A group of Russian bloggers, journalists and brewers visited South Ossetia to get acquainted with the local brewing traditions.
The visit, organized by Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic, has included a visit to the High-Mountain Kel Brewery and observation of the brewing process of the traditional Ossetian drink.
The bloggers' journey began with a visit to a home brewery in the village of Lower Goret in Tskhinval District.
The guests enjoyed a traditional Ossetian feast and a tasting of iron bagany – the local beer.
The bloggers were watching with interest the process of making the drink - from the selection of ingredients to the completion of fermentation.
Expert in the traditional Ossetian brewing, Murat Khachirov, gave the guests a fascinating excursion into the history of this craft.
He emphasized the uniqueness of home-made beer, which, unlike industrial beer, is a living embodiment of centuries-old traditions passed down from generation to generation for more than ten thousand years.
“The Nart epic, which is many centuries old, already mentions brewing. In our family, this tradition is passed down from generation to generation: my grandfather was brewing, my parents were brewing, and I have been doing this since my childhood,” Khachirov said.
A blogger and brewer Evgeny Tyugalev noted the exceptional taste of the Ossetian beer.
“The taste of the drink is simply unique! This is the first time I have seen how beer is brewed over an open fire, in a copper vat. This process gives it a unique, slightly smoky aroma. I brew beer at home, but it is impossible to achieve such effect,” he has shared.
Beer historian, journalist and blogger Pavel Egorov emphasized the need to promote the traditions of the Ossetian brewing.
“I have been into beer since the Soviet era, I study the history of brewing, I write thematic articles and books,” Pavel Egorov said. “That is why I was so interested in tasting real Ossetian beer. Its taste is unique, reminiscent of English beer, especially after a month of aging.”
Egorov added that he had previously tasted beer from the High-Mountain Kel brewery at the Moscow exhibition.
According to him, the drink is of high-quality and competitive.
The guests also got acquainted with the production process at the High-Mountain Kel Brewery, took part in the joint brewing of two new types of beer, including a type prepared according to the ancient recipe based on honey.
Beer journalist and expert Alexander Idzhon highly praised the quality of the drink.
He noted that he was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the Ossetian beer, which he tasted for the first time at the exhibition in Moscow.
The expert also expressed his opinion on the need to introduce innovations for the further development of the drink’s production.
"There is a big difference between the home-made beer we have tated and the industrial one," Idzhon believes. "We are currently experimenting with a new variety; we would like to add some zest to diversify the line.
Adapting the recipe for the home-made Ossetian beer for industrial production is a promising idea. We are confident that such a variety will be in demand. We hope that our cooperation will give impetus to the development of the brewery in this direction."
The trade representative of South Ossetia in Russia, Taimuraz Goginov, for his part, has noted that brewing is practiced in many countries, but nowhere is there such a reverent attitude towards it as in Ossetia.
The arrival of bloggers, journalists and brewers, according to him, is part of the large-scale work to promote the "South Ossetia" brand in the international arena.
"Brewing expert Murat Khachirov showed them how the real Ossetian beer is brewed. He said that the drink was more than ten thousand years old, which is certainly important.
We showed the guests the Kel brewery and the entire production process of our beer, which is the flagship that we can present on the international market,” Goginov has shared.
The sales representative has added that the total audience of bloggers who came to the Republic is hundreds of thousands of people.
“They will be sharing their impressions on social networks and other information resources, which will have a positive impact on the brand promotion and will contribute to increasing the recognition of the South Ossetian beer and increasing interest in the products on the Russian market,” Goginov has emphasized.
