Beer ( sr, пиво, pivo) is a popular beverage in Serbia.

History

The beer was first mentioned in the 15th century during the reign of despot

Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall ( sr, Стефан Високи / ''Stefan Visoki''), was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389–1402) and despot (1402–1427), ...

, as a new drink transferred from neighboring

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

. It was cooked in households, taverns, and even in the residence of the despot. Its popularity rose several centuries later and industrial-scale production began in the mid-18th century.

Production, packaging and consumption

Serbian breweries produce 523 million liters annually, which place country as 43rd largest beer producer in the world. Serbia exports some 138 million liters annually, mainly to neighboring countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina (79 million L), Bulgaria (22.3 million L), Montenegro (12.7 million L), Hungary (12.4 million L) or Croatia (11.9 million L), and to a minor extent to countries where there is significant Serbian diaspora, such as the Germany, Austria, United States and Canada. Beer for home consumption is mostly sold in 0.5-liter bottles of deposit type (reused) and 0.33-liter glass bottles, as well as cans. Most

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

began packing their product in

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

Q-pack bottles of 1.5, 2 or even 2.5 litres. In bars and restaurants, beer is either served in 0.33L or 0.5L bottles or as "draught" (''točeno''). Serbia ranks 38th by beer consumption per capita, with 60

litre The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3). ...

s a year.

Breweries and brands

Breweries

There are three main breweries in Serbia which combined, control 95% of market share. These are:

Apatin Brewery Apatin Brewery ( sr-Latn, Apatinska pivara), a member of the Molson Coors Europe, is a Serbian brewery based in Apatin. It is majority owned by the American company Molson Coors. The brewery's products are exported worldwide. Outside of Serbia, th ...

Heineken Srbija Heineken Srbija ( sr, / ) is a Serbian brewery based in Zaječar. It is owned by the Dutch brewing company Heineken International. History The Dutch brewing company Heineken International entered the Serbian market in July 2007. Soon after ente ...

and

Carlsberg Srbija Carlsberg Srbija (full legal name: ''Carlsberg Srbija d.o.o. Čelarevo'') is a Serbian beer brewery, based in Bačka Palanka. It is majority owned by Danish Carlsberg Group since 2003 and it has around 550 employees. It is well known by its sign ...

. The remaining of market share is controlled by domestic breweries Valjevo Brewery,

BIP Brewery Beogradska industrija piva (abbr. BIP; full legal name: ''a.d. Beograd'') is a Serbian brewery which declared bankruptcy in September 2015. Its headquarters were in Belgrade, Serbia. The brewery was founded in 1839, although it has operated und ...

, Jagodina Brewery and Niš Brewery and 20 other minor breweries. Most popular domestic brand is Jelen, followed by Lav. Some foreign brands are distributed, while some are produced locally under license (mostly by its respective brand owners).

Pale lager Pale lager is a very pale-to-golden-colored lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid-19th century, when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing ...

has been the traditional beer choice for Serbians, and

dark lager Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storage" ...

, while being popular, is produced in smaller quantities. Some breweries produce

kvass Kvass is a fermented cereal-based Alcohol by volume, low alcoholic beverage with a slightly cloudy appearance, light-brown colour and sweet-sour taste. It may be flavoured with berries, fruits, herbs or honey. Kvass stems from the northeastern ...

Brands

;Domestic *

( Jelen, Apatinsko, Jelen Cool, Jelen Fresh) * Čelarevo Brewery ( Lav, Merak) * Novi Sad Brewery (Pils Plus, MB, Master) * ( Zaječarsko, Zaječarsko crno) * (Valjevsko) *

(BIP, Bg) * (Jagodinsko) * (Niško) ;Foreign *

( Beck's,

Stella Artois Stella Artois ( ) is a pilsner beer, first brewed in 1926 by Brouwerij Artois in Leuven, Belgium. In its original form, the beer is 5.2 per cent ABV, the country's standard for pilsners. The beer is also sold in other countries like the UK, Ire ...

Staropramen Staropramen Brewery (Pivovary Staropramen s.r.o.) in the Smíchov district of Prague is the second largest brewery in the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1869 and the brand name Staropramen, literally meaning “old spring”, was registered ...

, Nikšićko) * Čelarevo Brewery (

Carlsberg Carlsberg may refer to: Places * Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark ** Carlsberg station, its train station * Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses * Carlsbe ...

Tuborg Tuborg is a Danish brewing company founded in 1873 on a harbour in Hellerup, an area North of Copenhagen, Denmark. Since 1970 it has been part of the Carlsberg Group. The brewery's flagship, the Tuborg pilsner, was brewed for the first time in ...

Holsten Holsten Brewery (Holsten-Brauerei AG) is a brewing company founded in 1879 in what is now Hamburg's Altona-Nord quarter. The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager ''Holsten Pilsen ...

) * Novi Sad Brewery (

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Febr ...

Amstel The Amstel () is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam. Annually, the riv ...

)

Beer festivals

Belgrade Beer Fest

Started in 2003,

Belgrade Beer Fest The Belgrade Beer Fest ( sr, Београдски фестивал пива, Beogradski festival piva) is an annual festival of beer in Belgrade, Serbia. Started in 2003, the festival is held annually over five days each August as a showcase even ...

is held annually over 3–4 days at the foot of Belgrade's

Kalemegdan The Kalemegdan Park ( sr, / ), or simply Kalemegdan ( sr-Cyrl, Калемегдан) is the largest park and the most important historical monument in Belgrade. It is located on a cliff, at the junction of the River Sava and the Danube. Kal ...

fortress as a showcase event for various beer producers. In addition to domestic and foreign brews at affordable prices, the festival features live music performances each evening. It has quickly grown in size and popularity. On 31 December 2005

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

daily ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' named it as one of the worldwide events to visit in 2006.

Dani piva

Dani Piva Dani may refer to: People * Dani people, a people living in the central highlands of West Papua * Dani (surname), a surname * Danes (Germanic tribe), a tribe in southern Scandinavia * Dani (footballer, born 1951) (Daniel Ruiz-Bazán Justa), Spani ...

(Beer Days) is a beer festival in

Zrenjanin Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; hu, Nagybecskerek; ro, Becicherecu Mare; sk, Zreňanin; german: Großbetschkerek) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous pro ...

, started in 1985, organised by the Zrenjanin brewery (Zrenjaninska industrija piva).

References

External links

Efes Weifert: Manji gubici za 22%
at b92.net {{Beers of the world Serbian cuisine