Moscow Brewing Company
Moscow Brewing Company is a Russian producer and distributor of beer and non-alcoholic beverages. Since January 2022 the company has owned 99% of LLC “Volkovskaya Brewery”. The head office, brewery, logistics and distribution centres are located in Mytishchi, Moscow Oblast, on the edge of the Pirogovsky forest park.
Since 2020 the company has been included in the RBC 500 ranking of Russia’s largest companies by revenue.
Production
The company’s portfolio includes proprietary, imported and licensed products. Beer production began in 2008, and in 2009 the first in-house brand, “Zhiguli Barnoe”, was released. The chief brewmaster and co-founder Mikhail Ershov, author of most of the company’s beer recipes, trained at the Berlin brewing research institute VLB.
The plant’s initial capacity was 2.4 million hectolitres per year and had risen to 8 million by early 2022. Water is drawn from six artesian wells at depths of 320, 190 and 80 metres. The brewery is equipped with systems from German manufacturers KRONES, KHS AG and Ziemann Ludwigsburg GmbH.
Energy-efficiency technologies are used to reduce energy consumption as well as waste and CO2 emissions. In the brewhouse, a heat-recovery system captures secondary steam from wort boiling to pre-heat the next batch, which lowers natural-gas and steam consumption. In fermentation, a carbon-dioxide recovery system processes approximately 95% of the CO2 released at this stage; the recovered gas is reused in the production of beer and soft drinks. At the wastewater treatment facilities, biological treatment including an anaerobic stage converts effluent into biogas. More than 90% of this biogas is then used in gas-piston units to generate electricity and heat; the heat warms the effluent, and the electricity offsets about 10–11% of the plant’s total consumption.
Timeline of beer and product launches
2009
The company introduced “Zhiguli Barnoe”, a pale lager in the Czech style ; it also began licensed production of FAXE Premium, a lager.
2010
The portfolio added Bear Beer, a strong lager, and Pago juices, a natural-juice line first produced in Austria in 1888.
2011
Licensed production started for Kirin Ichiban, a lager brewed using only the first wort without sparging.
2012
The “Khamovniki” line debuted with Khamovniki Vienna, a Vienna lager ; Khamovniki Pilsner, a Pilsner in the traditional German Pils style that in 2021 was named the best beer from Russia at the Frankfurt International Trophy; Khamovniki Munich, a Märzen traditionally brewed for Oktoberfest; and Khamovniki Bavarian Wheat, a Weissbier. Licensed bottling also began for Nestlé Pure Life water.
2013
The range expanded with Yakhont, a naturally fermented kvass; “Zhiguli Barnoe Velvet”, a dark lager in the Czech style; and Khamovniki Kegovoye, a draught lager poured with nitrogenation to produce a “cascading” effect in the glass.
2014
New launches included El Mokhnatyy Shmel, an American amber ale ; “Trekhgornoye”, an ale ; Hollandia, a licensed lager ; and Khamovniki Czech “desítka”, a Czech-style 10-degree beer.
2015
The “5 Ocean” series of bottle-conditioned ales was launched.
2016
The company added Lapin Kulta, a licensed lager ; “Zhiguli Barnoe Non-Alcoholic”, a 0.5% ABV beer brewed with eight hop varieties ; and “Zhiguli Barnoe Export”, a Euro-lager.
2017
Licensed production began for HARP, an Irish lager.
2018
The line-up expanded with MOTOR, a strong lager ; Ballantine Stout, a dry stout poured on nitrogen; and “Kruzhechka Cheshskogo”, a Czech-style lager.
2019
Releases included “Zhiguli IPA”, a session IPA brewed with American hops and emphasizing aroma over bitterness; “Zhiguli Barnoe Wheat”, a hefeweizen ; “5 Ocean German Pilsner”, a Pils ; “5 Ocean German Weizen”, a wheat beer ; “5 Ocean Russian Lager”, a lager ; “5 Ocean IPA”, an IPA ; and “5 Ocean Czech Ležák”, a lager.
2020
The company introduced “Zhiguli Barnoe Unpasteurized”, a lager sold unfiltered and unpasteurized; “Motor Plus Cherry”, a strong cherry-flavoured lager ; and “Kruzhechka Cheshskogo Black”, a Czech-style dark lager.
2021
Max&Jack’s, a hard lemonade in the FMB (flavored malt beverages) category, was launched; licensed production of Bavaria, a lager, began; and “Khamovniki Honey and Spices”, a traditional sbiten drink, was released.
2022
New products included “Zhiguli Barnoe Mango–Passionfruit”, a fruit beer, and “Schlitz Premium Helles”, a lager.
Volkovskaya Brewery
Volkovskaya Brewery is one of Russia’s best-known craft beer and lemonade producers, marketing lines such as India Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, Blanche de Mazay, “Svetlyachok” and “Volchok”. Since 2022, 99% of LLC “Volkovskaya Brewery” has belonged to Moscow Brewing Company.
Sponsorship
Under the “Trekhgornoye” brand the company became a partner of the football club Spartak Moscow in 2014. Since 2015 the “Zhiguli Barnoe” brand has sponsored the Nashestvie festival. Since 2020 “Zhiguli Barnoe” has been a partner of the Moscow Marathon. The “Khamovniki” brand has sponsored the “Kremlin Cup” billiards tournament, and was a partner of the tennis tournament “Kremlin Cup” from 2015 to 2018.