Russians Toast Recession as Pubgoers Drink ‘Less But Better’
- Craft beers are soaring in popularity as drinkers seek novelty
- Craze bucks market downturn as Russian beer output, sales sag
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A staple drink of Russia’s recession comes in different flavors but it’s best consumed standing up. Food is optional.
Not a beer country until the arrival a decade ago of a central European tradition of sit-down bars that married brews with hearty meals, Russia is now reveling in the new craft labels that have exploded in popularity during the nation’s longest recession this century. The number of Russian microbreweries soared 10-fold in the past five years, and almost all of Moscow’s 100 or so watering holes serving craft beer opened in the last two years after the ruble’s crash left some local brews costing less than half the price for imported beer.