Excursion to the beer and soft drinks factory

Now, many of you know, I love all the beer overseas, especially after a trip to the Czech Republic, and the domestic bottling really do not even remember the last time I tried. And here I was a part of a small squad of bloggers invited to Moscow Ochakovo factory. Since I had once been on a similar tour on Velkopopovitsky breweries in the Czech Republic, it was very curious to see our differences from them.

In the Czech Republic, although there are excursions to the existing plant, it is mostly entertaining: there is lead mainly by a small museum, and the plant itself, or rather, just one of his shops show "behind the glass" as in realiti- show, where you can do except travel frame with single angle in the style of "I was there", the same as the thousands of other tourists before and after you. And most of the time it takes to beer tasting. At this very tasting tourists are usually most eager and apparently this and to focus, as if in the Czech Republic - the only place where you can taste fresh beer! Where did they know what kinds of plants and metallic luster pipes chafe soul industrial photographer is much stronger than a glass of beer, even one of the best in the world.

But in Ochakovo excursionists show the plant is not only because of the glass, but also to drive through active management by the intricacies of pipes and vats in which bubbling golden brew, filling the characteristic scent of the plant premises, and even allowed to look into one of these tanks . The factory was founded in 1978 and conceived as the largest not only in the Soviet Union, but also throughout Europe for the production of beer and soft drinks. Therefore, it is fixed for the name of the beer and soft drinks, which has survived until now. At the factory begins production of beer, kvass, and carbonated mineral waters, including inviting its capitalist taste of freedom Pepsi and Fanta. The name of "Ochakovo" - in the district of Moscow, where the plant is located, appeared in 1996.

When the plant mastered the production of foreign drinks, technologists are most struck by the terms of their storage, because the domestic soft drinks can be stored no more than 7 days. And it was not at all preservative chemicals as one might assume, just before the beginning of the 80s in the USSR water treatment technology and clean production has not reached such a high level as an overseas.

The detachment-trippers bloggers.

The packaging line, unfortunately, did not work, and wanted to see it in action: Ochakovo- first plant in the world, started packaging beer in plastic bottles, it is the most powerful line of packing in plastic bottles can produce up to 33,000 liter bottles per hour . Apparently, it is necessary here again to look to see the process, to make his own version of a frame with a "running" bottles and beg for memory blank plastic bottle, reminiscent of the original state of the beaker.

The regime cloakroom. Too, was closed

In the territory of the plant is also arranged all sorts of exhibits varying degrees of rarity. Here's beer tank. Tanks with kvas, I occasionally see on the streets, however, never such kvass not buy, because, somehow dumb. By the way, Ochakovo stopped selling its brew in tanks in 1993: experts believe that it is not hygienic: in tanks, especially in hot weather, the perfect environment for bacteria. But to sell beer so I have not seen for a long time. Maybe not a potential client of this method of sale of drinks, just not paying attention?

Various tools - gift plant Ochakovo from the Ministry of Defense.

You might think that this is a common advertising bottle, what's wrong with that? In fact, it made for the Moscow Olympics in 1980 and installed in the stadium, which hosted the games. In those days it was definitely unusual.

Bar with beer museum, where as well as in the Czech Republic, tastings for tourists.

Ancient beer bottles.

The floor glass inserts, sprinkled under which different varieties of barley and other ingredients used in brewing.

The skin of the bear, which was used in the old commercials Ochakovo beer when beer advertising was still possible to use images of people and animals. The video skin comes to life after the beer spilled on it. Yet these commercials were much more interesting than today.

Wolf in advertising do not remember, but there is.

ingredients.

It was very dark booth of the museum and the flash completely deprived him think the atmosphere of the ancient brewing industry. Fortunately, I forgot to flash home, but grabbed a tripod.

Brewhouse. Automated production, the people in the shops there is little, so my favorite genre of "people at work" here is not turned.

In boilers there is preparation of wort, the foundations for future beer. In a nutshell, the wort - a mixture of malt and hot water.

In one of the boilers was allowed to look into ...

... and it turns and bubbling beer galaxy! And so it looks like the most is a must in the process.

Malt - it sprouts and barley cleared of germs, which is then crushed, mixed with hot water to give a wort. The wort is boiled with hops, at this stage, and there is, in fact, cooking. Next hopped wort is cooled, add yeast and left to ferment and mature.

Hops granular, its purchase in the Czech Republic and Germany.

Well, beer is beer, and I like Ochakovo brew. Especially one that "Kvasenok". This is a children's version of kvass, which began producing in 2007. In it, unlike ordinary kvass add fruit juices and herbal infusions.

Shop growing yeast cultures. Typically, this will not let anyone, even the factory workers come here often. Again, glad that it was not too lazy to carry a tripod, thanks to which it turned to convey the atmosphere of this "secret room": there is usually a dark, cool and burning ultraviolet lamps.

Nearby is a shop of cylindrical tanks, where the beer ferments. The fermentation process may take 6-8 days.

Cylinder conical tanks - the bulky equipment in the factory, and you can only see their lower conical section (it should be for what would have been easier to pour the remnants of yeast). They are unsorted structure 20 meters. This is a 7-storey building. They were brought to the plant from Belgium, first by sea and then by land on the platforms. In some places along the route even have to deal with a variety of utilities, and the factory installed tanks in the designated area, and built around the shop.

After a walk around the factory were invited to the tasting. I arrived by car, so it was not involved, and asked to pack takeaway

The bloggers suggested sample contents cup 6, in 3 of which was a beer produced in Ochakovo, and the rest - the foreign beer production.

The exact results of this event do not remember, but it seems like few people guessed where some. Sorry could not participate, it would be interesting to test myself after long disuse of domestic beer.