Halfway through Saturday afternoons when David was growing up, his classical musician father often betrayed his Appalachian country boy roots by launching into a spirited rendition of ‶Rye Whiskey.″ He was particularly fond of the verse (as sung in Louisa, Kentucky at the source of the Big Sandy river) that referenced some of the local wildlife. ‶If the river was whiskey and I was a duck,″ the tune went, ‶I’d dive to the bottom and drink myself up.″

That memory came flooding back when we booked a stay at the San Servolo Resort & Beer Spa in Buje, Croatia, just south of the Slovenian border. We went directly from the truffle fair, with a stopover in the picturesque fortified mountain village of Grožnjan, known since 1965 as a ‶city of artists.″

San Servolo began as a craft brewery with a tap room and pizza oven in the Istrian countryside amid vineyards and olive groves. It’s expanded to include a 14-room resort hotel, a five-room guesthouse, and a “wellness camping” option with tent pitches, RV hookups, and mobile homes. (Some camping options even have private Jacuzzis.)

Gastronomy and skin care steep together

The tap room still bustles with locals bringing their growlers for refills. And the shop sells some limited cheese, sausages, and truffle products. Upstairs is a full-service restaurant that bills itself as a steak house, though some of the tastiest dishes are forms of gulyas and other mitteleuropan stews that go particularly well with beer. At right is a tasty plate of braised short ribs with gnocchi. But let’s face it—the big attraction at San Servolo is the beer spa.

For about $90 per person, we booked bathtubs full of warm beer with hops floating on top. The tubs are set up two to a small room with an adjoining shower. Between the tubs sits a console with water taps and—most importantly—a tap of cold San Servolo lager. Both the beer bath and the live tap use beer brewed on the premises. Spa customers are encouraged to drink all the beer they want, which no doubt contributes mightily to a sense of well-being.

The alcohol level is too low to absorb much through your skin. Though we had to stretch to see any differences, the spa bills the treatment as a rejuvenating soak “primarily intended for recovery and restoration of skin and hair beauty.” Plus you come out smelling of beer, which is a good or bad thing, depending on how much your partner likes the smell of fresh beer. The natural foam, per the resort, creates “a pleasurable and cheerful mood at the same time.”

We were certainly happy and relaxed. As the Croatians say, Živjeli!

San Servolo Resort & Beer Spa Spa, Momjanska ulica 7a, 52460, Buje, Croatia; +385 52 772 505; sanservoloresort.com