In 1881, in Samara, on the banks of the Volga, an Austrian citizen Alfred Filippovich von Vakano launched the production of Venskoye beer. However, on February 12, 1918, the brewery was nationalized. The proletarians who came to power liked Vienna, but they didn't like the name. As a result, "Viennese" beer in 1936 was renamed "Zhigulevskoe", in honor of the Zhiguli mountains - a hill near Samara.

Researchers elevate the name Zhiguli to the Turkic "dzhiguli" - "harnessed, horse-drawn" - by the name of barge haulers and the place where they lived. There is also a more romantic version, which connects the name with the Volga freemen - robber gangs that lived in the mountains. If the owners of the captured ships did not pay a bribe, they were flogged with burning rods. Flogging was called a burn, and the people who flogged were called Zhiguli.

In the USSR, this variety became the most popular

At its peak, Zhigulevskoye occupied almost 80% of the Soviet beer market: it was brewed by almost 1,000 factories. It cost about 35-50 kopecks - depending on the region of the boundless country.

In 1938, a standard was introduced for Zhigulevsky, which stated that it was a bottom-fermented light beer with an initial wort density of at least 11%. At the same time, the strength of Zhigulevsky beer should have been at least 2.8%. For its manufacture, it was allowed to use up to 15% (barley, corn, wheat, rice). This point became the main room for maneuver, and since then the recipe of each plant is different.

Where is Zhigulevskoe beer brewed?

In the early 1990s, Zhiguli Brewery, the progenitor of the brand, tried to defend the right to the brand in court. However, the name was so popular among the people that the registration of the mark, which took place in 1992, was canceled by the Appellate Chamber of Rospatent. Therefore, any brewer can prepare beer and call it Zhigulevsky.

Our plant has been preparing for 40 years, since the opening of the plant. All this time the recipe has not changed and remains close to the original recipe.

Zhiguli beer is the same integral attribute of the era of developed socialism, like condensed milk in tin cans, doctor's sausage, Indian tea with an elephant. This sort of light beer was considered the standard of brewing products due to its rich, slightly bitter taste and thick malty aroma.

Zhigulevskoe was drunk in beer halls and restaurants, in bathhouses, at home and at beer kiosks on tap. Today, the main intoxicating drink of the times of the USSR is remembered with warm feelings and nostalgia for another quality product lost forever.

The most demanded Soviet product is the product of the Zhiguli brewery, located in Samara and operating to this day. The company was founded in 1881 by the Austrian hereditary brewer Alfred Filippovich von Vakano and soon became one of the largest suppliers of foamy drink, selling its products throughout Russia. The brewery produced draft beer of the Viennese and Viennese table varieties according to old Austrian recipes.

The history of "Zhigulevskoe" beer began in 1935, when, by order of the People's Commissariat of Food Industry, the plant began to produce branded drinks under various names. Zhigulevskoye, Moskovskoye, Rizhskoye, Rossiyskoye, Ukrainskoye - all these varieties of hop product became recognizable and appreciated by more than one generation of Soviet people.

But only Zhigulevsky belonged to the people's love, since it was sold everywhere (in glass containers or on tap), it was inexpensive (25 kopecks per bottle) and was always fresh.

Beer was produced in accordance with GOST, introduced in 1938, and was of the highest quality. Following the Samara brewery Zhigulevskoye, more than 700 enterprises located throughout the USSR began to brew.

The production standard was the same, so the products of the breweries had identical characteristics - a rich malty taste of a Viennese lager with hints of hops.

The composition and strength of the drink

Zhigulevskoe is a bottom-fermented lager beer. The golden-amber color of the drink was given by Vienna malt, which was dried at higher temperatures than other varieties. The drink turned out to be bright not only in color, but also in taste.

The production technology of Soviet beer involved the use of only natural ingredients in the composition:

• water;
• barley malt;
• barley;
• hops.

Insignificant use of unmalted raw materials was allowed: wheat, corn, rice. The extractivity of the initial wort was 11%. The output was an amber-colored product with a strength of 4% vol. with a pronounced malty aroma.

"Zhigulevskoye" unfiltered beer was stored for 3-5 days, then gradually began to change its taste and give a cloudy sediment. Therefore, they always tried to buy beer fresh and drink it immediately after purchase.

Types of "Zhigulevskoe" beer

From 1935 to 1987, there was only one type of Zhigulevsky, but with the advent of "perestroika" and the further collapse of the Soviet Union, the situation began to change.

First, “Zhigulevskoye Special” appeared, which was no longer produced according to GOST, but according to TU, and then the demanded beer began to be brewed by a variety of enterprises using various technologies. Gradually, the brand lost its authenticity, and with it such a recognizable taste of "live" Viennese beer.

In different years, different varieties of products with a similar name were produced:

Today, the historical "Zhigulevskoye" is produced only in Samara. The brewery, which was founded by an enterprising Austrian, not only continues to exist, but also improves, introducing new technologies.

Connoisseurs say that the taste of the drink is the same, only it is problematic to find it in free sale. One plant on the Volga is not able to satisfy the needs of all connoisseurs of the foamy drink living in Russia and neighboring countries.

However, there is a way out. You can brew beer yourself. All it takes is desire, patience and time. Brewing skills are welcome.

How to brew beer at home

The simplest recipe for making a Soviet foamy drink is aimed at beginner brewers who do not have special equipment.

However, some devices still have to be acquired. To produce beer at home from the times of the USSR, you will need a wooden keg for soaking malt and a large vat (pan) for brewing wort.

All dishes must be sterile, otherwise there is a risk of getting instead of a fragrant drink. Hands before the brewing process (and in the process) are thoroughly washed to exclude the possibility of pathogenic microflora entering the wort. Components for making a foamy drink can be purchased at specialized stores.

Required Ingredients:

• bottled or spring water - 20 l;
• barley malt - 1 bucket with a capacity of 5 liters;
• hops - 6 glasses;
• salt - 10 g;
• yeast (diluted) - 300 ml.

Cooking "Zhigulevskoe" is carried out in several stages:

Fresh home-bottled beer is good for drinking within 3 days. The drink prepared by one's own hands is distinguished by a mild hoppy taste with a characteristic bitterness, persistent foam and the absence of preservatives and taste improvers.

It is natural and useful product, which, with its moderate use, allows you to saturate the body with useful substances and vitamins.

IN Soviet time beer "Zhigulevskoe" was the most common type of beer. In a sense, Zhigulevskoye has even become a household name, replacing the actual word beer. At the peak of production - in the early 80s, before the "Dry Law", it was produced by 735 breweries throughout the Union. There are no others, but there are many new ones. Now the assortment of Zhigulevsky in the whole country is smaller, but in a single region, on the contrary, it is larger. I managed to find 11 different Zhigulevskys in the retail chains of St. Petersburg, not counting the brands of the retail chains, and Zhiguli of the Moscow Brewing Company (MPK). Alas, Zhigulevsky from Samara, the birthplace of this drink, was not among them. Therefore, I had to bring it by courier from Togliatti (it's right opposite the Zhiguli!).

It's time to figure out which beer is better to buy and is it worth it at all?

STORY

The forefather of Zhiguli beer is the Austrian businessman Alfred von Vakano, born in the Ternopil region (then Austria-Hungary, after Poland). In the 1870s, he came to Samara, where he bought a brewery that was dying of incense. Having destroyed it to the ground, he built a completely successful enterprise, which is still known to us as the Zhiguli Brewery. In 1881, he produced the first products - beer varieties "Viennese", "Martovskoye", "Table", "Zhiguli export".

By the beginning of the First World Plant, it was one of the three largest brewing companies in the Russian Empire, had many, incl. international awards, several industrial sites (a plant in Baku, which worked until 1978) and a developed logistics network. In the wake of anti-German sentiment in 1915, a group of Samara doctors wrote a letter to the City Duma demanding "to destroy the beer and wine conspiracy against Russia" and Vakano was sent to the neighboring Orenburg region for espionage. Beer production has almost ceased. Then a series of revolutions, the Civil War, etc. During the NEP in 1922-1923, the plant was given to the children of Alfred to manage production, but then the plant was nationalized back. Wakano Sr. himself passed away in 1929 at the age of 82 in Austria.

The father of Zhiguli beer is Anastas Mikoyan, People's Commissar for the Food Industry, as well as many other Soviet food products. In 1934, Anastas Ivanovich drew attention to the beer "Viennese" produced by the Zhiguli brewery. Either the people's commissar himself visited Kuibyshev, or at an agricultural exhibition in Moscow, or somehow it happened. They decided to include beer in the new OST (NKPP 8391-238, and then in NKPP 350-38) and distribute it throughout the USSR, only the bourgeois name was replaced with a more patriotic and neutral "Zhigulevskoye". The variety was officially developed in 1935. In addition to Vienna, other varieties of this brewery were also globalized - Pilzenskoye became Russian (and after the Second World War, Riga), Munich was converted into Ukrainian and Extra-Pilzen into Moskovskoye.

I don't know how much the recipe differed from the original one, but, in any case, the quality of the ingredients, especially the malt and hops, was different, so it's not very important. Here are the characteristics of the first Zhigulevsky:
- light beer, bottom-fermented, 11% density, ABV not less than 2.5% alc. (hereinafter - by weight, the value by volume, which is used now, is more by a quarter). "Zhigulevskiy" ("Viennese" - it was also renamed) malt was used, which had a slightly higher drying temperature and therefore had a darker color. In addition to malt and hops, it was allowed to use up to 15% of unmalted raw materials (hulled barley, defatted corn, soft wheat, rice chaff) and the beer had to have a slightly pronounced hop taste (as the heir to Vienna, the taste had to be more malty than hoppy) - hops were added 175 grams per 1 hl. finished beer. Exposure in the basement - not less than 16 days.
After WWII they took new GOST and on it in the basement the beer was aged for 21 days. Then OSTs and GOSTs changed many times (not specifically to Zhigulevskoye, but in general). But, they say, they often didn’t bother with their observance, especially in remote cities and union republics - from what it was, they cooked from it. For example, in Primorye in the 80s there was a variety with rice. The new time in the 90s generally removed many restrictions and new varieties appeared based on Zhigulevsky. for example "Klinskoye", this is "Zhigulevskoye" also with the addition of rice.

In the 90s, there was an attempt by JSC "Zhigulevskoe Pivo" to register this brand for itself, but this was not allowed due to the widespread use of the drink.

About GOST and TU

All the beer presented on the test, except for the production of "Baltika", is made in accordance with GOST 31711-2012, which is loudly, proudly announced on the labels or, in extreme cases, on the counter-labels, but also in large print at the very beginning (except for "Zhiguli beer" and "Decks", where there is a mention of GOST on the back label, but modest). The funny thing is that this GOST is not directly related to Zhigulevsky, but regulates the production of beer in general (TEXT). Many other varieties on the market are also produced according to this GOST, but you can find information about this only in the depth of the back label, among the ingredients and addresses of production facilities. Moreover, GOST itself does not necessarily indicate the quality of the drink; beer can also be produced according to TU (9184-200-01824944-2014, etc.) and this depends on the recipe. That is, standards are selected for recipes, and not vice versa. And only in cases with the "Zhiguli" GOST they are proud. It is also not uncommon to use a stylized Soviet quality mark.

Often comes to curiosity. So "Ochakovo" on the label in a stylized quality pentagon writes "1936" (for some reason, marketers decided that this is the most convincing date, but no one from Central Asia knows that the state quality mark was introduced only in 1967)), and the counter-label begins already with GOST 31711-2012. It looks like "SUN InBev" has "1938" on the label, but on the back label it's 2012, but already in the depths, only the meticulous will find it. But the Tver businessmen from the Athanasius PZ are not shy at all - right on the label at a distance of several centimeters from each other they write both 31711 and 1935 in a pentagon, and between them the technologist's signature! It will do.

Such a game with the consumer in GOST is understandable: the mention of GOST is at the same time a reference to the alleged quality of the product, and to nostalgic memories when the sky was greener and the grass bluer. The quality mark is the same. In addition, it is possible that the quality of Zhigulevsky has declined somewhat, especially in the 90s, so the mention of GOST and the quality mark is a way to communicate that "our beer" is of high quality. Therefore, the target audience (CA) is also clear - obviously, at least 45+

TEST PARTICIPANTS

Full list of beers that participated in the tests:

№	Name	Manufacturer
1	Zhigulevskoe light	Bryanskpivo, Bryansk
2	Zhigulevskoe draft light beer	Moscow-Efes (various cities)
3	Zhiguli branded live	Baltic (various cities)
4	Zhiguli traditional	Trekhsosensky, Ulyanovsk
5	Crimea Zhigulevskoe	PBC "Crimea", Simferopol
6	Zhigulevskoe branded	Athanasius, Tver
7	Zhigulevskoye export	Vyatich, Kirov
8	Zhigulevskoe light	Deca, V.Novgorod
9	Zhiguli original	SUN InBev (various cities)
10	Zhigulevskoe	Zhiguli beer, Samara
11	Zhigulevskoe special party	Ochakovo, Moscow
12	Zhigulevskoe	Lyskovsky PZ, Nizhny Novgorod region
	Out of standings
13	Zhiguli traditional "Pivovar Khleborodov"	Trekhsosensky, Ulyanovsk
11	Zhiguli bar	Moscow Brewing Company (MPK)
12	Zhiguli bar velvet	Moscow Brewing Company (MPK)
13	Zhigulevskaya mead	Deca, V.Novgorod

Out of standings, we tested two beers of the Zhiguli variety from the MPK (in general, Zhiguli is also a historical brand), Zhigulevskaya mead from Novgorod Deka and Zhigulevskoye Pivovar Khleborodov, as a representative of the brands of retail chains (Dixie).

PRIVATE LABEL

Private labels of retail chains are a very popular topic and a global trend. Zhigulyovskoe Pivo was no exception, which many super and hypermarkets produce under their own trademarks. There are basically two true producers who provide production. The Dimitrovgrad "Trekhsosensky" plant brews "Zhigulevskoye" for "Auchan" and "Pivovar Khlebrodov" for Dixy.

And Veliky Novgorod "Deka" brews for "Lenta" (365 days), as well as under the brands "Ivan Kalashnikov's Brewery" and "Rus Initial".

As you can see, this offer is in the lower price range and is produced in large volume PET. "Dixie" TM is called "Pivovar Khleborodov" and this beer, in my opinion, the only one among TMs, is produced in glass (but there are larger volumes in PET too). Collierette, print on the cork, and the cork itself is self-opening!

There is no difference in taste and aroma - however, according to the label it should not be: "Traditional Zhiguli" 4.5 / 11 both there and there(hereinafter the fortress%/density%). And on the cork for some reason it says "Zhigulevskoe export" and a deer is drawn.

TEST CONDITIONS

The test was carried out in a "blind" way, wrapping the bottles with paper. Here is almost the entire team of tasters, not counting me and two other people who joined the tests later (and therefore completed them partially). Total 7-9 people, far right

Initially, the term "Zhigulevskoe beer" was used to refer not to a specific variety, but to all products of the Zhiguli brewery in Samara, founded by an Austrian entrepreneur in 1881. The very same legendary drink in those days was called "Viennese beer". At the end of the 19th century, no one imagined that a few decades later this variety would account for 80% of all beer consumption in the USSR.

Historical reference

It is not known for certain how "Viennese" beer became "Zhigulevskoye", but there are two legends about this:

1. In 1934, one of the party bosses (almost Mikoyan himself) visited the production and expressed dissatisfaction with the foreign name of such a delicious and popular beer.
2. "Viennese" won the all-Union competition and in honor of this received an honorary renaming.

Be that as it may, the official history of Zhigulevsky beer dates back to 1935. In fairness, it must be said that at the same time, other products of the Samara brewery appeared on the market: varieties "Ukrainian" (formerly "Munich"), "Rizhskoe" (formerly "Pilzenskoe"), "Moscow", "Russian" and others, but they did not become so popular and famous.

Samara Brewery - the cradle of Zhiguli beer

The history of the plant is full of ups and downs: in 1914, at the very peak of popularity and success, the production had to be mothballed due to the dry law that came into force, and in 1918 the authorities of the Soviet Union nationalized the brewery. After another 4 years, the sons of the first European owner managed to rent the family inheritance and set up the production of beer according to traditional recipes.

Samara Brewery is proud of its history

The very word "Zhiguli" means a mountain range on the banks of the Volga near Samara. In honor of this hill, not only beer is named, but also the brand of the Soviet (and then Russian) car. As for the etymology of the name, everything is not simple here: the “Zhiguli” mountains began to be called only after the geographical reform of Catherine II, before that they were Shelekhmetsky or Maiden, and apparently, the name was borrowed from the small village of Zhiguli. But the name of the village was probably given by one of the inhabitants, nicknamed Zhegulya - that is, "a dark-haired, cunning, fidgety person."

Taste

The original Zhigulevskoye was less bitter than modern pale varieties, and if you remember the history of its appearance, we can assume that the Viennese lager was taken as the basis. There were no caramel or fruit tones in the bouquet, rather, the taste of “Viennese” (and then “Zhigulevskoye”) was saturated with aromas of hops and malt.

Soviet classic

Zhiguli beer production technology

In 1938, a unified GOST was introduced for the production of Zhigulevsky, so despite the fact that the famous beer was produced at more than 700 enterprises, the taste remained unchanged. The technology involved the use of four main components: water, barley malt, barley and hops (175-200 g per 1 hl of beer), however, a small (up to 15%) content of unmalted additives was allowed: corn, wheat, rice chaff. According to the standards of that time, the density of the wort had to be at least 11%, and the fortress ready drink– not less than 2.8%. The result was a light, bottom-fermented beer.

In 1987, the Special Zhigulevskoe variety appeared on the market, the recipe of which was regulated not by GOST, but by TU, after the collapse of the USSR, the standard established by the state was removed. In 1992, the Samara Brewery attempted to register the Zhigulevskoye trademark, but the popularity of the name turned out to be so great that already in 2000 the trademark registration was canceled by a court decision. Today "Zhigulevskoye" can be deservedly called a national brand.

In Russia and the CIS countries, there are many Zhiguli, but often these varieties have nothing in common except for the name with classic recipe. The strength of this beer easily varies from 3 to 7.2 degrees, and the density of the wort - from 8 to 16%. Any craft (home) brewer has the right to invent a new variety, add even such exotic ingredients as blackcurrant, petunia and fennel, and call the result of the experiment “Zhigulevskiy”. Due to the lack of standardization and one owner, the brand is gradually "degenerating".

Interestingly, the favorite beer of Soviet citizens has not conquered Britain: attempts to bring the variety outside the CIS have not yet been successful, but some marketers are confident in the prospects for expanding the market.

Modern version

Notable Manufacturers

"Baltic". "Zhigulevskoe" became the first product in the brewery's line, strength - 4.0%, density - 10%.

JSC "Zhigulevskoe pivo", Samara. "Cradle" of "Zhigulevskoe". The strength of the variety is 4.5%.

JSC "Pivkombinat Balakovsky" Density 11%, fortress 4.0%.

Soviet beer... For some reason, "Zhigulevskoye" and only "Zhigulevskoye" appear immediately, as if there was nothing else. But Soviet beer was by no means limited to this variety, and it did not come to all the well-known Zhiguli at once. I would like to slightly open some pages of the history of beer in the USSR.
After the civil war, factories and plants, including breweries, began to recover, this happened especially rapidly during the NEP period, when many breweries were leased out. What kinds of beer were brewed at that time? In general, the same as before the revolution. If you look at the labels of those years (although bottled beer was then produced in very limited quantities), then these are "Viennese" (and "Viennese, tafelbier"), "Munich", "Pilsen", less often "Bohemian", "Bavarian", "Extra -Pilsen" and "Pilsen Export", "Kulmbach" (named after their place of origin), as well as "Velvet" (and "Black Velvet"), "Bok-Bir", "Double Gold Label", "Cabinet", "Amateur", "March", "Juniper", "Experimental No. 2" (obviously there was also "Experimental No. 1"), "Porter" (and "Highest English Porter"), "Pel-Ale", "Table" ( and "Canteen No. 2"), "Light", "Black", "Export". Rarely, but beer was called by the place of production - "Pskovskoye", "Primorskoye" or by the name of the manufacturer's plant - "Severyanin", and beer with the original name - "Ribis" was also rare. What can you say about this beer? "Viennese" - beer brewed on Viennese malt, slightly roasted, therefore it has an amber or even bronze color, malty taste. In Germany, this variety was brewed dense and aged longer, so the Oktorberfest variety appeared, which is drunk at the beer festival of the same name in Munich. In the USSR, on the contrary, they brewed a lighter, table version (which could even be called "Viennese, tafelbier" - "table", as can be seen from the label above), while the dense version of the Viennese was cooked darker and was called "March". "Munich" - brewed with dark Munich malt - this is a fairly dense dark beer with a rich caramel flavor. "Pilzenskoe" - the famous beer from the Czech Pilsen - light golden, filtered to a shine, well hopped. "Export" - this style of beer was brewed dense and well attenuated so that it had good "strength" for transportation (for export). "Bok-beer" is a German variety with a long history, well-aged, with a very high density, and therefore a fortress. Porter is a famous English beer that has been around for 300 years. Brewed from dark and roasted malts and roasted barley. Very dense, rich, full-bodied and strong (in Russia and the USSR this variety was strongly influenced by the Russian imperial stout - even denser and stronger, which means it was more dense and strong in relation to the founders of this genre, the British, one of the options for porter is and was called - "Extra Double Stout"). "Juniper" seems to have been a prototype of "Taiga" and "Magadan" with pine needles. As you can see, not only bottom-fermented beer (lagers) was brewed, but also top-fermented beer, including Pel-el. As you can see, most of the varieties came to us from Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and England. But "Black" in the old encyclopedias is called the Russian variety.

By the end of the 1920s, the NEP began to be phased out, and the state became increasingly important in the economy. The first standards were introduced, for beer it was OST 61-27, which was put into effect on January 1, 1928. According to this all-Union standard, beer was brewed in 4 varieties:
"Pale Beer No. 1" (density 10.5%, ABV 2.9% wt.) was characterized by a pronounced hop flavor
"Light beer No. 2" (11% by 2.9%) - a combination of malt and hop flavors
"Dark beer" (12% to 3%) - a pronounced malt flavor (taste of dark malts, that is, caramel)
"Light beer" No. 1 and No. 2 differed, judging by the color of the malt used - No. 1 - light (Pilsen), No. 2 - darker (Viennese). "Dark" beer was brewed with dark "Munich" malt. "Black beer" - top-fermented (the previous ones were bottom-fermented, that is, lagers) - had a strength of only 1% at 13% density. "Black beer" was a kind of kvass and differed from it in raw materials (barley, not a mixture of barley and rye) and the absence of lactic acid fermentation. The fermentation itself went on for 3 days (and for lager varieties, the minimum aging period in the cellar was 3 weeks), that is, like kvass. Beer in the OST was described as a fermented malt drink with hops, barley was offered as the main raw material, although the use of wheat malt or rice chaff was temporarily allowed (up to 25%). It was allowed to brew special beers with a density of over 15%. The next OST 4778-32 did not introduce anything fundamentally new.

OST 61-27

Radical changes took place in 1936. There is a legend that the beer "Venskoye" from the Zhiguli plant from Kuibyshev won at the agricultural exhibition in Moscow. And Anastas Mikoyan, who was in charge of the food industry at that time, asked why your beer has such a "bourgeois" name? Let's rename it after your plant to "Zhigulevskoye"! (There is a version of the story that Mikoyan would have been at the Zhiguli brewery and he really liked the beer "Viennese" and he offered to arrange its production at other breweries under the name "Zhigulevskoye"). Both versions are somewhat doubtful, active work was carried out on expanding the range and the new OST, and it was planned to expand it precisely due to the "bourgeois" varieties, but as a result, "Vienna" really became "Zhigulevskiy", and at the same time other "bourgeois" varieties were renamed - " Pilzenskoye became Russian, Munich became Ukrainian and Extra-Pilsen became Moscow. Leningrad, "Moskovskoye" - the brewery of Moscow, "Zhigulevskoye" - the Zhiguli brewery in Kuibyshev, "Russian" - the Rostov plant Zarya and "Ukrainian" in honor of the plants in Kharkov "New Bavaria" and the city of Odessa. Probably these the renamings were included in OST NKPP 8391-238 (I still can’t find it, it’s not even in the RSL) and finally fixed in OST NKPP 350-38.Not only beer was renamed, but also malt - light Pilsner malt began to be called Russian ( there is a variant where it is called Moscow), Vienna malt was renamed Zhiguli, respectively, and dark Munich malt was renamed Ukrainian. These names were included in OST NKPP 357-38 for malt.
According to OST NKPP 350-38 brewed:
"Zhigulevskoe" - light, bottom-fermented, 11% density, the fortress is not lower than 2.5% alc. (hereinafter - by weight, the value by volume, which is used now, is more by a quarter). "Zhiguli" ("Viennese") malt was used, which had a slightly higher drying temperature and therefore had a darker color. In addition to malt and hops, it was allowed to use up to 15% of unmalted raw materials (hulled barley, defatted corn, soft wheat, rice chaff) and the beer had to have a slightly pronounced hop taste (as the heir to Vienna, the taste had to be more malty than hoppy) - hops were added 175 grams per 1 hl. finished beer. Exposure in the basement - not less than 16 days.
The remaining light varieties were brewed from "Russian" ("Pilsen") malt.
"Russian" - light, bottom-fermented, 12% density, 3.2% alc., aging in the basement - not less than 30 days and should have had a strongly pronounced hop taste (as the heir to "Pilsensky") - hops were added 260 grams per 1 ch.
"Moscow" - light, bottom-fermented, 13% density, 3.3% alc., aging in the basement - not less than 30 days and should have had a pronounced hop taste and aroma - hops 360-400 gr. The recipe provides for the addition of 4.5 kg. rice slices per 1 ch. beer. "Extra Pilsen" - probably the Czech version of the German "Export" beer - denser, stronger and hopped (for "export" - that is, a long haul) and "Moskovskoe" got the same features.
"Leningrad" - light, bottom-fermented, 18% density, 5% alc., exposure in the basement - not less than 45 days, the composition should have been 3.3 kg. sugar per 1 tsp. beer, and have a winey and strongly pronounced hop taste (450 g of hops per 1 hl.). The prototype probably served as a beer "Bok-beer" and even rather a double bock type "Salvator" - dense, aged, strong (hence the wine) and quite hoppy.
"Ukrainian" - dark, bottom-fermented (brewed from "Ukrainian" ("Munich") malt), 13% density, 3.2% alc., aging in the cellar - at least 30 days, and should have had a pronounced malt flavor (like the "Munich" tastes of dark malts should have been felt). Hops were added 160 g per 1 hl.
"March" - dark, bottom-fermented, 14.5% density, 3.8% alc., cellar aging - at least 30 days, slightly sweet taste with a strong malt aroma (caramel - from dark malts), hops 200 g. The variety also belonged to the Viennese style, as it was brewed with Viennese (Zhiguli) malt, but with an even darker version. This and subsequent varieties did not have a "bourgeois" character in the name and were not renamed.
"Porter" - dark, top-fermented, 20% density, 5% alc., cellar aging - at least 60 days and another 10 days in bottles, should have had a malt aroma and hop bitterness (hops were added 450 g per 1 hl .). Unlike modern porter, at that time they still used the traditional technology of top fermentation (ale) for this style. And according to tradition, the taste was distinguished by the richest aroma of dark malts, while the beer was well hopped.
"Caramel" - also dark and top-fermented, 11% density, not more than 1.5% alc., aging in the basement - at least 3-4 days. In the composition - 4.5 kg. sugar and 0.1 kg. sugar color on 1 ch. beer, hops 100 g. Should have had a sweet taste, no wort flavor and malty aroma. This is the heir to "Black" and a kind of barley kvass with sugar color.

OST NKPP 350-38

In addition to the above varieties, beer "Polyarnoye", "Soyuznoye", "Volzhskoye", "Stolichnoye" and "Moskovskoye, the highest grade" was produced, indicating OST NKPP 350-38. There is no information about Soyuznoye, and Polyarnoye was a clone of Moskovsky and because of this it was discontinued before the war. "Stolichnoye" (at that time - density 19%) and "Moskovskoye, the highest grade" (density 18%) began to be brewed in 1939.

After the war, the state all-Union standard for beer was adopted - GOST 3473-46. In fact, he repeated his predecessor, OST 350-38, but the following changes were made to the varieties: "Russian" was replaced by "Rizhskoye" (since Riga ceased to be a "bourgeois" city, this variety began to be brewed as early as 1944), and the density of "Leningradsky" increased from 18 to 20%. The terms of exposure in the basement have also changed somewhat - at Zhigulevsky up to 21 days, at Rizhsky and Moskovsky up to 42 days, at Leningradsky up to 90 days. The mention of bottom and top fermentation has disappeared. Probably the widespread use of captured German equipment finally fixed the production of exclusively lagers in the USSR (although later the Velvet variety, at some plants, was still fermented with top yeast).

GOST 3473-46

Next GOST 3473-53. Variety "Caramel" was replaced by "Velvet" - density 12%, fortress not higher than 2.5% alc. by wt. In its manufacture, sugar was also used, as well as special yeast - not fermenting sucrose. The organoleptic characteristics of the varieties have changed somewhat and are as follows:
"Zhigulevskoye" - pronounced hop flavor
"Rizhskoye" - strongly pronounced hop flavor
"Moscow" - strongly pronounced hop taste and aroma
"Leningradskoye" - wine flavor
"Ukrainian" - a pronounced taste and aroma of dark malt
"March" - slightly sweet taste and pronounced malty aroma
"Porter" - malt flavor and wine flavor
"Velvet" - sweet taste and malty aroma.
Also, "Summer" meets this GOST.

GOST 3473-53

Since the end of the 50s, instead of GOST, they began to use republican specifications. The first in Russia was RTU RSFSR 197-57, then RTU RSFSR 197-61 - we will consider it, since the range of varieties has grown significantly. 8 varieties from the previous GOST have been retained, and the following have been added:
"Refreshing" (light, density not less than 8%, strength not less than 1.8% wt., exposure not less than 14 days) - hop taste and weak hop aroma
"Kazan" (light, 14%, 3.9%, 60) - hop taste and aroma - development of a plant in Kazan
"Double Golden" (light, 15%, 4.2%, 60) - specific malt flavor and hop aroma
"Nevskoe" (light, 15%, 4%, 60) - hop aroma, pleasant bitterness and mild wine flavor
"Isetskoe" (light, 16%, 5%, 50) - light wine aftertaste, hop taste and aroma - development of the Iset plant in Sverdlovsk
"Stolichnoe" (light, 23%, 7%, 100) - sweetish taste with wine aftertaste and hop aroma
"Light" (dark, 14%, no more than 2%, 16) - sweet-malty taste and slightly pronounced hop aroma
"Ostankinskoye" (dark, 17%, 4.5%, 45) - mild taste and malty aroma - development of the Ostankino plant in Moscow
"Samarskoye" (light, 14.5%, 4.5%, 60) - a pronounced hop taste and aroma with a slight wine tinge
"Taiga" (dark, 12%, 3.2%, 20) - mild hop taste with a subtle flavor of coniferous extract
"Magadanskoe" - (dark, 13%, 3.5%, 16) weakly pronounced hop taste with a subtle aftertaste and aroma of elfin needles.
The varieties "Rizhskoye original", "Moscow original", "Leningradskoye original" were also added - they differed from the usual "Rizhskoye", "Moskovsky" and "Leningradskoye" by using only the highest quality raw materials, more hops and longer fermentation. For the manufacture of beer, depending on the recipe, barley brewing malt, colored barley malt and unmalted materials were used: barley flour, rice flour or rice chaff, defatted corn flour; sugar (including glucose), hops and water. And for varieties "Samarskoye" - soy flour, "Taiga" - coniferous extract, "Magadan" - infusion of elfin.
I will dwell on some varieties, especially since I have already drunk some of them, although in much more modern versions. "Capital" - I often see in books an indication that the strongest beer in the USSR was "Leningrad". This is not so, the strongest (and densest) beer was Stolichnoye! Before the war, it had a density of 19%, after the war - 23%. Perhaps his heir was the beer "Gubernatorskoe", which was brewed in Irkutsk in our time. With a fortress of 9.4% vol. (this is only half a percent more than 7% by weight of that Stolichny) beer was easy to drink, had a wine-malt taste and quickly fell down. Tasty and merciless :-) "Light" - how did you manage to get only 2% alcohol with a density of 14%? Thanks to a kind of "ice" technology, the fermentation temperature was lowered from 5-6 to 1 degree already on the 5th day of fermentation, kept for another 2 days, then the yeast was removed with a separator and sent for fermentation. Alcohol, in this mode, did not have time to ferment. "Isetskoye" - developed at the Isetsky brewery, in the then Sverdlovsk, the prototype was bock style beer. Some factories continue to brew it to this day. The taste is dense, malty, slightly winey, while moderately strong. "Double Golden" is an elite variety with pre-revolutionary roots. Also distinguished by a dense malt flavor with little alcohol noticeable. "Ostankinskoe" - a dense dark beer developed at the Ostankino plant. In my time it was distinguished by caramel and wine taste. "Taiga" - should have had an interesting coniferous aftertaste, but the modern version I drank practically did not have it. Varieties "Kazanskoye", "Magadanskoye", "Samarskoye" were obviously named after the factories of the respective cities, "Nevskoye" was developed at the Leningrad breweries. Non-alcoholic beer at that time it was not released, but it was replaced by a very light variety "Refreshing". In addition to "Isetskoe" (and a high-quality version - "Isetskoe, original"), the Sverdlovsk Brewery developed recipes for "Sverdlovsk" - 12% by 3.6% - a light beer with a pronounced hop taste and aroma and a high degree of fermentation and "Uralskoe" - 18% to 6.5% - dark beer with a predominance of malt taste harmoniously associated with hop bitterness and the taste of wine (and a high-quality version - "Ural, original"). These varieties are not listed in the RTU, although it may appear on the labels. I note that with the indication of RTU 197, the Yantarnoye variety was also brewed, which had a density of 11% (and the high-quality version of Amber, original). The Yurga brewery brewed Special and Souvenir beer, the Rostov brewery Zarya brewed Lvovskoye, which is popular in Ukraine. Also, branded varieties were brewed at the Ardon brewery ("Pikantnoe"), Astrakhan ("Astrakhan" and "Astrakhan, white"), Votkinsk ("Votkinskoye", Irkutsk ("Irkutsk"), Krasnodar ("Kubanskoye"), Nalchiksky ("Vostok ", "Queen of the Fields", "Original"), Novosibirsk ("Novosibirsk"), Ordzhonikidzovsky ("Ossetian"), Orenburg ("Orenburg"), Partizansky ("Primorskoye"), Penza ("Penza"), Pskov (" Pskovskoe"), Saransk ("Mordovskoe"), Saratov ("Saratovskoe"), Sochi ("Sochi, original"), Cheboksary No. 2 ("Chuvashskoe"), Ufa ("Ufimskoe"), Khabarovsk breweries ("Vostochnoe", "Khabarovskoye"), Sakhalin breweries ("Sakhalinskoye"), Bashkir breweries ("Bashkirskoye"), Stavropol breweries ("Kavkazskoye", "Pyatigorskoye"). In addition to the "original" versions (Zhigulevskoye, original was also produced), there were also "anniversary" - "Zhigulevskoe, jubilee", "Isetskoe, jubilee", "Riga, jubilee".

RTU RSFSR 197-61 and others.

In the late 60s, GOST 3473-69 was re-adopted. The types of beer in it correspond to GOST 53 years - these are Zhigulevskoye, Rizhskoye, Moscowskoye, Leningradskoye, Ukrainian, March, Porter, Velvet. In GOST 3473-78, the list of varieties has not been changed. A much more extensive range of varieties is given in the Russian republican standard. So, in particular, in RST RSFSR 230-84 the following varieties are given (for new ones I give their characteristics and for all the features inherent in this variety): light beer:
"Russian" (10%, 2.7%) - with hop taste and aroma with pleasant hop bitterness
"Slavyanskoye" (12%, 3.6%, developed at the Moscow Brewery) - with hop taste and aroma combined with hop bitterness
"Admiralteyskoye" (12%, 3.5%) - with a pronounced hop taste, with pleasant hop bitterness and hop aroma
"Don Cossack" (14%, 3.9%) - with pleasant hop bitterness and hop aroma
"Nizhegorodskoye" (16%, 4.8%, developed at the Gorky Volga brewery) - with a hop flavor with a hint of caramel in the aroma
"Our brand" (18%, 5.3%, developed at the Badaev brewery for the 50th anniversary of Soviet power) - with a pronounced hop aroma and wine flavor
"Norilskoye" (10%, 2.7%) - with hop taste and aroma
"Klinskoe" (11%, 3%, developed at the Klin brewery) - with a taste of pleasant hop bitterness
"Petrovskoe" (14%, 3.6%) - with a pronounced taste and aroma of hops.
Light original beer:
"Riga original" - with hop taste, pleasant hop bitterness and hop aroma
"Moscow original" - with a strongly pronounced hop taste and hop aroma
"Leningrad original" - with a hop taste and aroma with a wine flavor.
Light specialty beer:
"Kazan" - with hop taste and aroma
"Samarskoye" - with a pronounced hop taste and aroma, with a slight wine tinge
"Nevskoe" - with a hop aroma, pleasant bitterness and a mild wine flavor
"Double golden" - with a specific malt flavor and hop aroma
"Isetskoye" - with hop taste and aroma, with a slight wine flavor
"Festive" (17%, 5.5%) - with hop taste, pleasant hop bitterness
"Jubilee" (17%, 5.3%) - with hop taste, pleasant bitterness and wine flavor
"Moskvoretskoye" (17%, 5%, developed at the Moskvoretsky brewery) - with a hop flavor, pleasant bitterness combined with a wine flavor.
Dark beer:
"Ostankinskoye" - mild taste and malty aroma
"Ladoga" (14%, 3.8%) - taste and aroma of hops with a touch of caramel malt
"Novgorod" (16%, 4.2%) - with a hop flavor with a touch of caramel malt in the aroma
Ossetian "Iriston" (18%, 3%) - with a mild taste of a fermented malt drink, with a pleasant hop taste, with a touch of caramel in the aroma.
I already drank most of these varieties (though later, in the mid-late 80s, and mainly in the early-mid 90s). I will especially note "Admiralteyskoye" and "Slavyanskoye" - classic sorts of light beer like Pilsner, with a noticeable hop bitterness. "Petrovskoe", "Donskoe Cossack" - quite dense (with a density almost like that of the sides), but not at all strong beers (with a strength like that of a pilsner) - in my opinion a very successful combination that gives power of taste with ease of drinking, such varieties these are by far my favorite of the light beers. "Moskvoretskoe", "Nasha Marka" - dense, rich, malty and slightly vinous with an acceptable level of alcohol. "Russian" is a very light and watery beer to quench your thirst in the heat. "Klinskoye" - a variation on the theme of "Zhigulevskoye", but with rice, giving a special softness of taste. Of the "original" varieties of saws, only "Moskovskoye, original" was drunk, and it made an indelible impression precisely with its highest quality, which really distinguishes it from the background of mass varieties. The low-alcohol variety "Svetloe" (9%) was brewed according to the RST RSFSR 230-71 (and later) and had a hop taste and a pleasant hop bitterness. At the same time, the variety "Barley Ear" (11%) became popular - cheap beer with a large amount of unmalted barley (brewed according to TU 18-6-15-79), and in Moscow - "Stolichnoye" (12%, TU 18-6 -10-78 - not to be confused with the old "Capital"). It was brewed mainly by the new Moscow brewery (now Ochakovo) and it already had a high-quality clean taste. "Amateur" (12%, TU 18-6-12-79) - "low-carbohydrate" - that is, well-fermented. For the Moscow Olympics"80, the first Soviet canned beer "Golden Ring" was brewed.