What is "zhigulevskoye"

Zhigulevskoye (or Zhigulyovskoye) ( Russian Жигулёвское) is a notable brand of Soviet (Russian) beer. The original brewery was founded in Samara in 1881 by Austrian entrepreneur Alfred von Vacano. The original brand was named "Viennese Beer" (as in beer from Vienna), but, according to legend, in 1934 it was renamed "Zhigulevskoye Beer" to get rid of its "bourgeois" name.

During the Soviet era, at times it was virtually the only beer brand you could find anywhere in the country. At the peak of its popularity it was made in more than 700 breweries around the country, and it practically became a generic name for beer. Production was regulated by a GOST standard since 1938. Zhigulevskoye had to contain no less than 2.8% alcohol by mass and was allowed to have up to 15% of adjuncts.

Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, beer under the Zhigulyovskoye brand has been produced by multiple breweries in several former Soviet countries. Attempts to register it as a trademark in 2000 failed.