Russian Holidays - Brewer's Day

Brewer's Day is an industry holiday. Celebrated every year on the second Saturday of the first summer month. The holiday is quite young: the decision to establish it was made on January 23, 2003 by the Council of the Union of Russian Brewers. It is possible that over time, this holiday will become the Russian answer to Oktoberfest. But so far its traditions are only in the formative stage. But his tasks are clear and understandable. It is designed to improve the culture of consumption of the foamy drink, increase the prestige and significance of the brewer’s profession. All the prerequisites exist for this. During archaeological excavations on the territory of Novgorod the Great, several birch bark letters were discovered. They mentioned an ancient drink based on honey and beer - perevar. They, along with malt and hops, were paid a certain part of the tribute. At the end of the 15th century, royal decrees appeared that contained a ban on brewing beer by “anyone and everyone.” Only the state could do this. Peter the Great invited the best European brewers to Russia, and beer began to be considered also a medicine. Industrial brewing began to develop at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. At the same time, the largest factories were located in St. Petersburg, and numerous Moscow breweries were mostly private. In the 30s of the last century, the most popular types of beer of that period were developed in the Soviet Union: “Zhigulevskoe”, “Moskovskoe”, “Martovskoe” and others. With the collapse of the USSR, domestic brewing, like other industries, experienced a significant decline in production. The revival of this market occurred only with the arrival of foreign investors. Currently, the total number of breweries in Russia is approaching 600. More than fifty of them are large. Russian Brewer's Day has not yet acquired a sufficiently wide range of traditions. It is celebrated mainly within individual enterprises. There are a variety of sports and entertainment events, concerts, competitions and tastings. It’s not complete without awarding the best workers in the brewing industry – true professionals in their field.