Contents
Going to barbecues with friends, I often “hang out” in hyper in front of shelves with beer. For some reason, my memory always slips me memories from my childhood, which I had in the 80s. Then the main alcoholic drink of my dad and grandfather was Zhigulevskoye, a beer classic of the USSR.
Now, having opened a bottle, you are waiting for the perfect balanced taste. And I think it’s not about the product itself, but about nostalgia. After all, the technologies for the production of alcohol, including beer, have stepped forward, which means that the quality should please.
What GOSTs were for beer in the USSR
I read that in the Soviet Union there were about 350 different types of beer, which were divided, as now, into light and dark.
Draft beer in the USSR was sold from mobile barrels.
According to GOST-3473-78, valid from 1974 to 1994, beer was divided into types. Svetloye is Zhigulevskoe, Rizhskoe, Moskovskoe, Leningradskoe. The dark varieties included “Velvet”, “Ukrainian”, “March”, “Porter”.
By the way, the same “Zhigulevskoye” began to be produced according to OST-350-38 back in 1935. But until 1934 it was called “Viennese”.
As for the standards, the first one appeared in 1928 and was called OST-61-27. In May 1932, it was replaced by OST-4778-32, and after another 6 years – OST-350-38. The state all-Union standard – GOST-3473-46 – appeared in 1947.
GOST-3473-46.
Further, until the collapse of the USSR, the recipes were revised, updating the GOSTs every few years. The last “Soviet” standard was developed in 1978 under the number 347-78.
What was Soviet beer brewed from?
Studying the information according to GOSTs, I became interested in what beer was made of forty years ago. Alas, I am not destined to know “the same taste”, but maybe someone will be able to reproduce the recipe in their kitchen?
The main ingredients were malt – light and dark, hops, yeast for fermentation. To obtain shades and aromas, rice flour and chaff, sugar, including burnt sugar, soy flour, defatted corn, and soft wheat were added.
In addition, excipients and fermented preparations approved by the Ministry of Health were used.
The very first OST-61-27 states that in the absence of barley on the market, rice chaff or wheat malt can be used.
Why do I think beer is better now
It’s not just about technologies that have stepped far ahead. Although it is thanks to the modernization of the brewing process and quality control that we are confident in the safety of beer.
The use of specially bred varieties of hops also has an effect. It became possible to import ingredients from abroad, the variety of which on the market has grown. Manufacturers use a variety of flavors to meet the needs of fans.
Modern private breweries grow their own hops and pellet them.
Earlier in my company, girls mixed beer with sprite to remove bitterness. Now on sale drinks with the taste of fruits and berries – convenient!
Modern breweries have been completely modernized (the Baltika plant in St. Petersburg).
And one more thing: container. At the choice of the buyer, plastic bottles, glass, cans, draft beer and from tanks for bottling. There is something to argue with a friend: tastier bottled or draft!
3 best brands of domestic beer, in my opinion
For myself, I have compiled a personal rating of three domestic brands and willingly share with you.
- Khamovniki is a light lager that costs about 80 rubles for a 0,47 liter bottle. Some call it watery because of the light floral aroma. The bitterness is also present here, you just don’t need to drink it in one gulp.
- Zatecky Gus Cerny without bitterness and intrusive alcohol. Probably due to the addition of caramel to the composition. For a bottle of 0,48 l I give at the checkout about 90 rubles.
“Old Miller” has a light color and dense foam.
- I buy “The Old Miller from the Barrel” on a hot summer day. It is characterized by a pronounced aroma of hops, there is also an unobtrusive aftertaste. The unusual shape of the bottle is also attractive, for which the store asks for no more than 50 rubles.
My opinion is subjective and can be challenged. Write about your favorite brands of beer – let’s discuss!