"Beer is handed out to them, because it is to a certain extent a source of nourishment": About Production and Consumption of Beer during the Siege of Leningrad
The article reveals the unknown page in the history of the beer production and distribution in Leningrad during the siege. The city authorities, while banning the sale of alcoholic beverages in the first days of the war, did not restrict the sales of beer. Until November 1941, beer was relatively affordable to citizens. Then it was included into the food ration. The population was aware of the nutritional value of beer and used it in baby food as well. With the beginning of the war, the breweries started producing military goods and weapons. In the autumn of 1941 there was no beer made. The already produced beer was only stored, bottled and delivered to the points of sale. The use of the brewery waste, raw material stocks and finished products allowed the managers of the former breweries to support their workers and minimize the human loss caused by hunger. Only in the autumn of 1942, the plant Red Bavaria started to brew beer again. That gave citizens an additional source of nourishment. Usually the authorities ordered beer deliveries over public holidays. During the years of the blockade, beer was of low quality. One of the significant problems for the breweries was the continuous shortage of bottles. It was possible to store beer over a long period. This quality was very important and made beer a part of emergency provisions. The article shows an attitude of the state authorities and the citizens to beer, which was very popular at that time, and how this attitude has been changing over the years.