Zhigulevskoye


Zhigulevskoye is a brand of Russian beer. The original brewery was founded in Samara in 1881 by Austrian entrepreneur Alfred von Vacano. The original brand was named Viennese Beer, but, according to legend, in 1934 it was renamed "Zhigulevskoye Beer" to get rid of its "bourgeois" name. During the Soviet era, at times it was virtually the only beer brand that could be found anywhere in the country. At the peak of its popularity it was made in more than 700 breweries around the country, and it practically became a generic name for beer. Production was regulated by a GOST standard since 1938. Zhigulevskoye had to contain no less than 2.8% alcohol by mass and was allowed to have up to 15% of adjuncts. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, beer under the Zhigulyovskoye brand has been produced by multiple breweries in several former Soviet countries. Attempts to register it as a trademark in 2000 failed.

Marketing outside Russia

There was an attempt to market it in Britain under the name "Zhiguli's", but it did not prove popular. However, due to penetration of another Russian beer, Baltika, as well as Yava cigarettes to the British market there are some hopes to reintroduce the beer to the British Isles.