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 80th century, no one imagined that a few decades later this variety would account for XNUMX% of all beer consumption in the USSR.
Historical information
It is not known for certain how “Viennese” beer became “Zhigulevskoye”, but there are two legends about this:
- 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.
- “Viennese” won the all-Union competition and in honor of this received an honorary renaming.
Be that as it may, the official history of Zhiguli 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”), “Moskovskoe”, “Russkoe” and others, but they did not become so popular and famous.
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.
The very word “Zhiguli” refers to 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. No caramel or fruit tones were traced in the bouquet; rather, the taste of “Viennese” (and then “Zhigulevskoye”) was saturated with aromas of hops and malt.
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 strength of the finished drink – at least 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 “Zhigulevskoe” 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 the 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.
Famous manufacturers
“Baltic”. “Zhigulevskoye” became the first product in the brewery line, the fortress is 4.0%, the density is 10%.
JSC “Zhigulevskoe pivo”, Samara. “Cradle” of “Zhigulevskoe”. The strength of the variety is 4.5%.
JSC “Pivkombinat Balakovsky” Density 11%, fortress 4.0%.