique breweries have been booming, which rely on carefully selected and quality ingredients.

One of the smaller Slovenian breweries, which is fast becoming more and more recognized, is the family brewery MATT, which is located in the heart of the Secret Forest of Slovenia, and offers beers named after local attractions. This year, the brewery has developed a new innovative product Brewer for a day in the heart of Kočevsko, where participants can transform into a brewer for one day, learn about the entire brewing process and brew a unique beer of their liking.

At launch, the program caused a lot of interest and it was only a matter of time before the team at MATT Brewery would combine their knowledge and skills with the mayor of the municipality of Kočevje, dr. Vladimir Prebilič, and brew the mayor's beer, which would illustrate the love for their hometown.

On the agreed day of the brewing, the mayor showed up early at the MATT brewery and immediately started working with the MATT brewery team. First they developed the recipe together, and then the mayor, together with the MATT trio, conquered all the stages of brewing step by step: from precise weighing, to grinding malt, heating water to the appropriate temperature, mashing and gradual addition of barley, to the formation of wort, maturation in barrel, labeling and bottling.

The whole brewing process impresses connoisseurs and those unfamiliar with the process, and requires a lot of precision and good knowledge of the unique recipe. The emergence of complex notes and flavors of beer requires the search for harmony and the right combination of ingredients, patience and a lot of hard work - with which the mayor, dr. Vladimir Prebilič, easily identified.

The result of this challenging day is Bürgermeister, a black IPA beer. A unique and complex hop concoction, the result of the experienced team of MATT brewers and the wishes of the mayor, dr. Vladimir Prebilič working together to create a beer with many tones and accents. The name Bürgermeister illustrates the important role of dr. Vladimir Prebilič: mayor of the largest Slovenian municipality - the Municipality of Kočevje.

The mayor's beer Bürgermeister, in addition to other beers of MATT Brewery, is available in Kavarna KCK, which is located in the Cultural Center Kočevje (Kulturni center Kočevje) and takes special care of including and promoting local products - from teas, beers, desserts and spirits.

Bürgermeister is available in very limited quantitites and can be purchased as a gift package (beer trio) at the Tourist informational centres in Kočevsko.