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Lechner Cellars opens with special craft beers this summer: One Beer Festival will be held on June 19th in the underground labyrinth of Budapest. The aim of the event is to present small-brew beers as a creative and social experience.
Szekely cabbage-flavored beer, sour cherry cola, sour gummy concoctions and underground catacombs await visitors at one of Budapest’s most unique beer festivals. The vaulted passages of the Lechner Cellar System in Kőbánya will host the stands of Hungarian small breweries, while music, street food and unlimited beer tastings create the underground festival atmosphere. According to the organizers, the aim of the event is to present small-brew beers not as simple drinks, but as a creative and social experience. The limited-capacity One Beer Festival will be held on June 19th this year in the Lechner Cellars in Kőbánya.
Craft beer is no longer just about someone drinking an IPA at a Friday night party. It has increasingly become a creative, urban way of life, where the story behind the drink, the design and the community are as important as the taste itself. This world is now being literally moved underground by the second One Beer Festival, which will be held again this year in the catacomb system of the Lechner cellars in Kőbánya.
The event, which will take place on Friday, June 19, 2026, between 18:00 and 00:00, sounds more like the set of a post-apocalyptic film than a classic beer festival. However, this is exactly the experience the organizers are looking for: in the underground labyrinth, the breweries' stands will be located in the damp, arched passages, while music, street food and unlimited beer tasting await visitors.
The Hungarian craft beer culture has taken a completely new direction in recent years. Small-scale breweries no longer only produce traditional beers, but also limited, creative creations, in which the taste and visual appearance are just as important as in the case of a fashion brand or an underground music project. Often, the can itself is considered a collector's item.
According to Szilárd Nyíri, organizer of One Beer Feszt II., this is precisely what makes this medium special. “Craft beer culture is an urban, art-aware and critical community that also seeks uniqueness in beer. For us, a can of craft beer, together with its design and taste, is a complete creation, where drinking beer itself becomes a creative, communal experience. We want to convey this special, unconventional atmosphere to everyone who descends into our cellar.”
This is also one of the main messages of the festival: craft beer is not about quick alcohol consumption, but about discovery. Breweries often work on a recipe for months, from which only a few hundred or a few thousand cans are eventually made.
Szekely Cabbage-flavored Beer, Sour Cherry Cola or Sour Gummy Concoctions?
The best-known players in the Hungarian craft scene will appear at the One Beer Festival this year. Among others, One Beer, HopTop, Mad Scientist, Monyo, Horizont, LöWolf, Etyeki, Ugar, Tihanyi, Visegrádi, BGE, BeerPorn and the guys from the Zone will also pay their respects.
In addition to classic IPAs and stouts, the range also includes quite extreme items. One of the most talked-about specialties, for example, is last year's star Szekely cabbage (Székelykáposzta) beer, which with its sour, slightly smoky, stew-like aromas takes what most people think of beer in a completely new direction. But they also make sour beers with gummy sugar, black porters with apricots and concoctions made with tropical fruits.
Beerporn.hu beer magazine is celebrating its 10th birthday this year at the One Beer Festival, so they saved a barrel of their beer called Guilty Pleasure, which debuted with great success in February and was made in collaboration with Etyeki Sörmanufaktúra. It is slightly salty, dry, like a good champagne, and the currants in it make it look like rosé!
Building Community is One of the Foundations of Craft Beer
Craft beer is now much more than a drink. A story, a community, a way of life. The world of small-scale breweries is not only about unique flavors, special hops or creative labels, but also about the values that these brands represent in society.
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware. They don’t just look at what goes into a glass, but also at who is behind the product, how it is made, what ingredients are used, and what impact it has on the environment or the community. And in the case of small-scale beers, social responsibility is especially important, as these brands often have a more direct relationship with their consumers than large multinational producers.
One of the greatest strengths of small-scale breweries is the community. A craft beer festival, a tap reservation or a new beer launch is often not just an event, but a meeting point. Consumers know the brewers, follow the history of the brands, and a real connection is formed between the brewery and the guests.
That is why social responsibility can appear more authentic in this segment. A small brewery can more easily support local causes, support cultural events, sports, art projects or civic initiatives, but they obviously also reflect on political manifestations.
In the past 16 years, especially in the last 4 years, there has been a lot to learn from, such as Mr. Stróman, Poloska, or Macskás Fadísz beer, which were huge successes, and - although we hope that there will be no such blatant scandals in the future, all authorities can count on this kind of critical attitude.
And consumers feel this. They are much more easily attached to a brand that not only wants to sell, but also creates real value. - added Szilárd Nyíri.
A Beer Festival in One of the most Mysterious Places in Budapest
The strongest element of One Beer Feszt, besides the beers, is probably the venue itself.
Ödön Lechner and his family left a deep mark on the history of the Lechner Brickworks. Ödön Lechner (1845–1914) was one of the most prominent figures of the Hungarian Art Nouveau movement, who was also a renowned architect and artist. His passion and dedication to architectural style influenced the entire country. The Lechner Brickworks holds a special place in its architectural heritage, with the new event hall, which includes the Katlan and Cellar System, where the One Beer Festival II will be held, located on its territory. The brickworks played an important role in the industrial development of Budapest, and Ödön Lechner’s architectural vision determined its form and style. The architectural features of the Lechner Brickworks, which are also preserved in the event hall, evoke memories of times gone by and make the site unique in the city.
“This is the biggest event in the Hungarian craft beer world, which is taking place in such an iconic, historical location, the Lechner cellars in Kőbánya. These catacombs are very rarely opened to the public, but now the stands themselves will be deep down, which gives the evening a very unique atmosphere. We have created a dark-lit festival rhythm where the past and modern beer culture meet.” – said Szilárd Nyíri.
It is also cool in the cellar network even in summer, so the organizers specifically ask that visitors bring a sweater. The passages are dark and uneven in places, so many people will arrive for the underground adventure tour with flashlights.
Unlimited Tasting Underground
One of the most attractive parts of the event is that the entrance ticket provides unlimited beer tasting. This is now considered a rarity in the world of festivals, especially since the organizers sell tickets in limited numbers.
“Last year, there was huge interest, so this year we are also issuing tickets in a strictly limited number to maintain the comfortable, community craft atmosphere. We want guests to be able to talk freely not only with me and Robi Winkler, but also with the brewers, learn the stories behind the brews, and enjoy the most special flavors without limits. This is not a mass event full of fair noise, but a celebration of quality beers and a discerning audience.” – said the organizer.
The atmosphere will not only be provided by the beers. Music will be played in the catacombs all evening. The gastronomic offer will also include ice creams from Billog Burger and Manna Ice.
Photos: One Beer Feszt II
