Beer in the USSR was not just a beverage but an entire cultural phenomenon, a symbol of an era, second in popularity only to vodka. Its history is a journey from “bourgeois” recipes to a mass-market product with legendary names, beloved by millions.
The Main Variety: How “Viennese” Became “Zhiguli”
The undisputed king of Soviet beer was “Zhiguli” . Its history began in 1934 when Anastas Mikoyan, the People’s Commissar for Food Industry, visited the Zhiguli Brewery in Samara. The beer brewed there was called “Viennese” (based on Austrian technology). Mikoyan liked the drink, but the “bourgeois” name did not. Thus, “Viennese” was renamed “Zhiguli,” and in 1938, the first GOST (state standard) was developed for it.
Other popular varieties were renamed under the same principle:
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“Pilsner” became “Russian”
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“Munich” became “Ukrainian”
“Zhiguli” was so popular that at its peak, it was brewed by over 735 breweries across the Soviet Union. Sometimes its share of total production reached 80–90%.
The Selection: More Than Just “Zhiguli”
Although “Zhiguli” was the most common, there were many other varieties. The eight main types of beer in the USSR included:
| Variety | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Zhiguli | Light, the most mass-produced and affordable. Gravity 11%, ABV about 2.8% by mass. |
| Russian | Light, an analogue of Czech “Pilsner.” |
| Moscow | Light, considered a higher-quality and more premium variety. |
| Ukrainian | Dark, an analogue of “Munich.” |
| Leningrad | Light, stronger and denser. |
| Riga | Light, appeared after the war and was considered all-malt (without adjuncts). |
| Porter | Dark, dense, and highly hopped top-fermented beer (ale). |
| March | Dark, denser and somewhat sweeter. |
| Caramel | Low-alcohol (1.5%) dark beer, reminiscent of kvass. It was even recommended for children and nursing mothers. |
In addition, each Soviet republic brewed its own national varieties: “Baku Special,” “Yerevan Dark,” “Minsk,” and many others. In total, over 350 beer brands were registered in the USSR.
Drinking Culture: How and Where People Drank
Soviet drinking culture had its own unique features.
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Points of Sale: The main outlets were street kiosks and tank trucks selling draught beer (the so-called “barrels”), where you could buy a mug right on the street. Starting in the 1960s–70s, beer bars began to open, which were considered more civilized establishments at the time.
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Cost: Beer was affordable to everyone. In 1975, half a liter of “Zhiguli” cost 44 kopecks, and if you returned the empty bottle, it was only 32 kopecks. For comparison, the average salary was 146 rubles, and a student stipend was 36 rubles.
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Snacks: Traditional and inexpensive snacks included dried vobla (a type of roach), croutons, salted nuts, or sprats.
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Queues: People lined up for fresh draught beer, especially in the mornings, as it might be gone by evening. People often brought three-liter jars and cans with them.
From Natural Ingredients to Shortage and Decline
In the 1960s, as part of Khrushchev’s campaign to promote corn, brewers began to actively use unsalted raw materials: rice, corn, soy, and various sugars, whose share sometimes reached 50%. On the one hand, this expanded the flavor range, but on the other, it led to a departure from classic recipes. By the 1980s, “Zhiguli” was already quite different from the “Viennese” beer it had originally been.
From the late 1980s, against the backdrop of Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign and widespread shortages, beer began to disappear from store shelves, and its quality declined. Nevertheless, the love for “Zhiguli” and other Soviet varieties proved so strong that many of them, especially “Zhiguli,” are still brewed and successfully sold today.