LJUBLJANA. Road weary, untrackable by GPS, and armed with only mediocre directions for the Union Hotel in Ljubljana I wandered up to the back door of the Pivovarna Union Brewery (founded by the Kozler Brothers back in 1864). I asked the security guards "Is this the Union Hotel?". He responded with an accented English"No, no, this place is for DRINKING!", a broad uneven-toothed smile across his face. For a moment, I considered locking the car and heading in, but the zero tolerance drinking-and-driving rules of Europe, though a good thing, are not conducive to casual beer consumption. Repositioning the "responsibility hat" firmly back on the top of my head, I hopped back in the car. Settled into my room and feeling the effects of velocitation (8 hours of driving), thoughts lingered of the Union Brewery. "A beer would taste pretty damn good right now," I thought to myself. Scouring the room, I hoped that behind one of the doors a mini-bar would manifest. My hopes dimmed as each door literally came up empty. For giggles, I pulled on what looked like a row of drawers and BEHOLD, it was faux: Eureka! Typically, I don't have high hopes for the mini-bar, at best there will be a Heineken. I am not a huge fan of anything bottled in green glass. My theory is that green bottled beer tastes "skunky," and to-date the theory still holds strong. Slovenes ,however, are very proud of their long history of beer brewing and the mini-bar provided me with a few Pivovarna Union Premiums. Thankfully, these 12.6 degree fellas are bottled in nice dark brown glass. Finding the bottle opener, I quickly popped the top of the first one and took a long pull. I know that good beer etiquette would require me to let the beer breathe (preferably in a glass), and really savor that first sudsy sip. Unfortunately, I was more concerned with washing down 600 kilometers of nicotine and coffee breath. I was immediately surprised at how smooth this beer was. I skipped over to the bathroom to grab myself a glass so that I could get a better look at this brew. I discovered that it was a nice golden yellow and had a slightly sweet bouquet. I don't know if I would rank it as a "premium beer" as it really falls along the lines of a decent ale that I might serve beer-literate friends at a barbecue. Despite the beers mislabeling, I found its quite drinkable, considering I drank both out of the mini-bar and repeated the process the next night. I am disappointed that I did not get to go to Pivovarna Union Brewery. They have three different "light" beers available, a 12 degree ale, a 11.6 degree pils, and the 12.6 degree premium. On the menu is also the Crni Baron (Black Baron), a 14 degree dark beer and the Union Radler, a devilish concoction of lemonade and beer (*gag*). A cab and this brew pub are absolutes for my next visit to Ljubljana after the new year.