Ukrainian Beers Gaining Celebrity at the Moment

What are the most popular Ukrainian beer brands right now? –Maybe you can already find these Ukrainian beers from your local store or pub.

Many beer breweries around the world have been producing beer in support for Ukraine after the invasion of Russia started at the beginning of 2022. 

Although the availability of Ukrainian beer has been sometimes weak during the war, beer enthusiasts have also succeeded in ordering beers from abroad in support for Ukraine. 

Nowadays some import companies are bringing Ukrainian beers to other European countries. People have been literally asking for Ukrainian beer!

Some may have heard of Putin huilo, freely translated as ‘Putin dickhead’. The actual beer is a Belgian style, dry-hopped Golden Ale with ABV of 8%, but the Ukrainian brewery called Pravda came famous for changing the liquid in the bottles to produce Molotov cocktails.

Putin huilo is brewed by Lvivska Pivovarnya and it has been reviewed pretty well in Pint Please, though there are still only a few ratings. Some say that the beer has a nice fruity flavour and bitterness in balance. The taste of alcohol disappears under the flavour, though the ABV is 8%.

Still the most popular Ukrainian beer at the moment is Obolon Premium / Оболонь Преміум, a 5% pale lager. Besides the traditional ingredients, there’s some rice added to the malts, which gives the beer its nice and easy flavour (EBU 17). 

As said also in the Pint Please reviews, the taste of Obolon is quite malty and sweet, which serves well for those who like their lager more malty than crispy. But taste for yourself! By rating the Obolon Premium in Pint Please, you’ll now get the unique Obolon Premium sticker.

Obolon is not only a brewery but a beverage producer that was founded in 1980 in Kyiv. Obolon is actually just one of the many beer brands. The company also produces low-alcohol beverages, mineral water and energy drinks. Obolon is the largest exporter of Ukrainian beer (80% of the exports).

Another popular and very well reviewed brewery is called Varvar Brew. For example, Oak Aged Vanilla & Chocolate Porter made in collaboration with the Croatian The Garden Brewery is one of the most popular Ukrainian beers at the moment. It is a light porter with only 5,5% ABV but a rich chocolate aroma that makes it taste a lot heavier.

Another popular one from Varvar is an 11% imperial stout called Black Bean, a delicious pastry stout full of flavour. Black bean has been seasoned with tonka bean, which gives it chocolate, coconut and vanilla flavours. Some even taste liquorice and roasted peanut in the flavour of this beer. That seems more like a dessert!

In addition, the 2085 Brewery must be mentioned. The two most popular beers from this brewery from Kiev are 2085-1 Bohemian Pilsner and 2085-5 Fake Brett IPA.

The earlier mentioned is a nicely straw-colored and refreshingly malty, crispy and tasty pilsner, and the other an excellent IPA with lots of fruity taste from citrus, pineapple and mango. This interestingly different kind of IPA is at the same time softly fruity as crispy and neat.

As from the above mentioned beers it’s easy to see, Ukraine has been at the forefront of beer trends for a long time. And 2085 Brewery is a good example of that. So keep that beer coming from Ukraine!

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