Beer in Turkey

Last updated

Beer is a popular alcoholic beverage in Turkey, mostly lager type beers.

Contents

History

Bomonti Beer Factory on a postcard during the Ottoman period Bomonti Beer Factory-Istanbul.jpg
Bomonti Beer Factory on a postcard during the Ottoman period

Beer has existed as a beverage in Anatolia since the Sumerian civilization. Archaeological findings have shown that Sumer people knew how to ferment beer. Early Turks in Anatolia fermented boza, which was much like kvass.

The modern history of beer in Turkey started with the Ottoman Empire. During certain periods of the Ottoman Empire, drinking alcoholic beverages was forbidden in some cities, but many small producers in Istanbul made boza with a high alcohol level, like beer. Beer was first produced and served at Erzurum by some small Armenian producers in "beer gardens" (Turkish : bira bahçeleri). The first modern production of beer in Turkey started with the Bomonti beer factory in Istanbul in 1894 by the Swiss Bomonti brothers.

There were many pubs and bars in Istanbul, Izmir, and Thessaloniki. Production of beer in the Ottoman Empire was 1.2 billion liters in 1894. This increased to 9.9 billion liters in 1913–1914. [1]

Atatürk, the first president of the Turkish Republic, founded an ale factory in Ankara. İsmet İnönü, the first prime minister of Turkey, worked to improve the old Bomonti Beer Company. This created the first beer competition in Turkey.

Industry

Efes Pilsen in its classical tombul ('fat') bottle. Efes stout.jpg
Efes Pilsen in its classical tombul ('fat') bottle.

The Turkish beer market experienced 20% growth from 2001 to 2005, with many international brands gaining popularity.

Efes Beverage Group, a subsidiary of Anadolu Group, is the largest producer of beer in Turkey, with approximately 80% of the market. Their main product line is called Efes Pilsen (5.0% ABV), after the Turkish name for the ancient city of Ephesus near the İzmir brewery. Efes also produces Efes Dark, Efes Light, Efes Extra, Bomonti and Marmara. Also, as of March 2005, Foster's Lager has been brewed, marketed and distributed in Turkey through Efes Beverage Group. Efes exports to markets in Europe, the United States Russia, the Caucasus region, the Middle East, Africa, and South-east Asia.

Efes also produce a Hefe Weiss and a Hefe Weiss Dunkel under the Gusta label. A further addition is the Efes Dark Brown, which is flavored with coffee.

Türk Tuborg, a former subsidiary of the Danish Carlsberg/Tuborg group, also brews beer in Turkey under the Tuborg name, but is now owned by the Israeli Central Bottling Company  [ he ] (CBC). Danish Carlsberg is also popular in Turkey, among other brands found internationally.

Another major brand, Tekel Birası, is known as the oldest producer of beer in Turkey (founded in 1890). It was a state monopoly brand until 2004. There is also Perge Pilsner managed by the Sural Group.

Independent Craft Breweries

There is an emerging craft beer market in Turkey for the last 10 years. The brands are listed in alphabetic order below.

Brands

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in Sweden</span>

Beer in Sweden has a history that can be traced to the late Iron Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlsberg Group</span> Danish brewery group

Carlsberg A/S is a Danish multinational brewer. Founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen, the company's headquarters is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since Jacobsen's death in 1887, the majority owner of the company has been the Carlsberg Foundation. The company's flagship brand is Carlsberg. The company employs around 41,000 people, primarily in Europe and Asia. Carlsberg is currently the 6th largest brewery in the world based on revenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grolsch Brewery</span> Dutch brewery

Koninklijke Grolsch N.V., known simply as Grolsch, is a Dutch brewery founded in 1615 by Willem Neerfeldt in Groenlo. In 1895, the de Groen family bought the brewery. They had started their own brewery in Enschede in the early 19th century and held a significant stake until 2007. Today the main brewery is in Enschede.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holsten Brewery</span> German brewing company

Holsten Brewery is a brewing company founded in 1879 in what is now Hamburg's Altona-Nord quarter. The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager Holsten Pilsener. The company was acquired by the Carlsberg Group in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Efes Beverage Group</span> Turkish beer company

Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş. produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in Turkey, the United States, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Anadolu Efes is a member of the Anadolu Group. Anadolu Group was founded in 1950 by the Özilhan and Yazıcı families. The Anadolu Group transformed into a holding company in 1969.

Beer in India has been prepared from rice or millet for thousands of years. In the 18th century, the British introduced European beer to India. Beer is not as popular as stronger alcoholic beverages like desi daru and Indian-made foreign liquor, such as Indian whiskey. The most popular beers in India are strong beers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in Norway</span>

Beer in Norway has a long history, stretching back more than a millennium. Until some 200 years ago, most farms where it was possible to grow grain south of the Arctic Circle, brewed their own beer. From the early 20th century brewing was industrialized and home brewing was restricted. Significant consolidation in the brewing sector reduced the number of major breweries to just a handful. With the exception of the farmhouse ales, most beer styles brewed in Norway trace their ancestry to central Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asahi Breweries</span> Japanese food and beverage company

The Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. is a Japanese beverage holding company headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in Denmark</span>

The beer market in Denmark is dominated by the brands Carlsberg and Tuborg. Since Tuborg was acquired by Carlsberg in 1970, Carlsberg has held a near-monopoly. A number of regional breweries, however, managed to survive, and most of them merged into Royal Unibrew in 2005. As of 2020, Ratebeer lists over 300 active breweries in Denmark, most of which are microbreweries.

Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s. is a Czech brewery which opened in 1842 in Plzeň, Bohemia. It was the first brewery to produce a pale lager, branded as Pilsner Urquell, which became so popular and was so much copied that more than two-thirds of the beer produced in the world today is pale lager, sometimes named pils, pilsner and pilsener after Pilsner Urquell. The brewery name, Pilsner Urquell, which can be roughly translated into English as "the original source at Pilsen", was adopted as a trademark in 1898. Pilsner Urquell is the largest producer and exporter of beer in the Czech Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental Brewery</span> South Korean brewery

Oriental Brewery or OB is a South Korean brewery currently owned by AB InBev, and initially founded by Doosan Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavutych Brewery</span>

The Slavutich Brewery is a brewery in Ukraine, part of the Carlsberg Group. The company produces a number of brand name beers and non-alcoholic products for domestic as well as foreign markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in Asia</span>

Beer in Asia began when beer was produced in Sumer, Mesopotamia circa 6000 years ago. It was introduced by Europeans in the 19th century, with modern breweries established in British India, the Dutch East Indies, China, and Japan. Asia's first modern brewery was established in 1830 in India entirely using European brewing technology.

Heineken N.V. is a Dutch brewer which owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly pale lager, though some other beer styles are produced. The two largest brands are Heineken and Tecate; though the portfolio includes Amstel, Fosters, Sagres, Cruzcampo, Skopsko, Affligem, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, Zlatý Bažant, Laško and Birra Moretti.

SABMiller was one of the top five global brewing companies, and had a range of over 150 beers, including international beers such as Pilsner Urquell, and Miller Genuine Draft, and local ones such as Gambrinus and Castle Milk Stout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malt Shovel Brewery</span> Australian brewery

The Malt Shovel Brewery is an Australian brewery owned by Lion, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Kirin. It is located in Camperdown, New South Wales. Malt Shovel is best known for its James Squire range of beers. The beer is named after the convict turned Australia's first brewer James Squire, who also went on to grow Australia's first hops and is said to have created Australia's first commercial brewery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in the Caribbean</span>

The beers of the Caribbean are unique to each island in the region, although many are variants of the same style. Each island generally brews its own unique pale lager, the occasional stout, and often a non-alcoholic malta beverage. Contract-brewing of international beers is also common, with Heineken Pilsener and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout being the most popular. The beers vary between the islands to suit the taste and the brewing method used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skol</span> Trademark

Skol is a lager that was brewed originally by Ind Coope, at Alloa, Scotland, as Graham's Golden Lager. In 1958, the name was changed to Graham's Skol to give a Scandinavian impression. The name was later revised to just Skol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golan Brewery</span>

Golan Brewery is a brewery in the Golan Heights settlement of Qatzrin. It won the award for Best Israeli Brewery at the BIRA 2011 competition.

Lion Brewery or Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC is a predominantly Sri Lankan owned and operated brewery. The company is listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange and its stock is part of the S&P Sri Lanka 20 Index. Lion Brewery produces the highest selling beer, Lion Lager, in both Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

References

  1. Osmanlı’da Bira Archived 2013-07-02 at the Wayback Machine , BirayaDair.com