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JSC “Lida Pivo” is one of the oldest brewing companies in the post-Soviet space. Today, its products occupy about 23% of the Belarusian beer market, exported to Russia, the Baltic countries, Moldova, Germany, Poland, Canada. The line of the Lidskoe brand is annually replenished with new types of beer.
Historical reference. In 1876, the Lida merchant Nosel Zelikovich Pupko built a brewery in his native city. At first, very little beer was brewed on it: kegs with a drink made in a day were placed on two or three single-horse carts. But the owner of the enterprise, being an ambitious man, decided to receive the title of supplier to the Imperial Court.
To achieve this, it was necessary to supply the highest quality beer to the court for 8 years at minimum prices: one claim from the Ministry of Finance or titled consumers – and all the work was in vain. After 8 years, a special commission checked the production conditions, financial statements and even the moral character of the applicant.
Mr. Pupko passed all the tests with honor. And in 1903, already under the son of the founder of the company, Meilakh Pupko, Lida beer won a silver medal at the international exhibition in Reims. Since then, the image of the award has flaunted on the label next to the factory brand: a deer resting its front hooves on a barrel of beer.
The small brewery survived even in 1915, when Prohibition was declared in the Russian Empire. Meilakh Pupko simply reoriented production to the production of kvass. A photograph has been preserved in which the Red Army soldiers drink Lida kvass with pleasure.
In the late 30s of the XX century, the grandchildren of Nosel Pupko, Mark and Simon, managed the enterprise. At that time, 4 varieties of beer were produced at the plant: “Dubeltove”, “Dark”, “Hmelnoye” and “Clear”. When the plant was nationalized in 1939, the former owners stayed to work on it and even managed to establish the production of the Zhigulevskoye (former Vienna) beer, popular in the USSR, before the start of the war.
During the war, the Germans set up a small ghetto at the plant, driving Jewish workers there, headed by Simon Pupko. In 1943, the staff of the brewery was sent to Majdanek, but Simon and some of the workers managed to escape and join the partisan detachment.
When the war ended, production at the plant was restored. The company’s technologists developed new recipes based on previous experience. In 1967, the Lidskoye beer variety was created. It was reminiscent of an improved “Dubeltovoye” – a double-strength beer that was once the pride of the plant. Lidskoye gained popularity in the USSR and still enjoys the well-deserved love of beer connoisseurs.
Since 2009, the Lida brewery has become a division of the Finnish brewing concern OLVI. Over the next 2 years, all equipment was updated, due to which the production volume doubled. To preserve the taste and aroma of beer, the company uses a cold-sterile filtration system, which includes modular and membrane filters.
The personnel of the plant is trained in Germany. Samples of new beers must be sent to a German laboratory, where they are checked for compliance with standards.
In the manufacture of beer “Lidskoye” use:
- Perle hops from the German company Hopsteiner, characterized by exquisite bitterness and floral aroma with spicy notes. Developed in 1978 by the German Hop Institute, this variety is considered one of the best;
- light barley malt of Belarusian production;
- Belgian malt Château Munich Light, which gives the beer a rich aroma and golden amber color;
- Belgian caramel malt Château Cara Clair, thanks to which light biscuit notes appear in the aroma of the drink, and the foam acquires persistence;
- soft water from artesian wells located on the territory of the plant. It is additionally purified from iron ions, passed through coal and sand filters, and a reverse osmosis system.
Awards
“Lida Wheat” – gold medals at the international competition International Beer Challenge in 2016 and 2017.
“Lida Classic” – 2 gold stars at the Superior Taste Award-2015 competition in Brussels, a gold medal at the Sochi exhibition “Beer” in 2016.
“Lida Pilsner” – a gold medal at the international Sochi exhibition “Beer” in 2013, Grand Prix – in 2014
“Lida Velvet” – bronze medals in 2014 and 2015 at the International Beer Challenge in London;
“Lida premium” – 3 gold stars in 2015, the highest Crystal Taste Award in 2016 at the Superior Taste Award competition in Brussels.
Types of beer “Lidskoye”
14 types of beer “Lidskoe” are produced (the name is indicated on the label in Belarusian – “Lidskaya”):
“Lidskae Klasichnae” (“Classic” – beer with a slight bitterness, brewed according to the classical technology: from water, hops and malt. Fortress – 5,1%, density – 12%.
“Lidskae Aksamitnae” (“Velvet”) is a dark soft beer with the aroma of toasted bread crust and caramel taste. Fortress – 4,8%, density – 12%.
Lidskae Stary Zamak (Old Castle) is a strong light beer with a light taste. Fortress – 6,2%, density – 14%.
Leedskae Premium is a light golden-colored fragrant lager with lush foam. Noble bitterness sets off the soft taste of the drink. Fortress – 5,1%, density – 12%.
Lidskae Pshanichnae (Wheat) is a light unfiltered beer with a high content (up to 60%) of wheat malt. In the manufacture of the drink, the German technology of triple fermentation is used: for the first time, the beer ferments with top yeast, grassroots yeast is added at the aging stage, then it matures. Thanks to this, the beer acquires a mild taste and a fruity-wheat aroma. Fortress – 5,2%, density – 12,3%.
Lidskae Pilsner is a pilsner brewed in the ancient traditions of Western Belarusian brewers: fragrant, but less bitter than Czech. Fortress – 4,2%, density – 11%.
Lidskae Portar (Porter) is a dark beer with a pleasant caramel taste and rich aroma. Fortress – 6,2%, density – 16%.
Lidskae Zimovae (Winter) is a bottom-fermented dark beer with a strength of 5%, a density of 12,5%. In the manufacture of the drink, caramel malt is used, and cardamom extract is added at the filtration stage. The spicy sharpness of spices emphasizes the velvety tones in the taste of the drink.
Lidskae Nulevachka is a non-alcoholic beer with a rich taste and a delicate hoppy aroma. Fortress – 0,5%, density – 4%.
Leedskae Radler Lemon is a beer cocktail with the addition of natural lemon juice. Fortress – 1,7%, density – 6%.
