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Beer (Serbian: пиво, romanized: pivo) is a popular beverage in Serbia.

History

The beer was first mentioned in the 15th century during the reign of despot Stefan Lazarević, as a new drink transferred from neighboring Kingdom of Hungary. 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.^[1] 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 Germany, Austria, United States, Canada and Australia.^[1]

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 began packing their product in plastic 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 litres a year.^[2]

Breweries and brands

Breweries

There are three main breweries in Serbia which combined, control 95% of market share.^[3] These are: Apatin Brewery, Heineken Srbija and Carlsberg Srbija.^[3] The remaining of market share is controlled by domestic breweries Valjevo Brewery, BIP Brewery, Jagodina Brewery and Niš Brewery and 20 other minor breweries.^[3]

Most popular domestic brand is Zaječarsko, followed by Jelen and Lav.^[4] Some foreign brands are distributed, while some are produced locally under license (mostly by its respective brand owners).

Pale lager has been the traditional beer choice for Serbians, and dark lager, while being popular, is produced in smaller quantities. Some breweries produce kvass.

Brands

Domestic

Apatin Brewery (Jelen, Apatinsko, Jelen Cool, Jelen Fresh)
Čelarevo Brewery (Lav, Merak)
Novi Sad Brewery (Pils Plus, MB, Master)
Zaječar Brewery^[sr] (Zaječarsko, Zaječarsko crno)
Valjevo Brewery (Valjevsko)
BIP Brewery (BIP, Bg)
Jagodina Brewery^[sr] (Jagodinsko)
Niš Brewery^[sr] (Niško)

Foreign

Apatin Brewery (Beck's, Stella Artois, Staropramen, Nikšićko)
Čelarevo Brewery (Carlsberg, Tuborg, Holsten)
Novi Sad Brewery (Heineken, Amstel)

Beer festivals

Belgrade Beer Fest

Started in 2003, Belgrade Beer Fest is held annually over 3–4 days at the foot of Belgrade's Kalemegdan 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.^[5] On 31 December 2005 British daily The Independent named it as one of the worldwide events to visit in 2006.^[6]

Dani piva

Dani Piva (Beer Days) is a beer festival in Zrenjanin, started in 1985, organised by the Zrenjanin Brewery (Serbian: Zrenjaninska industrija piva).^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b "Srbija 43. Proizvođač piva u svetu - Niska izvozna cena, BiH glavno tržište".
^ "Vladimir Vava: Tržište piva beleži blagi oporavak - Ekonomija - Dnevni list Danas". 20 April 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Blagi oporavak pivarske industrije u Srbiji - Tri kompanije drže skoro celo tržište". ekapija.com (in Serbian). 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
^ "Karslberg ulaže 15 mil. € u Srbiju". B92.net. August 20, 2007. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
^ Belgrade Beer Fest Archived 2021-02-24 at the Wayback Machine, www.belgradebeerfest.com
^ Where in the world will you be? Archived 2006-01-28 at the Wayback Machine The Independent, 31 Dec 2005.
^ "Dani Piva". Danipiva.rs. 2012-09-23. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2013-03-07.

External links

Efes Weifert: Manji gubici za 22% at b92.net (in Serbian)

[auto-1] "Srbija 43. Proizvođač piva u svetu - Niska izvozna cena, BiH glavno tržište".

[2] "Vladimir Vava: Tržište piva beleži blagi oporavak - Ekonomija - Dnevni list Danas". 20 April 2017.

[marketshare2018-3] "Blagi oporavak pivarske industrije u Srbiji - Tri kompanije drže skoro celo tržište". ekapija.com (in Serbian). 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2018.

[4] "Karslberg ulaže 15 mil. € u Srbiju". B92.net. August 20, 2007. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2017.

[5] Belgrade Beer Fest Archived 2021-02-24 at the Wayback Machine, www.belgradebeerfest.com

[6] Where in the world will you be? Archived 2006-01-28 at the Wayback Machine The Independent, 31 Dec 2005.

[7] "Dani Piva". Danipiva.rs. 2012-09-23. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2013-03-07.

v t e Beers of the world
Africa	Cape Verde Egypt Ethiopia Kenya Morocco South Africa Tanzania
Asia	Armenia Azerbaijan China Hong Kong Tibet India Indonesia Iran Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Lebanon Malaysia Myanmar North Korea Palestine Philippines Singapore South Korea Sri Lanka Syria Taiwan Thailand Turkey Vietnam
Europe	Albania Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany breweries Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Luxembourg Lithuania Moldova Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
North America	Antigua Aruba Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Quebec Cayman Islands Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Puerto Rico Saint Lucia St. Vincent Trinidad United States breweries
South America	Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Venezuela
Oceania	Australia Fiji New Zealand
Alcohol preferences in Europe Beer and breweries by region List of countries by beer consumption per capita List of microbreweries Beer portal

v t e Serbian cuisine
Ingredients	Milk Cheese Pule cheese Kačkavalj cheese Butter Bean Bell pepper Eggplant Feferon Cabbage Leek Lentil Olive Pea Spinach Tomato Almond Black pepper Chestnut Cinnamon Cumin Garlic Hazelnut Mint Nut Onion Oregano Paprika Parsley Red pepper Sesame Thyme Walnut
Breads	Česnica Đevrek Kifla Lepinja Phyllo Pogača Popara Proja Slavski kolač
Appetizers and salads	Meze Serbian salad Ajvar Jogurt Kajmak Kiselo mleko Pinđur Urnebes
Dishes	Ćevapi Ćufta Čvarci Karađorđeva šnicla Mixed grill Mućkalica Pljeskavica Ražnjići Roasted piglet Sudžuk Burek Gibanica Griz Gulaš Đuveč Kačamak Musaka Paprikaš Pasulj Pilav Podvarak Prebranac Punjena paprika Punjene tikvice Sarma Sataraš Čorba Riblja čorba Svadbarski kupus
Beverages	Kisela voda Serbian coffee Rakija Šljivovica Beer Wine Krstač Prokupac Smederevka Tamjanika Vranac
Desserts	Baklava Knedle Krempita Ledena kocka Napolitanka Orehnjača Palačinke Pekmez Ratluk Ruske kape Šampita Slatko Sutlijaš Tulumba Uštipci
Instruments	Džezva Oklagija Roštilj Sač
Related cuisines	Austrian Balkan Bulgarian Greek Hungarian Mediterranean Middle Eastern Montenegrin cuisine Turkish

v t e Beer in Europe
Sovereign states	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom
States with limited recognition	Abkhazia Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria
Dependencies and other entities	Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard