Peculiarities of drinking beer in the Soviet Union. Oh, how we drank Soviet beer

I read an interesting review of Soviet beer and the history of the design of Soviet beer bottles from a collector of beer paraphernalia Pavel Yegorov.

Here's what he says...

1920s

The official date of birth of the Soviet (although, more precisely, the beer of the RSFSR - the USSR was created a little later) brewing can be considered the date of February 3, 1922, when the decree "On the excise tax on beer, honey, kvass and fruit and artificial mineral waters". This time coincided with the development of the New Economic Policy, when some freedom was given to private enterprise, expressed in the fact that, in addition to the nationalized breweries, there were many rented ones, usually by former owners and brewers.

What kind of beer was brewed at that time? The same varieties as before the revolution. These are pro-German brands: “Bavarian”, dark “Munich”, “Kulmbach”, “Export”, strong “Bock”; Austrian and Czech stamps (the Czech Republic was part of Austria-Hungary before the First World War): "Viennese", "Bohemian", classic "Pilsen" and its denser, "export" versions ("Extra-Pilsen"). In the tradition of English brewing, they brewed a dark dense porter and pale pale ale. Very popular were (most likely due to its low density, and therefore low cost) "Table", dark "March", some independent Russian brands were also preserved, although they arose under the influence of Western European brewing: "Cabinet", " Double gold label. The only primordially Russian type of beer is Black, as well as its Black Velvet version. This type of beer was not fully fermented, just like the traditional Russian kvass. It had a very low strength at a high density and was almost unknown in Europe.

By the end of the 1920s, the NEP began to be curtailed, private traders were squeezed out of the brewing industry, the first OST for beer was introduced (OST 61-27), which was mandatory only for large state-owned factories (while not forbidding the brewing of other varieties). According to this OST, it was proposed to produce four types of beer: "Light No. 1" - close to the Pilsner style, "Light No. 2" - close to Viennese, "Dark" - close to Munich and "Black" - traditionally Russian, fermented with top yeast and having fortress in 1% alcohol, like kvass.

1930s

By the mid-1930s, active work was underway on new OSTs, they wanted to expand the varietal variety, moreover, towards Western European traditional brands (“Vienna”, “Pilzenskoe”, “Munich”). At that time, the main thing in determining the style of beer was malt - for "Pilsen" beer they used light "Pilsen" malt, for "Viennese" - more roasted and therefore darker "Viennese", for "Munich" - dark "Munich" malt. Water was also taken into account - for Pilsensky it had to be especially soft, for Munich - more rigid. But as a result, beer under other names was introduced into the OST, which is usually associated with the well-known legend - about the victory of the beer "Venskoye" of the Zhigulevsk plant in the beer competition at VDNKh and Mikoyan's proposal to use the name of the plant - "Zhigulevskoye" instead of the "bourgeois" name "Vienna" . Be that as it may, they renamed both malt and beer.

Malt began to be divided according to color into three types: “Russian” (former “Pilsensky”), “Zhigulevskiy” (former “Viennese”), Ukrainian (former “Munich”), respectively, the beer was renamed into “Russian”, “Zhigulevskoe ”, “Ukrainian”. The names were given in honor of the largest state-owned factories: "Zhigulevskoye" - the Zhiguli plant in Kuibyshev (Samara), "Russian" - the Rostov-on-Don plant, "Moskovskoe" - Moscow enterprises, "Ukrainian" - factories in Odessa and Kharkov. Other varieties were also included in OST 350-38 under their old name (since there was nothing “bourgeois” in their name): this is “Porter”, which was fermented according to the English tradition by top fermentation, a very dense, heavily hopped beer with wine and caramel flavor. And besides him, “March” and “Karamelnoye” (the heir to “Cherny”) is a dark, unfermented beer that had 1.5% alcohol, which was recommended to be consumed even by children and nursing mothers. These eight varieties, with some changes, existed until the collapse of the USSR, and some survived it, so we will dwell on them in more detail.

In addition, new varieties were developed, primarily elite ones. So, by 1939, the Moscow top grade"and" Capital ". This light variety became the strongest (and after the war, when the density value was increased to 23%, and the most dense) variety in the USSR. "Kievskoye" is a sort of beer with wheat malt, although bottom (lager) fermentation. They brewed Soyuznoye and Polyarnoye, which duplicated another variety, Moskovskoye, so it was discontinued. A variety in the style of ale was also developed, but the beginning of World War II stopped all work in this direction.

post-war period

Already in 1944, after the liberation of Riga, the “Rizhskoye” variety was put into production, which duplicated “Russian” and replaced this variety in GOST 3478-46 (now Riga was not a “bourgeois” city and the name “Rizhskoye” could be used ). The remaining varieties in GOST have been preserved. Since that time, with rare exceptions, all beer in the USSR was produced using the bottom fermentation technology (lager), and the wort was mashed in the Czech-German traditions by decoction. The restoration of the economy destroyed by the war began. During the 1930s, beer production in the USSR tripled, but in 1946 it was less than half of the production in 1940. The lion's share of beer was sold on tap (as before the war, although in the Russian Empire it was the other way around), bottled beer was produced little, and the Baltic states were in the lead in this business. The main volume of beer fell on the variety "Zhigulevskoe", in individual cases it occupied up to 90% of the total volume of beer produced.

Serious changes occurred only during the Khrushchev thaw. At that time, various administrative and economic reassignments were carried out in the country, and instead of GOST for beer, republican standards were introduced, which greatly increased the number of Soviet beer varieties. Many large factories introduced their own TTU (temporary specifications) and began to brew branded varieties. The quantitative diversity far exceeded a hundred varieties. In addition to the RSFSR, there were especially many varieties in the Ukrainian SSR, BSSR, and the Baltic states - they usually bore the names of republics, historical regions, capitals and cities with brewing traditions. At the same time, unmalted materials began to be introduced in brewing in a very wide range. This made it possible to create different flavor profiles - barley, rice, corn, soy, wheat, various types sugar, which have become an integral part of the Soviet beer recipe. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, factories for the production of enzyme preparations were opened in Zaporozhye and Lvov, which made it possible to increase the amount of unmalted products used up to 30-50% (primarily in Zhigulevsky).

Here are some of the most interesting varieties that began to be produced at that time: "Taiga" and "Magadan" were produced using an extract of needles, and the Estonian "Kadaka" - with juniper, "Pereyaslavskoe" and "Romenskoe holiday" - with honey, and "Amateur » - with 50% unmalted wheat. Some plants were real generators of new varieties. Under the leadership of G. P. Dyumler, the Isetsky beer was created at the Isetsky plant, the prototype of which was the German side (this variety is still brewed). Also appeared "Ural" - dense, dark and wine variety beer and "Sverdlovskoye" - a highly attenuated light beer, the forerunner of those varieties that we now drink.

They tried to completely ferment beer in the USSR, but the technologies of that time (primarily the yeast races used) did not allow this, so with the same initial density, Soviet beer varieties were always less strong than modern ones - and this, with very long periods of fermenting Soviet beer, up to 100 days, as in "Capital". In Moscow, the pre-revolutionary “Double Golden Label” was revived under the name “Double Golden”, a little later they began to cook dense light “Our Mark” and “Moskvoretskoye”, dense dark “Ostankinskoye”. In Khamovniki, “Light” beer was brewed in the traditional Russian style of unfermented kvass.

In Ukraine, the Lviv plant (with several versions of the Lvovsky), Kyiv plants (several versions of the Kyiv) and some others stood out. The Baltic States remained the last island of all-malt beer, several varieties of it were brewed there (for example, the Senchu ​​variety actually repeated the Zhigulevsky recipe, but only from pure malt). Throughout the Union, the only mass pure malt variety was “Rizhskoe”. But to replace him, closer to the 1970s, they began to introduce "Slavyanskoye". Since the mid-1960s, bottled beer has already begun to prevail over draft beer, it was usually not pasteurized, and the stability was around seven days. But in fact, the durability did not reach even three days, since the breweries could afford it - the beer did not stale on the shelves. From the latest GOSTs for malt, “Zhigulevskiy” (“Viennese”) malt disappeared, and “Zhigulevskoye” lost its “Viennese” character, and due to a significant amount of unmalted products and a reduction in fermentation time to 14 or even 11 days variety has become the most unassuming.

1970-1990s

In the 1970s, such famous brands beer, such as "Admiralteyskoye", "Don Cossack", "Petrovskoye", "Barley Ear", "Klinskoye", many of them have survived to this day. Varieties "Lyubitelskoye" and "Stolichnoye" continued the trend towards heavily attenuated modern varieties. In the 1980s, new varieties continued to constantly appear (oddly enough, but anti-alcohol company 1985 even stimulated their appearance, especially low-alcohol ones), there were exceptionally many of them by 1990, although many of these varieties can already be attributed to the period of independence of the republics of the former USSR. At that time, "Tverskoye", "Bouquet of Chuvashia", "Vityaz", "Chernigovskoye" appeared, but another conversation is needed about this. In total, during the existence of the USSR (from 1922 to 1991), approximately 350 varieties of beer were brewed.

On the peculiarities of beer consumption in Leningrad in the second half of the twentieth century.

I love beer because it's a "sociable" drink, perfect for relaxing. It is great to drink on a fishing trip, and after a bath, and in a bar with friends, and at home in the kitchen in the evening of a hard day.

I first tasted beer in 1961, when I was 8 years old: after going to the baths, my father always bought me kvass, and beer for himself, and once he let me take a small sip. At that time in Leningrad there were beer machines, which were popularly called “autodrinkers”. But they somehow did not take root in our country, but in Moscow they were very common.

During my youth, beer was sold on tap in special kiosks, and it was always a single variety: Zhigulevskoe, which tasted very good! It was brought in tanks and poured into special containers with faucets. Drinking beer in the morning was not at all considered shameful at that time: by the evening it simply could not remain. People lined up in huge queues, holding cans and shopping bags with three-liter jars. If you didn’t have your own container, they usually ordered a “large one with a trailer”: you drink a small mug for 11 kopecks in one gulp, and with a large one, for 22 kopecks, you step aside. It’s good if you have a dried fish in your pocket.

By the way, no one stole mugs, but during perestroika, kiosks sometimes didn’t have them at all, so they even poured them into bags, made a hole and drank through it.

In winter, they sold heated beer - after all, they drank mostly on the street. In the course was the expression "restaurant front": not everyone had their own housing, and not every wife approved of the appearance of a spouse with a can of beer on the doorstep. You could go to a cafe or restaurant to drink beer, but there was only bottled beer, and draft was still valued more for freshness: bottles often came across with sediment at the bottom. But there was a variety of varieties: Riga, Leningrad, Double Golden, Barley Ear, dark March and Porter ... Bottled beer was also sold in grocery stores, but, again, it was not always possible to keep up with it.

That is why the real event was the opening in the mid-70s on Kirovsky Prospekt of the Beer store, where it was sold almost always.

No less excitement was caused by the appearance of "beer halls" - the very first one was called "Zhiguli", you could get there either by pull or by standing in a long line.

Beginning in 1973, beer bars began to open throughout Leningrad, the very first and legendary of which are Pushkar on B. Pushkarskaya, Staraya Zastava on Mira Square, and Yantar on the Karpovka River. The very word "bar" was for the Soviet people bewitching, bewitching. To get inside, you again had to stand in hateful lines; those who knew doormen were more lucky: for three rubles, the line could be skipped. In such establishments there was already some kind of interior, as well as pretty ceramic mugs.

The curiosity was special beer snacks: straws, salted dryers, mackerel, occasionally - small shrimps. From under the floor you could buy smoked bream or a pack of American cigarettes ... Bars were visited mainly by young people: older generation remained in the queues at the kiosks. There were problems with the entrance, but not with the prices: the beer in the bar cost 10 kopecks more than on the street. Sat at the bar big companies and for a long time, they brought guitars with them, arranged competitions: they drank beer at speed. One of my friends drank a half-liter mug in three seconds! ..

Beer restaurant "White Horse" on Chkalovsky Prospekt has also become a very fashionable establishment: here you can enjoy a full dinner with a mug of your favorite drink, but the main thing is to try Czech beer, for example real Pilsner. It cost 1 ruble, and the Zhiguli - 30-40 kopecks.

Things were so poor only for the Soviet citizen: everything was for foreigners! I tried early good varieties beer: in 76 he went to work at Intourist. There I first saw beer in a can, it was a whole little shock. And in 1982, I became a bartender in the foreign exchange bar of the Leningrad Hotel - there were cask Heineken, Tuborg, Carlsberg there ... To be honest, domestic draft beer was not even close to them. The main world brands were represented in the glass - both Warsteiner and Budweiser were already known then. different high quality and in great demand Finnish beer: Koff, Lapin Kulta, Karjala.

In addition to currency bars, imported beer was sold in the Beryozka store, but the way for a Soviet person to go there was ordered: they were immediately taken out under white hands, and there was already a criminal article for storing currency equivalent to 25 rubles. There really was no place to buy overseas beer, the ubiquitous black marketeers and enterprising taxi drivers were somehow not fond of them. Only occasionally did Czech beer manage to be “snatched” from the back door of grocery stores.

Gorbachev's anti-alcohol campaign, which began in 1985, hit beer lovers last. The bars didn’t close, and I don’t remember such a thing that you couldn’t get beer at all, because low alcohol drinks then they were opposed to vodka and were considered more "noble". With the fall of the Iron Curtain, imported beer appeared in stores. Domestic factories began to produce drinks under license under well-known world brands, but in their own palatability most of them, unfortunately, are inferior to the originals.

Intourist was gone, and in 1992 I started working as a bartender at the Nevskaya Melodiya nightclub, a Swedish-Russian enterprise. The range of beer there was impressive: more than 60 types of bottled beer, from American to Japanese, and Swedish draft - Spendrup's, Falcon. Just eyes widened. Of the new establishments of that time, I would note the Senate Bar: there I first saw a separate beer menu on 30 sheets.

At the end of the 90s, the draft Baltika No. 7 appeared, and imagine that it was in much greater demand among foreign guests than imported brands. A lot of private breweries have opened, because private entrepreneurship is finally allowed. Beer from local breweries is loved for interesting flavors and freshness. I think it's really strong famous brand only "Vasileostrovskoye" became: having appeared in 2002, in bars it became a competitor even to such a giant as "Baltika".

While working at Nevskaya Melodiya, I learned from my mentors about the existence of beer cocktails, the Yellow Submarine was very popular - a stack of Jagermeister liqueur falls to the bottom of a mug of beer. Beer with the addition of all kinds of syrups has come into fashion, and, contrary to the stereotype, not only women like such drinks. We learned how pleasant it is to sip Sol or Corona Extra through a lime wedge in the heat. In the city's first Irish pub, Mollie's, they were able to taste not only national cuisine, but also real Irish ale Guinness. And the owners of the German brewery at the Pulkovskaya Hotel organized the first Russian Oktoberfest.

In the formation of St. Petersburg as a "beer capital", I think, the ineradicable spirit of our city, the desire to understand and adopt all the best, played an important role. In addition, St. Petersburg is not only a port city, but also a fishing one - and what other drink goes so well with fish.

The beer question for the inhabitants of the USSR was extremely serious!

Although there was no abundance in that country, as it is now called, “assortment”, or, more precisely, for the broad masses, there was only “Zhigulevskoye”, yes - if you're lucky! - "Riga" or "March", but the very process of consuming a foamy drink was thoroughly approached!
On weekends, the heads of teetotaler families invariably pampered themselves with a bottle of Zhiguli after a bath or at dinner. Those that were simpler went down to the stalls, of which there were enough in each microdistrict. This is where the life was! All last news, political anecdotes, just stories - that just has not been discussed here! They took two or three “large” ones at once (if the line was moderate and there were enough dishes), they took out a vobloka from the bins, slowly tore off piece by piece from it, drank sedately for a long time, talked ... In winter, they certainly took it “heated”, and caring the sellers themselves asked the taciturn ones: “Do you need heating?” - take care of the health of the clientele! Some desperate and frankly fallen elements immediately drank vodka, some poured it into mugs, but this is already an amateur! The stalls also had a category of people who liked to sit with inexpensive beer at home: they came with cans and cans.

I will never forget how, as students, my friends took a couple of cans from my house and went to such a kiosk. And after all, what an honest saleswoman turned out to be! Having already filled a third of the can, she suddenly fished out with her fingers a passbook and a bundle of banknotes that floated up from the bottom, saying: “What do you have?”. How was I to know that my mother kept her savings in a container that was never used in our house? Thank God it's dry...

And in the USSR there were beer establishments. Oh, this is a completely different category of recreation! Ordinary pieces of glass essentially differed little from the stalls: almost the same, but "under the roof." But beer restaurants ... In St. Petersburg there were several of these: "White Horse", "Zhiguli", "Neptune", "Bug" on, respectively, Zhukovsky, another one, I don’t remember the name already - on the corner of Mayakovsky and Nevsky ... It was necessary to get there extremely difficult, the queues were fair, but if you hit ...! The process of drinking here was so long that they did not take less than "five" per nose. They sat for several hours in a row, smoked, argued ...

I remember that I had my own "trick": in those years I quite often traveled to Moscow, at the same time I bought Herzegovina Flor cigarettes there, which for some reason were sold only in the capital. In such establishments, I casually put a pack in front of me, and people looked respectfully, understood - either a Muscovite or just from there. Someone - again, respectfully! - approached to "shoot". Sometimes they were girls... After drinking "five", sometimes they went around the second circle - here the amount of alcohol drunk corresponded only with the capabilities of the individual's body.
Many left on their own, some were taken by the arms of friends - not without it!

Yes, there was no abundance then, but there was only beer - “beer”, sausage - “sausage”, cheese - “cheese” ... But, really, there was a lot of good stuff too! Now they don't drink beer like that! Maybe it's a pity - after all, it was so good to talk about everything with beer, it united so much, as it rarely worked with vodka, because then they drank a lot, and after 400-500 grams of vodka the conversation is rarely connected and positive.

So we can safely end this monologue with the statement that beer largely cemented the commonality and unity of the family of Soviet peoples and even partly reconciled them with the shortcomings existing in the USSR!

***

The first brand of beer that comes to mind when talking about a foamy drink in Soviet time, this is, of course, Zhigulevskoye. This is truly a popular brand.

Despite the large number of officially declared beers at that time, it was Zhigulevskoye that was on free sale, only it was sold on tap.

Beer was not very appreciated by Soviet citizens until the early 70s. So, the average resident of the USSR drank only 12-15 liters of beer per year, and, for the same period of vodka, he drank 7-8 liters. Since the country's authorities decided to fight the widespread vodka alcoholism, they began to provide citizens with an alternative in the form of a foamy drink.

The end of the 60s was marked by the expansion of beer production. At that time, several large factories were built, which continue to brew beer to this day. As a result of these changes, the consumption of vodka in the country slightly decreased, but the so-called "beer alcoholism" became widespread. Cases of mixed "beer and vodka alcoholism" were also not uncommon.

In the USSR, beer could be bought either on tap or in glass containers. Price bottled beer was 45-65 kopecks. At the same time, since 1981, one bottle could be returned for 20 kopecks, which meant the opportunity to buy another bottle of beer if you returned three empty ones! But they preferred to drink bottled beer at home - at lunchtime on a weekend or after a bath.

The quality of the foamy drink often left much to be desired. Beer sometimes came across with sediment at the bottom due to its short shelf life, often it could go bad, simply before reaching the store. For this reason, in each district or city, only beer made at the nearest factory was always sold, because another variety of beer presented in the USSR did not reach the proper quality. This situation provoked a lack of competition and, moreover, the presence of a shortage. So, on a hot summer day, not every store could buy such a coveted bottle of cold beer.

Draft beer was valued primarily for its freshness. Although there were cases when even this “fresh” beer had a pronounced sour taste. A beer stall with the possibility of buying beer to go or drinking on the spot was present in every district. The mode of operation of such establishments was as follows: there is beer in stock - it works, they didn’t bring it - an eloquent sign “There is no beer”. Such stalls were usually not equipped with toilets, so all neighboring courtyards and nooks and crannies smelled appropriately.

It was also possible to buy beer from a barrel standing on the street, similar to barrels with kvass.

Those citizens who did not want to enjoy a foamy drink in the fresh air went to the pubs. There this product was offered at a higher price, but there was also a kind of unobtrusive service - mugs were removed from the tables after visitors, which were occasionally wiped with dubious cleanliness with rags.

What was the average pub? It was most often a hall in which the smell of fumes and tobacco smoke was very clearly felt. The music was drowned out by the noisy conversations of visitors and the clinking of glass. They drank in such establishments, usually standing at high tables on one leg, under the top of which there were hangers. People preferred to take several glasses at once, then they laid out a ram or a roach on a newspaper and began to discuss various philosophical and political topics.

Alcoholics often poured vodka under the table, which they washed down with beer. There were also lovers to mix these two drinks, resulting in a "cocktail" called "ruff". When beer mugs disappeared somewhere, people did not despair and drank their favorite drink from cans or bags. Fish has always been shared.

There were restaurants and bars in the USSR, where neat waiters with butterflies served beer in clean three-liter decanters. Such a decanter cost five rubles. You could also order delicious beer snacks, sometimes even boiled crayfish. However, it was very difficult to get into such establishments on a day off. And resting there is completely different. It was possible to call a girl to a restaurant or a bar, most often it was not allowed to smoke there. Beer was not diluted then, although it was underfilled. Draft beer could also be ordered at sausage and barbecue shops.

There were beer machines in the USSR, where 435 milliliters of beer was poured into a glass for 20 kopecks, but they were not popular. After all, they went to pubs not only for a foamy drink, but also for a special atmosphere.

Canned beer was not produced in the USSR. The only exception was the experiment before the Olympics-80, then in the mid-70s they decided to try to put into production beer in cans. It was called " Golden ring”, the jar was sometimes decorated with the emblem of Aeroflot. However, the idea did not justify itself, since the cost of the can turned out to be extremely high - 60 kopecks. Beer in cans spoiled as quickly as in bottles, so at the end of the Olympics, the production of canned beer was stopped.

Few remember that in those years there was beer brought from the fraternal countries of Poland and Czechoslovakia, but it was not often possible to get it. But in the stores "Beryozka" there was a choice that was simply amazing for a Soviet person - eight varieties of foreign beer.

Beer, like any other drink, has its own history, which is rooted in the distant past. Previously, the intoxicating drink was brewed in breweries in a limited quantity, only natural ingredients were used for its manufacture, as a result of which it had a short shelf life. What was beer like in the Soviet Union when its production took on a large scale?

1920s

Officially, Soviet beer began to exist in 1922, when a corresponding decree was signed on the production of intoxicating drinks. At the same time, the beginning of Soviet brewing coincided with the heyday of the NEP, when the country's authorities allowed private entrepreneurship. At this time, many small breweries appeared, each of which brewed its own varieties of foamy drink.

At the same time, the same brands were popular as before the revolution - "Bavaria", "Munich Dark", strong "Bock", "Viennese", "Pilsen", "Bohemian". German beer was taken as the basis, which, as now, is considered one of the best in the world.

In the best English tradition, ale was brewed with a low alcohol content. The brands "Table" and "Martovskoe" were popular. "Black" and "Black Velvet" were considered to be originally Russian, the production of which resembled the technology of brewing kvass, when the drink was not completely fermented.

In the late 1920s, GOST of Soviet beer was adopted. This period coincided with the end of the NEP era. GOST significantly reduced the beer variety to several varieties: light No. 1, light No. 2, dark and black, which had 1% alcohol.

1930s

Approximately in the middle of the 30s of the last century, the party leadership decided to expand the choice of beer for the population. At the same time, they decided not to invent anything new and take as a basis those popular during the NEP. Naturally, the technology of beer was improved.

So, for example, they approved "Munich" beer, the malt for which was high roasted, and the water was hard, "Viennese" required medium roast malt and soft water, while "Pilzenskoye" was supposed to be made from light malt. It was impossible to use the old pre-revolutionary names, therefore Anastas Mikoyan, being a people's commissar Food Industry, suggested naming a light beer by the name of the manufacturer. This is how the legendary Soviet "Zhigulevskoe" beer appeared.

In the 30s, the intoxicating drink was produced in almost all republics big country. Special quality Russian (Samara and Rostov) and Ukrainian foam (Odessa and Kharkov) beer.

In 1938, GOST was replenished with new varieties, among which some managed to retain their old names, since the party elite did not see anything bourgeois in them. These were varieties such as porter, March, caramel, which appeared instead of black. Some of these beers lasted until the collapse of the great country.

In 1939, the development of such brands as "Kievskoye" and "Stolichnoye" began, the fortress of which reached 23%. There were big plans for the industrial production of ale, but the Great Patriotic War did not allow them to come true.

post-war period

Mass production of Soviet beer resumed at the end of the war in cities less damaged by the fighting. However, already in 1944, even before the victory, the release of "Rizhsky" beer began in the liberated Riga. The country was recovering from the horror and devastation of the war for a very long time, so in 1946 the volume of the product produced did not reach even half of what it was in 1940.

Gradually, the production of Soviet beer was established, the varieties of which were popular before the war. A large amount of the drink began to be sold on tap in beer establishments that opened everywhere. The main volume of consumed foam falls on Zhigulevskoye.

Khrushchev thaw

After Stalin's death in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev became General Secretary. These times were remembered by the country as "Khrushchev's thaw". At this time, GOST beer standards were diversified by the introduction of republican standards, in addition, large factories introduced VTU (temporary technical conditions), which significantly increased the number of varieties of intoxicating drink.

The beer produced in the republics of the country was often named after the city in which it was made. This is how "Magadanskoe", "Taiga", "Kadaka" from Estonia, "Romny holiday", "Pereyaslavskoe" and many others appeared. In the same years, the recipe for Soviet beer became very diverse - such flavor additives like barley, rice, corn, soybeans, wheat.

In the early 60s, Uralskoye beer appeared, which had a dark color, as well as a dense rich taste, and Sverdlovskoye, a well-attenuated light beer. They are considered the forerunners of the modern frothy drink.

Soviet production technologies did not allow the drink to ferment completely, therefore, along with information about the manufacturer, the label of Soviet beer indicated the fermentation period, which could reach 100 days.

In Moscow, the production of the pre-revolutionary drink "Double Golden Label" was revived, which acquired a new name - "Double Golden". Later, strong varieties appeared light beer- "Our brand", "Moskvoretskoe". In the Ukrainian SSR, the Lviv and Kiev plants stood out, which produced an excellent product.

In the late 60s, the production of bottled foamy drinks began to gain momentum, which used to be much less than Soviet draft beer. The shelf life in this case was no more than 7 days, which was an indicator of the quality of the drink. This was achieved using natural ingredients. In fact, the drink left the shelves within 3 days. During this period, the standards of "Viennese" malt, which formed the basis of "Zhigulevskoye" beer, left the GOST standards, after which this type turned into one of many, having lost its uniqueness.

1970s period

In the early 70s of the last century, beer appeared, many of which continue to exist to this day - "Klinskoye", "Barley Ear", "Petrovskoye", "Admiralteyskoye". However, over time, the recipe has undergone significant changes. Therefore, we can assume that the Soviet "Klinskoye" and today's are different types foamy drink.

1980s and early 90s

Despite the fact that in 1985 an active anti-alcohol campaign under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, new varieties and brands of beer actively replaced the old ones. The assortment of Soviet-era beer, which had an alcohol content of up to 5% and belonged to low-alcohol drinks, expanded especially rapidly.

In the early 90s, when the country was striving for independence, such names as "Chernihiv", "Tver", "Bouquet of Chuvashia" appeared. Unfortunately, the quality was rapidly declining, as Soviet GOSTs, which clearly regulated production, lost their power. Also in the early 90s, Soviet beer appeared in Samara in cans, which had not been produced since the Olympics. At the same time, the number of small breweries increased rapidly, as private business was allowed. Throughout the existence Soviet Union about 350 different types of beer were developed and brewed. A photo of Soviet beer demonstrates a wide variety of types and names of the foamy drink.

"Zhigulevskoe"

Its taste was familiar to almost every inhabitant of a vast country. Since the recipe for the Soviet "Zhigulevskoye" beer was based on the technology of preparing pre-revolutionary "Viennese", its taste can be called mild. It clearly shows notes of hops and malt without extraneous aftertastes.

Since 1938, Zhigulevskoye beer has been produced strictly in accordance with GOST, therefore, regardless of the manufacturing plant, the taste has remained unchanged for decades. Soviet beer was made from natural components - water, barley malt, barley. The strength of the final drink was about 2.8% alcohol. Initially, this Soviet beer was made in Samara, but soon the name of the drink became a household name and was used everywhere.

To date, the recipe is significantly different from the original, so the taste of the drink varies depending on the manufacturer. At the same time, the shelf life has also increased due to the use of preservatives.

Beer on tap

Draft Soviet beer was loved by many citizens of the country, especially during the hot periods of the year. It was valued primarily for its freshness, as a bottled intoxicating drink often spoiled before even reaching the store. where it was possible to drink a mug or two of a cold drink near a small round table, there were in every district of any city in the USSR.

Since beer was a perishable commodity, the mode of operation of the beer tent was completely dependent on the delivery of the drink. There is beer - the institution worked, if there was no delivery, then a sign "No beer" was hung. Unfortunately, the pubs were not equipped with toilets, so those who wanted to drink used the surrounding bushes for this purpose.

In addition, draft fresh beer could be purchased right on the street from a barrel, like kvass. A long queue often lined up for such barrels, so sometimes there was not enough drink for everyone. At the same time, a person wishing to purchase a drink had to have a container with him, since plastic cups or baklag did not exist during the Soviet Union. There was also no limit on the sale of goods to one person, so people often took home their native Soviet beer in cans of various sizes.

Draft beer could also be found in restaurants, where it was served in beautiful crystal decanters, but most of the population still preferred to drink beer on the street. The cost of a decanter of intoxicating drink in a restaurant often reached five rubles, so not everyone could afford such a pleasure. In addition, it was also very difficult to get to a prestigious place on the weekends.

At one time there were even beer machines, which, like machines with mineral water filled glasses with cold beer. At the same time, the machine poured 435 ml of drink for 20 kopecks. But the innovation did not last long, because people still preferred to go to the pub, not only to drink a mug of cold foamy drink, but also to enjoy the unique atmosphere of the place.

Drink container

Despite the abundance of drinking establishments, some Soviet citizens preferred to drink beer at home. sold foamy drink most often in glass containers with a volume of 0.5 liters. All year round beer was on the shelves of any store, but in the summer heat, demand increased, so a shortage was born.

According to eyewitnesses, the quality of bottled beer was inferior to draft beer, as transportation and storage conditions, which were most often inadequate, provoked the fermentation of the drink. As a result, it was possible to purchase sour beer with a normal expiration date or find an unpleasant sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

Soviet beer in tin cans was not produced. An exception can be considered the preparation for the Olympics-80, when they decided to conduct an experiment with containers, which turned out to be unsuccessful. Cost of one tin can amounted to 60 kopecks, despite the fact that the quality of beer has not improved. In addition, the drink in jars was also stored for a short time. For these reasons, after the Olympics, it was decided to no longer produce Soviet beer in cans. In Samara and other cities of the country, they returned to the usual glass.

The cost of bottled beer varied from 40 kopecks to 60 kopecks, depending on the variety. At the same time, an empty container could be handed over and bailed out 20 kopecks. That is, by handing over 2-3 empty bottles, one could buy half a liter of beer.

Drinking culture

Since they drank beer almost everywhere and always, over time, a certain culture of drinking a foamy drink was formed. It differed slightly depending on the place of drinking:

1. In the restaurant, beer was expensive, but it was not a shame to come there with a girl. At the same time, various salty dishes were often ordered. snacks - croutons, fish and even boiled crayfish. The restaurant, due to its inaccessibility to many ordinary citizens, was considered a decent place, so they rarely got drunk to unconsciousness there.
2. The liquor stores, which were below the level of the restaurant, didn't have that kind of comfort. There often had to stand in endless lines, and drink - while standing, as there were no chairs. People took several glasses at once, because they did not want to stand in line again. The establishment did not offer any snacks to visitors, except for those that they brought with them. At the same time, the level of service was limited only by the fact that they periodically took away empty containers and wiped the tables in the presence of visible contamination. It was in such establishments that the drink "ruff" was born, which is beer mixed with vodka. Even the saying appeared: "Beer without vodka - money down the drain."
3. Drinking beer in the morning was not considered shameful, because by the evening it might simply not be there. Despite the fact that the grocery stores sold bottled, the majority still preferred draft, although only one product was offered - Zhigulevskoye. There were much more names of Soviet beer in bottles, as well as varieties.
4. Often they drank in the entrances, if there was no place at the table in the pub.
5. During perestroika, there was a deficit glass containers for beer, so the drink was poured directly into plastic bags. They drank from them, carefully biting a hole in a convenient place.

Some "rules" for drinking beer have survived to this day, such as drinking in the morning or mixing with vodka.

Despite the fact that in the Soviet Union from the very beginning there was great multitude varieties of foam, a real "beer boom" began in the 70s. Until that moment, the amount of beer drunk by a person per year was approximately equal to 11-12 liters. Despite the fact that vodka was drunk about 7-8 liters. As a result of the construction of large ones in the late 60s of the last century, the government wanted to reduce the number of "vodka" alcoholics. And they got the result - there really were fewer lovers of strong alcohol, but instead the number of so-called "beer" alcoholics increased.

There are several amazing facts about beer that are interesting to know:

1. The biggest beer festival is held in Germany every year in October and is called Oktoberfest. So much of this foamy drink is drunk there that the enterprising Germans built a "beer pipeline", which is a large pipe that goes from the brewery to the festival site.
2. Every year, the average person drinks about 23 liters of intoxicating drink.
3. The strongest beer that was produced in the USSR had a strength of 23 degrees.
4. The lightest beer in the Soviet Union was called "Karamelnoye" and had about 0.5-1% alcohol. It was even recommended to pregnant women, nursing mothers and children. In taste and characteristics, it was more like kvass than beer.
5. Beer is rich in calcium and vitamins, however, to make up for daily allowance these trace elements, you need to drink about 5 liters of drink per day.
6. Beer "Zhigulevskoe" was the most widespread in the USSR and got its name in honor of the Zhiguli highlands, which is located next to the Volga River in Samara, where they first began to mass-produce this type of drink.
7. From a large amount of beer consumed in men, a "beer" belly and chest begin to grow. This phenomenon is due to the presence in the drink phytoestrogen hormones, which similar in properties to female progesterone.
8. Even though beer is considered light drink, it has been proven that a standard 0.5 liter bottle contains as much alcohol as 50 g of vodka.
9. Beer addiction in women is not treated.
10. Beer is very high-calorie product. Despite the low percentage of fat, it contains about 500 calories per 1 liter, which is also the cause of weight gain in both men and women.
11. In women who often drink foamy drink, the risk of getting breast cancer increases several times. This is due to the increase in the level of female hormones in the body.
12. Daily beer consumption in large numbers provokes the development of impotence in men.
13. However, in moderation, natural beer is useful - it improves appetite, stimulates metabolism, lowers blood pressure.
14. Traditionally, beer bottles are brown for better protection from harmful UV rays.

The history of beer in the Soviet Union is not as rich as in Europe. The reason for this was the Great Patriotic War, which significantly slowed down the development of the country. At the same time, in the post-war years, the factories did not give up and continued to produce different varieties beer, which undoubtedly delighted Soviet citizens. And yet, despite such a variety, many preferred the good old Zhigulevskoye.