The Beer Museum
There are beer museums in a number of countries. Saint Petersburg's has the advantage of being located in the Stepan Razin Brewery, the oldest in Russia. The museum was founded in 1995 to honour the 200th anniversary of the Stepan Razin Brewery. Known in Soviet times as the Kalinkinskiy Beer and Mead Co-operative, it was originally founded - with the approval of Catherine the Great - in 1795 by Abraham Friedrich Krohn (a German immigrant) as something like a modern brewpub. The exhibition was opened exactly 80 years after the production of the first beer under the Stepan Razin brand. The name refers to the famous 17th Century Cossack rebel and pirate who became the hero of countless Russian folk songs and stories.
Displays in the museum explain the brewing process of the world's most popular alcoholic beverage, and the history of brewing in Russia. The focus, of course, is on the foundation and development of the Stepan Razin Brewery itself, but there are also exhibits that show the difference between industrial brewing and traditional home techniques. All the items on display are original, and some date back over 300 years.
Pride of place goes to the museum's vast collection of packaging materials used to store and transport the "liquid bread" (as Russians used to call the foaming brew). During museum tours, visitors get the chance to taste samples of the Stepan Razin range, which includes a wide variety of different brew types.
| Location: | 11, Ulitsa Stepana Razina |
|---|---|
| Metro: | Narvskaya, Baltiyskaya |
| Telephone: | +7 (812) 331-1212 |
| Open: | Wednesday and Friday, 11 am to 5 pm. |
| Closed: | Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays |
| Website: | http://www.razin.ru/beermuseum.html |
| Admission: | Free |
| Accessibility note: | Sorry, this museum is not wheelchair accessible (stairs). |
| Entrance to the museum is only possible as part of an organized tour group. Photo ID (Passport) is required. | |
