Craft Beer in Eastern Europe/Russia

hi Rev, i'm from Kiev, Ukraine, Craft Beer Revolution also started here there is a wine trading company Wine Bureau started to import Nogne-O, Mikkeller, De Molen and Brew Dog last year, also there's a plans to import Anderson Valley, Anchor, Rogue and Flying Dog.

About the microbrewery landscape, in Kiev there are lots of restaurant microbreweries, but unfortunately they are brewing prety the same low quality beers as Light Lagers, Dark Lagers, Weizens, very few of them trying to brew and IPA.

Some contract-gypsy breweries are also trying to brew some new stuff using restauirant equipment.

Some contract \ breweries are Collider Brewery, K&F Brewery, White Rabbit etc

About Russia: Beer revolution there started some 5 years ago from Saint Petersburg, but the very first and greatest brewing company was opened in Zarechnyj Village - Jaws Brewery on the Ural, they brewed very first IPA called The Atomic Laundry) Lots of gypsy - contract brewers currently developing their brands in Russia, most known are AF Brewery, Mager Brewery,

 

Craft beer in Poland - this is growing high and now many breweries make a interest beer. For example, Olbracht brewery, they brew a good beers like a American PA (Olbracht Powrot Krola) and others.


Also Cornelius brewery makes a beer branded "Alter Beer". I like a "Polski Chmel" brewed by them.

Kormoran brewery makes a good hopped beer "Warminskie Rewolucie"

 

Kormoran APA is the best i've tried from Poland

 

There's a good tradition of "country beer" in Lithuania, too, fantastic and funky stuff.

 

In Serbia craft revolution has only just started.

Up to maybe 2 years ago the only available beers were industrial lagers.
Now there are a lot of imports mostly from western Europe, but also from neighbouring countries and Russia.
I have seen a few US beers around (Sierra Nevada, Founders) but they are rare.

There is only one significant craft brewery - Kabinet, which is very much inspired by American trends. Hoppy IPAs, stouts, cooperation with Mikkeller, etc...
Other small brewers exist, without a bigger impact on the market. The whole scene is growing rapidly, but still in it's beginnings.

Homebrewing is known but not common. Distilling rakia (fruit spirits) is very widespread, so homemade alcoholic drinks are not a strange concept by any means, but beer is not commonly made.

In bars a trend of widening choice of beer is very noticeable.
Generally, I'm very optimistic about future of beer here.

 

Lots of craft breweries in Poland, but, surprisingly, they use only dry yeasts. Wide range of beers with different taste characteristics.
There are also enough good breweries in Russia: AF Brew, Salden's, Jaws, Bakunin, Victory Art etc.

 

I'd say in Poland there has been a general resurrection of interest in beer in the last couple of years, which in my opinion came from the home brewers.
I mean these days, there is even commercially produced grodziskie in the country aigan.
Does the czech republic count to eastern-or central europe?
If you count them, as I usually do, it is one very funny and unique case because the rise of smaller, sometimes very young local independet breweries and independent breweries(Kout, Svijany..) which make traditional lager styles and the decline of the big boys came way before the rise of US-inspired craft, before IPAs and stouts from new smaller businesses were a common sight. And most young "craft" brewers still make proper lagers. And to me that is awesome, because as much as I like IPAs and such, very tasty, light sessionlagers are still one of the greatest gifts to the beer world for me.