E-Malt.com News article: Bulgaria: Carlsberg revives century-old connoisseur tradition to check beer quality

Bulgarian brewery Shumensko, subsidiary of Danish Carlsberg, has revived a tradition dating back to more than a century ago to check and prove the high quality of the beer produced, Novonite reported January 18.

Deputy Culture Minister Yavor Milushev, historian Professor Andrey Pantev and actor Krustyu Lafazanov adopted the roles of the inspectors who used to monitor the quality of the beer produced just the way it was done 125 years ago.

Dressed up in leather aprons, they were invited to take a seat on a wooden bench, soaked in beer. Minutes later, their aprons were stuck to the bench, which is believed to be an irrefutable proof of the good quality of the beer.

Back in the nineteenth century, the ritual was honoured to such an extent in the northeastern town of Shumen that it was only the most prominent men that had the privilege to take part in it with traders, municipal officials and even mayors lining up to wait for their turn.

The ritual was described extensively in the book "The creation of a legend", which was issued by Carlsberg Bulgaria to mark the 125th anniversary since the establishment of Shumensko brewery.

Carlsberg took over Bulgarian brewers Shumensko and Pirinsko in 2002, boosting its stakes in the two companies a year later and merging them to create Carlsberg Bulgaria in 2004.

The company is the third-biggest brewer in Bulgaria with a market share of 22% at the end of 2006. Bulgarian per capita consumption of beer is 68 litres, according to Carlsberg data.


23 January, 2008