Beer in Russia
{{short description|none}}
In Russia, beer ({{langx|ru|пиво}} pivo) is tied with vodka as the most popular alcoholic drink in the country. The average Russian person drank about 11.7 liters of pure alcohol in 2016, with beer and vodka accounting for 39% each.[https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565639 Global status report on alcohol and health 2018]
Russians categorize beer by color rather than fermentation process: Light, Red or Semi-Dark and Dark. {{cite web|url=https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/Cy7SB7zy61/ |title=The Oxford Companion to Beer definition of Russia |work=Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® Website |date= |accessdate=2023-05-05}}
Until 2011, anything containing less than 10% alcohol was classified as food in Russia, and sale of beer was therefore not regulated in the same way as stronger alcoholic drinks until then.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14232970 |title=Russia classifies beer as alcoholic |work=BBC News |date= |accessdate=2022-08-11}}
In 2011, there were 561 beer producers operating in Russia. Among them are 40 large producers including Baltika and Stary Melnik, 76 medium scale regional breweries, 263 mini/microbreweries and 182 restaurant breweries.{{cite web|url= http://eng.pivnoe-delo.info/russian-beer-producers-2011/ |title=Russian beer producers 2011 |publisher=Beer Business |access-date=19 August 2014}}
In 2012, Russia was the world's fourth-largest beer market.{{cite book | last=Lamb | first=C.W. | title=Marketing | publisher=Nelson Education Limited | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-17-650407-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p-5Jb4NfxhAC&pg=PT36 | access-date=September 23, 2017 | page=36}}
Production
Beer production in Russia reduced by 5.1% in 2010, to 102.93 mln hl.{{cite web|url= http://eng.pivnoe-delo.info/statistic-data/ |title=Statistic Data|publisher=Beer Business |access-date=19 August 2014}}
In 2010, the five leading companies' beer sales by volume reduced by 5% to 83.6 mln hl. Other breweries saw their sales increase by 14%, up to approximately 22 mln hl.{{cite web|url=http://eng.pivnoe-delo.info/russia-results-of-2010-forecast-for-2011/ |title=Russia: results of 2010, forecast for 2011 |publisher=Beer Business |access-date=19 August 2014}} The total volume of beer imports in 2010 was about 3.07 mln hl.{{cite web|url=http://eng.pivnoe-delo.info/analysis-of-import-beer-market-in-russia/ |title=Analysis of import beer market in Russia |publisher=Beer Business |access-date=19 August 2014}}
Breweries and beers
See also
{{Portal|Beer|Russia}}