Although the global history of brewing dates back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, in Ukraine, the real craft beer revolution began only in the early 2000s in Lviv. «Kumpel group« is a network of breweries and restaurants, producing unique varieties of Lviv beer, and it marked the revival of this product in our country.
The main establishments of «Kumpel» are located at Mytna square and Chornovola avenue, Craft&Kumpel on Rynok square and Restoratsia Bachevskykh. There is also a plant on Stryiska street, though it doesn’t provide the products for tasting and sale, except wholesale for licensed businesses. Instead, you can taste the beer from this plant in other establishments of «Kumpel group».
The word «kumpel» has German roots and means «friend» or «companion». It was used among batiars (батяри) – a subculture of Lviv revellers, existing here from the mid-19th to mid-20th century, with some vestiges of the culture still lingering. Kumpel is a little impudent and self-confident, but first of all, he’s your friend who won’t let you down with the time you spend in his company.
Tvoemisto.tv spoke to Taras Falyk, an experienced brewer and main ideological inspirer of «Kumpel» brewery, about how much our beer consumption culture has changed, what varieties are the most popular among Lviv residents, and what is the special process of creating this craft drink.
Craft beer has conquered the world
As we know, the revolution began in the United States in the early 1970s. At that time, the beer industry was divided between several giant producers who didn’t care much about the quality of beer or its taste. The drinks were gradually becoming like water, losing its bitterness, and the line of varieties narrowed.
«Home» brewing was banned, and beer enthusiasts started to look for an alternative to mass production. In the 80s, small American breweries were allowed to experiment with flavors. Then came the world-famous American Pale Ale, or beer with hints of spices or citrus.
The place of the beer revolution in Lviv
In the early 2000s, Lviv began a revolution of craft brewers. It was impossible to find any beer in the bars and restaurants except the products offered by big brewers. No one even had any idea about crafting. «Kumpel» on Mytna street (Restaurant-brewery «Kumpel», actual address Vynnychenka, 6 street) became the first restaurant-type brewery in Lviv and one of the first in Ukraine. Its main brewer, Taras Falyk, has been working here since the beginning, so he tells us how it all started.
«As a brewer, I came here to work in 2007. A year later, we opened the first small brewery. We can safely say that we are the beginners of the craft movement in Ukraine. At that time, people thought that the best beer could stay for three days. It was a real myth, because there was no purity and culture of production, the beer stood for three days and then spoiled», – Taras recalls.
The demand for craft drinks was growing, so the enterprise started to experience the lack of these products. They were forced to reduce the assortment for the summer, but it didn’t save the situation. In 2012, the owners of «Kumpel» decided to build a full-fledged plant. This is how the current large brewery appeared on Stryiska Street, with a production capacity of 100,000 liters per month.
«In the example of the restaurant, we saw great demand for a taste radically different from what was then offered by a beer market. We began to make ale, a more familiar lager, and revived a traditional for Lviv seasonal culture of porter consumption,» – Taras says.
How craft beer is brewed in Lviv
Regardless of the region, basic technological processes are the same. This is the main matrix the brewer goes through. Taras Falyk says he never regrets sharing his recipes.
«I am proud to give them away. Take it and do it if you like. Two brewers will never get similar beer using the same recipe. Because it all happens during the process when the brewer applies his creativity and fantasy», – Taras emphasises.
First of all, it’s because of the water, which makes up about 85% of beer. Despite the most progressive cleaning, it’s different everywhere. Secondly, the result depends on the equipment on which the technological process takes place. Third, the quality of raw materials matter – someone works with one base, someone – with another. And the fourth important factor is the brewer himself.
«The 63rd pause is important in the technological process of beer. One brewer can keep it for 40 minutes, another one for 35 or 45 minutes. The difference of five minutes will give a radically different taste. Similarly, everyone sees in their own way how to add hops. And this is normal. If in the process of making beer (actually, like wine), the chief technologist changes, the taste of the drink also becomes different», – the brewer says.
Any beer is brewed for an average of 8-12 hours. Then yeast is added to it and the fermentation process begins. It lasts much longer. Wheat beer is the fastest – it’s born in 21 days. Most varieties ripen in about a month. For exclusive types of fermentation it can take several months.
«After that, the beer can be poured into barrels of alcohol and this is another cycle of aging. Here it’s important to catch the right moment. There will be a result if you love this business», – Taras Falyk shares.
Since the beginning of his work, Taras has brewed about 40 beer recipes. Some of them are cooked constantly, because customers love them. The plant on Stryiska street usually produces 10 varieties. At the same time, the small brewery on Mytna offers two historical types of beer, from which everything started here – a light lager and amber beer. By the way, you can taste it only in this brewery.
«Every year at Easter, we brew a smoked beer («vudjene pyvo») from a special malt, which adds an interesting Easter taste [at Easter Ukrainians eat lots of smoked meat after a season of abstaining]. We also have another tradition – on International Beer Day, like today, we brew a porter that ferments for four months. In December, we put it up for sale until the stocks run out», – the brewer says.
The creation of each recipe is complex. Information can be found on forums, where home-brewers and small breweries share what and how they tried. There is a lot of professional literature.
«Then you need to mix everything, understand whether you can technically do it, change the settings on the equipment, if the recipe requires it. It’s also the experience of a brewer that’s accumulating, and you already understand that you’ll never want to combine some components and need to try something different».
When brewing new beer, Taras always controls the process and devotes most of his time to it. With some recipes, the expected result is obtained from the first time, and sometimes even after several attempts, the beer does not meet the expectations of its author.
«The final stage is when we send the product to our establishments for tasting, trying to understand the guest’s assessment. Only then is the final result formed», – Taras Falyk says.
Light lager or APA
Each type of beer is different in taste, color, strength – the indicators depend on the technological process and ingredients. For example, Mosaic beer, which is offered at «Kumpel» on Mytna, is very similar in style to American Pale Ale. Taras Falyk says that after tasting this beer, you can smell the aroma of pine needles, citrus fruits, and tropical fruits. To get a deeper taste of the drink, it is served in special glasses.
«This beer is tasted, not [gulped] in liter glasses, so in Kumpel restaurants, it is served in special curved sommelier glasses. And our amber, loved by many, which is produced only here in a restaurant on Mytna square [restaurant-brewery «Kumpel»], for more than 12 years is served in classic glasses for lager to fully reveal its taste», – the brewer says.
For the brewer, the top among varieties is light lager.
In fact, craft beer brewed in Lviv will always be different from American, German, or Scottish. In addition to differences in process and ingredients, there is one important nuance. Ukrainians do not have a tradition of brewing beer, which we received from our great-grandparents, says Taras Falyk. Virtually, every brewery starts from scratch, and of course, it affects the product we get.
To become a brewer
In Lviv, you can learn the profession and get a degree in brewing at Lviv Polytechnic. It was here that the chief technologist of the Kumpel brewery studied.
«As for studying abroad, «Harvard» in our case is the Berlin Brewing Institute with an extremely strong scientific and technical base. This is a real dream of every brewer», – he says.
To gain a good experience, Ukrainian brewers, including Lviv professionals, often train at foreign breweries. Despite the fact that there are significantly more breweries nowadays, the profession of brewer is still quite narrow and closed.
«If I were told to find a good brewer urgently, this wouldn’t be an easy task», – Taras Falyk admits.
Who drinks beer in Lviv
«The portrait of our guest is quite wide in terms of age. But the main layer is young people who are in constant drive and looking for something new. Each institution is conceptually different. For example, at Mytna, our consumer is more conservative, at the age of 35+, and even 40. In «Kumpel» on Chornovola street, the visitor is more dynamic. However, what we see is that beer unites everyone», – the brewer concludes with contentment.
Most importantly, over 10 years in Ukraine, and Lviv in particular, the culture of beer consumption has changed significantly. According to Taras Falyk, it’s facilitated by the development of the craft brewing industry.
«My colleagues and I really made a great contribution to the promotion of craft beer. First of all – festivals. In Lviv, we have the best festival in Ukraine – Craft Beer&Vinyl Festival, where we will be happy to meet in September. We always communicate with people, ask questions, share, try to surprise guests and each other with novelties, this is how beer culture is formed. People are interested, which means that there are more people who want to drink a quality product», – the Lviv brewer says.
You can find the Ukrainian version of the story here, if you wish to share it with friends, family, and colleagues.
Yuliia Osym
Translated by Vitalii Holich
Photo by Anna Chystiakova
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