Support The Moscow Times!

State Accuses Brewers of Spiking Their Beer

The country’s top drug and alcohol specialist on Friday accused brewers of adding pure alcohol to their products, a charge rejected by firms in their latest spat with regulators.

“In general, [Russian] beer and canned low-alcohol cocktails are a pure chemical weapon. Alcohol is added at a certain stage … to make it stronger,” said Yevgeny Bryun, the Health and Social Development Ministry’s top substance-abuse official, Interfax reported.

The government has tripled excise duties on beer as part of President Dmitry Medvedev’s campaign to curb alcohol abuse, a measure that brewers complain will lead to mass layoffs.

Bryun did not mention any brewers by name, but in an earlier interview with Interfax he said alcohol was being added to strong beers to speed up the fermentation process.

The Russian Beer Union said Bryun’s comments were misleading and asked him to publicly retract them.

“It creates an impression that [the comments] have something else as an object rather than Russians’ health,” said Daniil Briman, vice president of corporate affairs at the country’s top brewer, Carlsberg-owned Baltika.

He was speaking ahead of the lengthy New Year’s and Orthodox Christmas holidays.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more