For a long time, Russian beers didn’t have a very good reputation. But lately, the craft beer revolution has also come to Russia giving a huge spur to the industry in general.
So what is the best Russian beer? This is, of course, a matter of taste. My favorite Russian beer is the IPA from the Volkovskaya brewery. But there are many other great Russian beers.
To write this blog post I have bought many different Russian beers, even the ones I normally don’t buy, in order to provide you with a complete overview.
Volkovskaya Brewery
I always thought that Volkovskaya brewery is merely a small brewery that is standing on its own. But when I did my research for this blog post, it turned out that’s not quite the case. Volkovskaya is owned by one of Russia’s biggest breweries: the Moscow Beer Brewing Company (Московская Пивоварная Компания). This company owns many famous Russian brands, like Zhiguli, Khamovniki. Besides that, the company also has signed license agreements with some foreign brands in order to be able to produce their beer in Russia.
And Volkovskaya is their craft beer brand. The fact that Volkovskaya is in fact owned by one of Russia’s biggest breweries of course raises the question: is this in fact craft beer? According to most criteria the answer is no. But does that even matter if they produce good beer? I guess it should not. Although I must say I’m a bit less charmed by this brand now that I know they are owned by big beer.
Volkovskaya IPA
Alcohol: 5,9%
The Volkovskaya IPA is the Russian beer that I drank the most. On the etiquette of this beer you’ll see in small print ‘V2’. This stands for version 2. The recepture of the beer has changed (improved according to the people from the brewery), but I’m not sure whether this is indeed an improvement.
For an IPA the Volkovskaya IPA is not very bitter at all. Many people mention that it is not bitter enough, but I like it that way. According to some reviewers the taste of the beer has a hint of mango and citrus, but I guess my taste is not refined enough to notice this.
Not Constant Quality
I myself, but also many other people have noticed that the taste of the Volkovskaya IPA varies a lot. Maybe this has to do with the way it was brewn, maybe it has to do with the way in which the beer is stored. But whereas sometimes I really enjoy this beer at other times it is ok-ish at best. Unfortunately I don’t know why this is.
Khamovniki Vienna Lager
Alcohol: 4,5%
Like I already mentioned, Khamovniki is owned by the same Moscow Beer Brewing that also owns Volkovskaya. Many Russians believe the Khamovniki Vienna Lager to be one of the country’s best lagers, if not the best.
One of the first things that attract your attention when you see a bottle of Khamovniki Vienna Lager, is its strange shape. Apparently this is what beer bottled used to look like in old times.
According to the label, this beer is an amber-colored beer with notes of pine needles, as well as tones of dried bread in its taste. The beer is brewed using special malts, including Viennese.
The Vienna Lager comes originally from Vienna, the capital of Austria. It encompasses certain ingredients and a certain way of brewing beer.
The taste of this beer is, very rich and complex. At first it seems to be just an ordinary bright lager, with a pronounced malt taste, but then, suddenly, a dark malt, caramel-like taste becomes apparent. These different tastes make the beer an interesting and worthwhile drink with a nice hoppy bitterness.
Zhiguli IPA
Alcohol: 4,5%
For many Russians the fact that Zhiguli, a brand apparently not known for its willingness to experiment, came as a surprise.
Khamovniki Plzen Pilsner
Some people might find it suspicious that there are three different Khamovniki beers on Russialounge’s best beer list. But hey, it’s a well-known brand that produces decent beers.
Experts will know that Pilzen beer was first brewed by the Bavarian beer brewer Josef