The problem of very decent varieties of regional beer is the same for all: you can never be sure that today the taste will be exactly the same as yesterday. Sometimes, even in two bottles taken from the same supermarket shelf, you will find completely different bouquets of taste and aroma. This is due to the small batches of purchased raw materials (often from different suppliers) and the same small batches of products. The solution to this problem in the Russian market is undertaken by large brewing concerns. Yes, this loses the originality and originality of the recipe, but you can always be sure: in Moscow and Chelyabinsk, the same tasteful emotions await you with the same label. The long-term plans of such companies are definitely globalization, which will allow you to enjoy your favorite variety not only in your homeland, but also in any part of the near or far abroad, wherever your destiny takes you.

Russia has become one of the companies that unifies and stabilizes the taste of the intoxicating drink. As the first part of the name unambiguously hints to us, its roots lie in the Turkish lands. However, from the moment of its foundation (and it was founded more than 40 years ago, in 1969, and was called AnadoluEFES), a riotous young growth has confidently filled the territory of Russia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Serbia, and Georgia, and in addition gave their seedlings are also in the vastness of Azerbaijan and Belarus.

This "youngest growth" managed not only to enter the twenty largest brewing companies in the world (and settle there in the honorable 14th place), but also to take the 5th place in old Europe, famous for its brewing traditions. Well, now, when just recently, in March of this (2012) year, EFESBeerGroup joined forces and potentials with such a monster as, we should certainly expect it to conquer new heights

The main distinguishing feature of the company's management since its inception has been a wise refusal to promote its own brands and develop brands adapted to the needs of the local population. The result of marketing research on the Russian market was the Stary Melnik brand. This is the first premium beer, which, according to the creators, was developed and launched into production in 1999 “in Russia and for Russia”. The beer is light, refreshing, practically without hop bitterness, quite quickly found its way to the stomachs and hearts of Russians, and went further, as they say, “in depth and breadth”.

Today the Stary Melnik brand pleases consumers from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Estonia, Canada, the USA and other countries of the world with a product line of eight varieties:

• "Stary Melnik Light"- light beer of premium quality familiar to consumers of this brand with a rather bright taste with almost complete absence of hop bitterness and a standard alcohol content of 4.6%.
• "Stary Melnik Strong"- light beer, as the name suggests, with a higher alcohol content (6.5%). The taste is quite tough, the bouquet of aroma against the background of this toughness is somewhat lost, but for strong varieties such a result is quite expected.
• "Old Melnik Zolotoe"- of all the premium products of the brand, this one is, according to the idea of ​​the manufacturers, the most premium. The taste and color are really brighter and richer than in other products, there are quite recognizable distinctive notes of the brand. The color of the drink is bright golden. The alcohol content is 5.2%.
• "Stary Melnik Non-alcoholic"- despite the fact that this light beer is brewed using a special technology that allows it to be positioned as non-alcoholic, the producers have almost managed to preserve the rich characteristic taste of the drink.
• "Old Miller from the Keg"- an interesting solution that tries to satisfy the nostalgia of domestic consumers for draft beer, while not affecting the interests of retail chains. This drink is positioned as draft beer, while it is sold in cans and bottles of a special shape. The alcohol content is 5.2%.
• "Old Melnik iz Kegonka Myagkoe"- continuation of the aforementioned experiment for dosed implementation draft beer... Due to the reduced alcohol content to 4.2%, the taste of this variety is softer and velvety.
• "Stary Melnik from the Special Barrel"- the consensus between the saturation of draft beer in general and the softness of the Stary Melnik brand in particular was achieved through the use of a special type of hop and an “average” alcohol content of 4.6%.
• "The Old Miller from the Velvet Barrel"- quite a serious claim for success. Dark beer, uncharacteristic for the brand, and positioned as draft beer. Intense color of burnt sugar with a reddish tinge, caramel aftertaste, delicate velvety taste.

Brand: old Miller

Slogans: Work is resting. Old Miller. Soul beer.

Industry: beer industry

Products: beer

Brand birth year: 1999

Owner: Efes Group

"Old Miller"- Russian brand of beer, produced by the brewing company CJSC "Brewery Moscow-Efes" since 1999.

"Old Miller" is one of the most successful and dynamically developing brands in the domestic market. The EFES group of companies has developed it is specially for Russian consumers, taking into account their habits and taste preferences. This is the first premium beer brand created in Russia and for Russia.

"Old Miller" preferred by residents of large cities, modern patriots who keep up with the times and develop together with their country. The product has won prestigious quality awards, including medals from the prestigious Monde Selection tasting competition. In 2000 and 2007, the brands of the family "Old Melnik" became laureates of the prestigious EFFIE brand building award. Since 2001, Stary Melnik has been the official sponsor of the Russian football team. 2000 to 2007 "Old Miller" was the organizer of the rock festival "Wings". Since 2013 "Old Miller" is a sponsor of the "Wings" festival.

The brand became famous not only for its high-quality beer, but also effective advertising targeting a wide consumer audience. Along with Baltika "Old Miller" is one of the most famous brands in Russia and the CIS countries. Today beer of this brand is produced at five factories of the "Efes Beverage Group" corporation located in Moscow, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Ufa and Rostov-on-Don. Available in aluminum cans and bottles.

Subsequently, through an extensive distribution network, it is distributed to the end consumer throughout the CIS, the Baltic States and the Transcaucasus. At the points of sale, the company uses branded glass cabinets for positioning and storing its products, in which beer is stored until its subsequent sale. "Old Miller" is famous for its rich assortment and good quality products.

In the summer of 2011, the company released a limited edition of "Old Miller Light" in a unique jar with a collectible design, developed by the agency "Getbrand". It came out in a limited edition of half a million copies and was intended for sale in Moscow and the Moscow region. This jar became the first in the collection of exclusive packages, the release of which was timed to coincide with memorable dates and significant events. The series was aimed at longtime fans of the brand, as well as people collecting "beer" paraphernalia.

Beer "Old Miller" already appreciated by consumers of other countries - the drink is produced in Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine, and is also successfully exported to the USA, Canada, Latvia, Estonia and other countries of the world.

Beer is probably one of the favorite drinks of many Russians. How pleasant it is to taste a golden, foamy drink on a hot and sultry day, enjoying the velvety of every sip. Drink a mug before bed, sharing the taste of hops with salted fish or hot chips. Or just sit with friends, slowly sipping an amber drink. There are a lot of brands, as well as beer producers, but only a few manage to establish themselves under the “premium” sign.

Premium foamy beer "Stary Melnik"

The history of "Stary Melnik" began not so long ago - in 1999, although the company that was engaged in the production of beer ("Pivovarnya Moskva-Efes") has existed on the market for more than a dozen years. A distinctive feature of the brewing concern is the production of large batches of the foamy drink.

In fact, this is very important - when buying the same brand often, you can be sure that tastes from exactly the same bottles will suddenly turn out to be unexpectedly different. The company has confidently entered the top twenty of the best breweries in the world, having consistently settled in the 14th rating place. Thanks to modern technologies, the beer "Stary Melnik" has received the status of premium - its light taste and lack of hop bitterness very quickly fell in love with the majority of Russians.

So tasty, but so different

The range of varieties of this beer is very diverse - it has eight different types.

Along with the Russians, residents of Canada, Latvia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and other countries enjoy "Melnik". It is also noteworthy that the manufacturer chose a not quite familiar form in which the Stary Melnik beer is sold - a barrel. It would seem that such a shape would not be comfortable for a palm grip, but numerous admirers of the foamy drink accepted the barrel with great enthusiasm. The weakest species in terms of strength is “Stary Melnik Non-alcoholic”. Lovers can say with confidence - there is no one that could preserve and convey the taste of real hops. However, the producers of this brand managed to do this in full - when tasting beer without degrees, it is hard to believe that it does not contain hops.

Light, golden, strong

Beer "Stary Melnik Light" will appeal to lovers of soft tastes. Amber and light, it has a standard strength of 4.6%. This species is distinguished by the fact that there is absolutely not a drop of intoxicating bitterness in it - it is pleasant to drink it both in the heat and on a cool evening.

The next view is “Old Melnik Zolotoe”. In terms of alcohol content, it surpasses the previous beer - 5.2%. The color of "Gold" is rich, amazingly transparent and unusually bright. As the manufacturers intended, it was this variety that became the premium in the entire foam line. It also differs in taste - it is more intense and rich.

The description of the next type follows from its name - beer "Stary Melnik Strong". Its alcohol content is high - 6.5%. It is difficult to disassemble the bouquet of "Strong" - precisely because of the excess of alcohol-containing products. Rather, it can be called tough, which is fully justified (as already mentioned) by its name.

Nostalgia for draft

The older generation remembers very well how tasty the beer was, which was sold right on the streets from large iron barrels. Its taste, its aroma, pleasantly scalding bubbles on the tongue - the taste of a long forgotten past. It was on this that the producers of "Melnik" were based, trying to awaken that very nostalgia in the buyers.

And I must say, quite successfully. Melnik iz Bochonka with a strength of 5.2% is the first trial version of draft beer sold in new-shaped cans and bottles. Beer "Stary Melnik Myagkoe" has become a continuation of the barrel theme. Its strength is 4.2%, which, of course, affected the taste - soft and velvety. Another view is distinguished by its velvety appearance - "Stary Melnik Velvetnoe". Dark beer won the hearts of consumers with its sophistication, caramel aftertaste and rich color

Special taste, special sensations

The last type of this line is “Stary Melnik iz Bochonka Osovoe” beer. Manufacturers approached the production of this variety with special care. Unlike all previous varieties, only this beer is made on the basis of a special varietal hop, which gives the foam a unique harmonious taste - the “golden mean” between the saturation of draft draft beer and the softness of the brand “Melnik”. Its alcohol content is 4.6%, which is slightly more than usual, but not enough for a strong one.

For comparison - beer "Stary Melnik iz Bochonka Myagkoe" differs from "Osobnoy" in strength by only 0.4%, but the difference in taste is simply amazing.

All eight types have one common and rather striking feature - the beer is not only light and soft, but also refreshing.

Prestigious and authoritative

Stary Melnik is often said to be beer made in Russia and for Russia. The foamy drink quickly established itself as a folk drink, which allowed it to become a premium drink in a fairly short time. The beer has been repeatedly awarded high awards for its unsurpassed quality, and since 2001 the brand has become the official sponsor of our Russian footballers.

Several years ago, "Stary Melnik" took over another sponsorship - the famous rock festival "Wings". Today beer is produced at five large factories - Moscow, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Rostov and Ufa. The manufacturer is also pleased with the constant change of designs - from youth to simply attractive country.

Light beer. Express test

Where does beer begin?
With a foam cap on your mug!
Leit

Old miller from a soft keg . Production of CJSC "Brewery Moscow-Efes".Pasteurized. Produced on 11/10/2008, usable for 6 months. The cost is 2250 BYN. rub. ($ 1.0). Density - 10%, alcohol not less than 4.2% vol., energy value 38 kcal / 100 g. Composition of raw materials: water, barley malt, maltose syrup, hop products.

The most remarkable thing about the beer is the name and the bottle. Are you ready to drink, what came out of an old dusty miller in a barrel, and even soft at the same time? Brrrrr… The dream of the marketer's mind will create monsters like that. Yes, and the miller brewing beer was very well portrayed by Alexander Rudazov in the book "Legends of Deep Antiquity":

Once upon a time there lived an old miller, - Jaromir said thoughtfully. - I ground flour, brewed beer ...

Is the miller a beer? - Ivan was surprised. - And what is good?

No, like piss. But the lake owner liked it - it is known that aquatic toad caviar is esteemed for food, instead of sweet jelly they drink swamp mud ... So he welcomed the old miller - he always visited him to drink beer, helped in his work. And when he died, the mill was abandoned. No one here wanted to grind flour - they were afraid of water. They tried to placate him, they also treated him to beer, but it didn’t suit him ... Nobody else could boil such urine as that old miller cooked - here, apparently, a special skill is needed ...

I will not be so categorical, but the story is instructive, yes. What can I say about the beer itself? Light, cheap beer to produce (with such a low density and thanks to maltose syrup, its cost is almost minimal, the brewing period is also short), and to buy for a slightly overpriced, they came up with a story about the fact that “ beer is brewed using a special technology that allows you to preserve the fullness of the draft beer taste”; well, they poured a barrel-shaped bottle in order to correspond to the name, they did not forget to abuse the aluminum can too.

The taste of beer is frankly empty with malt tones, the rest of the shades are clogged with carbon dioxide, practically without hops, there is foam, however, and clings to the glass, but it lacks persistence.

Outcome: You can drink well chilled in hot weather, when thirst smothers and you do not care what is in the glass, the main thing is that it is cold.

Ephesus Fusion (EfesFusion)... Production of CJSC "Brewery Moscow-Efes".Pasteurized. Produced on 09/29/2008, usable for 1 year. The cost is 2400 BYN. rub. ($ 1.07). Density - 11.4%, alcohol not less than 4.7% vol., Energy value 44 kcal / 100 g. Composition of raw materials: water, light barley malt "Efes", dark barley malt, hops.

Marketing has not deprived of its attention and this type of beer. The futuristic design of the bottle evokes thoughts of all sorts of aliens, the abundance of English on its front side with little understanding for the population “ Malt blend ”, The mythical variety of malt“ Efes ”and others stir up interest in this beer. However, this is no ordinary candy in a pretty wrapper. Because the composition of the beer makes you think that this is not a cheap craft, as is the case SMiBM, this is clearly indicated by the absence of unmalted materials, maltose or sugar in the composition. And the hops used in cooking (clearly granular, although this is not indicated), and not faceless "hop products" or "hop extract" says something.

Medium head - a head is formed, but unstable. The taste is rich and quite interesting - there are strong malt tones, light, subtle caramel shades appear on the periphery and in the aftertaste, for which you must thank a clearly not too large proportion of dark malt. Hops, however, are not enough, so there is no particular bitterness, but for this beer this does not seem to be a significant drawback. In general, the taste of the beer has somewhat moved away from light lagers, but has not yet reached semi-dark lagers, which determines its originality.

Outcome: I liked the beer as a whole for its clean and rather original taste, which pleasantly distinguishes it from the crowd of standard Euro-lagers, on occasion I will take a couple more bottles to taste it better.

Konigsberg (Königsberg) . Manufactured by LLC "Company PIT".Light pasteurized beer. Produced on 11/07/2008, usable until 05/07/2008. Cost 1970 BYN rub. ($ 0.87). Density - 12%, alcohol not less than 4.5% vol., Energy value 46 kcal / 100 g. Composition of raw materials: purified drinking water, light barley malt, sugar, malting barley, hops.

Judging by the raw materials and the price, this is a typical mass Euro-lager, with a rather low production cost. You shouldn't expect anything extraordinary from him.

Good foam is fine-grained and long-lasting. The taste is almost standard for an Eurolager - empty without unnecessary shades, malt, weak hop bitterness prevails.

Outcome: No frills, but this is a perfectly normal beer for bulk consumption.

Alex Leit, 2008

We continue to try Ukrainian novelties, and today we have a tasting “Old Miller from a Keg Unfiltered” from the Efes Ukraine company (the former Sarmat brewery).

It is curious that the launch of this variety coincided with the start of the release of a similar licensed Russian beer from Carlsberg Ukraine. In connection with this fact, in the results of this tasting, we will compare the general impressions of these two new products.

Let me remind you that today the Russian trademark"Stary Melnik from a barrel" in Ukraine is represented by four varieties:

• Stary Melnik from a barrel "Light"(12%, alc. 5.1%)
• Stary Melnik from a barrel "Soft"(10.2%, alc. 4.1%)
• Stary Melnik from a barrel "Velvet"(11.6%, alc. 5.4%)
• Stary Melnik from a keg "Unfiltered"(12%, alc. 4.6%)

Let's go directly to the tasting “The Old Miller from the Keg Unfiltered”.

Manufacturer: PJSC "Efes Ukraine", Donetsk, Ukraine.
TTX: 12%, alcohol not less than 4.6% vol.
Composition: water, malt, brewer's yeast, hop products.

Amber-colored beer with a slight yeast haze and a medium-grained, fairly persistent head. It should be noted that the color turned out to be somewhat darker than one would expect from the classic light beer.

In a bright and surprisingly “fresh” aroma: malt tones, mild herbiness, wort notes and a little sulfur. Oddly enough, the smell is very similar to some types of light beer from microbreweries.

The body is moderately dense, on the palate: wort-malt tones, sulphurous-yeast notes and sourness. In the aftertaste: fading malt component, accentuated sulfur content with a herbaceous undertone, pronounced pleasant yeast sourness and light hop bitterness.

Outcome... To be honest, I didn't expect anything special from this beer, but I was pleasantly surprised. The taste of Stary Melnik from a Keg Unfiltered turned out to be quite solid and, oddly enough, very similar to a lightly hopped but solid mini-brewed light lager.

Most likely, if I tried this beer at a private tasting, then almost certainly this is how I would have perceived it 🙂

Distinctive features I would call this variety an accentuated sulfur content, a well-expressed wort-malt component and a pleasant yeast sourness.

At least unlike Baltika Draft Unfiltered beer, despite pasteurization, the brewers managed to achieve “freshness” and make it drinkable in the “Stary Melnik from a Keg Unfiltered” variety.

Such an interesting surprise was presented by this Ukrainian novelty 🙂

On the whole, the beer left a pleasant impression, and if we make an allowance for the fact that we are dealing with the products of a large brewery, which is part of one of the largest brewing groups, then the beer “Stary Melnik from a Keg Unfiltered” can be given a rather high assessment.