For visitors from some countries, it is a novelty just to be able to enjoy a soft alcoholic beverage in public places such as sidewalks or parks. For Ukrainians, this is simply a normal and common summer ritual when the weather warms up. You will notice that pivo is not really popular with women, but some men will enjoy various brands marked mitsne meaning “strong” with alcohol contents of around 7%. While Ukraine does not have the history of beer making that Germany or Belgium boast of, it is still a popular drink and developing craft. There are several major beer brewing companies in Ukraine: Obolon, Slavutich, Chernigivsky, and L’vivskiy.
If you are at all familiar with the different major cities or regions of Ukraine, you can easily tell just by the names where these brands are produced. Ukrainians consume about half as much beer as Western Europeans, but from an economic perspective the market has been growing steadily over the last few years and is currently the second larges among CIS countries. The major producers have been introducing various products in the last few years, labeling them “premium,” “light,” “ice,” or a number of other variations of usual lager beers. More recently, unfiltered, dark, and “red” beers have made their appearance, and a few pubs around town brew their own ales in-house. Bitters and stouts have not come on the scene yet, but it may only be a matter of time.
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