Split’s big craft beer festival returns with a bang this weekend

SMASH Split Beer Fest 2025

Are you a fan of craft beer? Love exploring new flavours, meeting fellow enthusiasts and soaking up great vibes? Then mark your calendars – on Saturday, 17 May 2025, one of the region’s most exciting beer events returns to Split.

The Split Beer Fest and the fifth international SMASH homebrew competition kick off from 5 PM at Plan B pub, promising an unforgettable day of pints, passion, and people.

What to Expect at SMASH 2025

Organised by local craft connoisseurs Ivana, Diano, Pave and Riža, this year’s edition brings together:

Over 40 types of craft beer

18 professional breweries

More than 20 homebrewers from across Croatia

Live DJ sets by the KLFM radio crew

Fun and games from Planet Zabave

And above all, a brilliant community of beer lovers

To get involved, you’ll need a SMASH festival glass – not just any glass, but a specially designed, reusable glass tasting cup that serves as your entry ticket. Priced at €30, it includes unlimited beer tastings plus a voucher for a Plan B burger or mini pizza of your choice.

“For the third year in a row, we’re sticking with real glass. It best preserves flavour and aroma, honours beer standards, and helps reduce plastic waste – it’s all part of promoting sustainability,” says Ivana.

SMASH Split Beer Fest 2025

Glasses are limited to 300 and available only at the entrance on the day – so get there early! Best of all, your glass is yours to keep as a memento of the day.

Meet the Brewers – and Taste Their Passion

SMASH is not just about sipping—it’s about connecting. More than 20 homebrewers will be pouring their creations personally, giving visitors a unique chance to sample styles they may never have tried, and learn directly from the brewers themselves.

They’ll be joined by 19 top Croatian and regional breweries, including:

Bevog, Big Joseph, Brewville, Brlog, Familia, Garden Brewery, Hvar Brewing Co., Kings Brew, Mandrill, Maskeron, Medvedgrad, Mlinarica, Nova Runda, Prostor, Pulfer, Reset, Saperlot, TapB and Zmajska Pivovara.

“We’ve curated a lineup that will satisfy even the most refined beer palates,” adds Diano.

SMASH Split Beer Fest 2025

Prefer something other than beer? Plan B pub will also be serving a full selection of other drinks (not included in the festival glass price), so everyone’s covered.

And to keep the energy high, KLFM radio DJs will be spinning tunes all day long, while Planet Zabave brings an array of interactive social games to keep the good times rolling.

The SMASH Competition – Homebrewers in the Spotlight

This year’s SMASH homebrew competition reached full capacity, with 110 entrants from across the country. Each contestant brewed at home using just one type of malt and one type of hop – the core idea behind SMASH (Single Malt And Single Hop).

SMASH Split Beer Fest 2025

Competitors could enter two beer styles in 2025:

28D – Straight Sour Beer
21A – American IPA

The ultimate winner will take home a Brewtools homebrewing system worth €1,500, with additional fantastic prizes up for grabs from an impressive list of sponsors including Brewtools, Duofiller, WHC Lab, Inkbird, Beer Smith, Oak Taste, Weyermann Malts, Yakima Valley Hops, Tilt Hydrometer, Lallemand Brewing, BarthHaas X, Hopsi, Badass Barley Malt, CroCraf, Lumer Shop, Juta Spiza and NIRS.

SMASH Split Beer Fest 2025

Judging will begin in the morning, with the award ceremony taking place at 9 PM. All entries will be judged fairly and professionally by graduates of the official Beer Judge Certification Course.

“The festival runs from 5 PM to 11 PM – stay with us ‘til the end and enjoy every sip,” encourages Pave.

Join the Celebration

Come Saturday, 17 May 2025, all roads lead to Plan B pub in Split for SMASH Split Beer Fest 2025 – an unmissable experience for anyone who loves craft beer, good vibes and great company.