Little underdrinks – Newspaper Kommersant No. 32 (7477) of 02/21/2023

A new conflict flares up between local and transnational brewers. The Union of Russian Brewers (PSA) is asking regulators to tighten the rules for the circulation of beer, which can be in the portfolio of global players and brewed using accelerated brewing technologies to increase volumes while saving costs. Transnational companies, on the other hand, assure that they comply with all production deadlines.

The PSA appealed to Igor Alyoshin, head of Rosalkogolregulirovanie, with a request to intervene in the practice of producing beer, the preparation time of which is less than the standard indicators. Kommersant has a copy of the letter from the Chairman of the Council of the PSA Daniil Briman dated February 20. Rosalkogolregulirovanie confirmed receipt of the appeal.

According to Mr. Briman, in February, a representative of AB InBev Efes (brands Velkopopovicky Kozel, Sibirskaya Korona, Klinskoye, etc.) said at one of the meetings that the company’s portfolio in the country includes beer that is brewed in three days. Although in the order of Rosalkogolregulirovanie on the procedure for calculating capacity, the minimum production period for brewers is set at 6.5–18 days, depending on the equipment.

AB InBev Efes’ statement may be the first public recognition of the use of accelerated brewing technologies by multinational companies in Russia, according to the letter from the PSA. They believe that we are talking about the use of highly active enzyme preparations and catalysts. The volume of production with the help of such technologies can be increased many times, and the cost will be significantly lower than that of beer, which is brewed for a standard 14 days, the appeal says. The PSA indicates that the presence on the market of beer products made in three days is the main reason for “dumping” on the Russian market. The association proposes to fix the category of “low-alcohol grain drink” for beer produced using accelerated technologies, as well as to set a higher excise rate for it than for beer and beer drinks.

The Association of Beer Producers (APP; includes AB InBev Efes, Baltika and Heineken) stated that the PSA information has “nothing to do with reality and misleads consumers.” They noted that there are a number of beer brands on the Russian market, which, due to the use of modern equipment, have a shorter period of fermentation and stabilization, but the entire production process takes at least seven days.

Members of the APP proposed to reduce the minimum beer fermentation period in the order of Rosalkogolregulirovanie from 18 to one day to ensure the reliability of the capacity calculation in order to exclude an underestimation of the indicator, the association points out.

Nikolay Zhelagin, the founder of the Beru Vykhodny chain of beer stores, says that the issue of accelerated beer brewing was discussed in the industry, but companies were not officially recognized in this technology, primarily because of the risk of falling sales. Consumers will definitely prefer a beer that has been brewed in weeks over a product that has been brewed for days, he notes.

MPBK Ochakovo says that depending on the type of beer, the brewing process takes from 18 to 35 days. They added that they approve of any initiatives that identify deviations from traditional production technology and are aimed at conscientiously informing consumers. Aleksey Nebolsin, a member of the Presidium of Opora Rossii, recalls that transnational brewing companies have lobbied in the Russian Federation to reduce the level of malt content in the drink. In contrast, small and medium-sized brewers are in favor of increasing the rate from 50% to 80% in order to preserve the authenticity of the product, he points out.

Alexey Popovichev, Executive Director of Rusbrand, notes that international manufacturers usually monitor the quality of products under global brands well. In addition, it is impossible to maintain good sales if consumers are not satisfied with the taste or quality, he notes. According to the expert, there are occasional claims against global corporations for producing “double quality” products for different markets, but studies show that the differences are caused by different raw materials and different consumer preferences.

Anatoly Kostyrev