The Russian market is replete with alcoholic beverages, including beer. Recently, the inscription "beer drink" began to flaunt on the price tags under the intoxicated products, which confused the average consumer of beer. Therefore, it is worth figuring out how to distinguish beer from beer drink.
Letter of the law
Alcohol can be made either in accordance with GOST, or in accordance with those technical conditions that were agreed by the manufacturer in conjunction with the sanitary and epidemiological authorities in the Russian Federation. The latest GOST R 51174-2009 regulates the technical process of making beer and its composition. Clause 5.2 lists the requirements for raw materials, which include malt barley / wheat, drinking water, granulated sugar, hops / hop products, barley, wheat / rice groats, corn grits, brewer's yeast. The presence of these ingredients in the composition suggests that we have a quality product in front of us, namely, beer, and not a beer drink. It should be noted that the older the year of publication of GOST, the smaller the composition of the beer it regulates and, accordingly, the more natural and natural the consumed drink is.
To be sure of the quality of the beer, you can brew it yourself. A wide range of mini-breweries, as well as ingredients for them, are presented on the Internet.
Structure
First of all, beer from beer drink can be distinguished by the composition described on the back of the label. Most often, in the composition of a beer drink you can find ingredients such as starch, barley, opacifier, flavorings, flavoring additives, etc. All this tells us that this is not beer, but a beer drink that cannot comply with GOST.
Few people know, but beer produced under the brand name "Ochakovo" has repeatedly received prizes for good quality at foreign competitions of hop producers.
Label
The consumer should be more attentive to beer in the event that such fashionable and loud phrases as "live beer", "wheat beer", "special taste", etc. flaunt on the label. All this may indicate that, to give the desired taste and aroma, the manufacturer used additional ingredients in the composition. Strong beer should be especially anxious, because to achieve the desired strength of the drink, the manufacturer can add molasses or starch to the composition, which will speed up the natural fermentation process many times over.
Shelf life
The shorter the shelf life of the beer, the more natural ingredients are used to make it. Unpasteurized "live" beer, brewed in accordance with GOST, is stored for a maximum of 3 months, light and other varieties can be stored for 1 year. The same applies to beer drinks, but it is noted that they can be stored on the shelves for up to two years.
Cocktails
Many low-alcohol cocktails on store shelves are also beer drinks. In their composition, the so-called "specially prepared beer" was used, which was discolored and devoid of beer taste. Dyes, flavorings, preservatives are added to this "beer". The use of such "beer" in the composition is justified from an economic point of view, since it costs less than edible alcohol. Also, the manufacturer with the help of such components saves a lot on excise stamps.
