Beer in Serbia and Montenegro (Serbian language: пиво/pivo) is rarely mentioned outside of its state, regardless of its high quality. Beer is mostly sold in half litrebottles (empty bottles must be exchanged while buying or if not, bottles must be bought with beer as well); cans are less common and canned beer could be of slightly better quality. Recently, most breweries began packing beer in plastic bottles of 1.5 or even two litres. This beer is cheaper though equal in quality.

Most beer that is produced is light beer. Dark beer is rarer (almost every larger brewery produces dark beer but in such small quantities that it is hard to find it). Some breweries also produce kvass or a similar drink.

Beer in glass bottles costs around 45 dinarss (0.69 euros) per litre while in plastic it could go as low as 35 dinars (0.54 euros) per litre. Beer in pubs costs around 100 dinars (1.54 euros) per litre. Of course, it is possible to buy foreign beer in better equipped stores, of these Heineken being most popular; but it is inaccesible to average citizens.

It is important to know a phenomenon caused by competition between breweries, most notably between the breweries of Apatin and Belgrade. When one brewery starts making beer of higher quality, more and more people start buying it; because of high demand the brewery begins hyperproduction of beer, and as a result of this its quality drops; meanwhile the other brewery, having low sales, improves the quality in order to atract customers; people switch back to it and the circle starts again.

Breweries and brews

  • In Serbia
    • Apatin: Apatinska pivara (Apatin brewery)
      • Jelen pivo (Deer beer)
    • Bečej: Pivara Bečej www.pivara.co.yu
      • Old Gold - light and dark
      • Gerber's - light and dark
    • Belgrade: Beogradska industrija piva (BIP) (Belgrade Beer Industry) www.bip.co.yu/fpuppivo.htm, in Serbian
      • Bip (БИП)
      • Premium Pils
      • Ruski kvas (Russian kvass) - kvass
    • Belgrade: Kasina - brewpub
    • Jagodina: Jagodinska pivara (Jagodina brewery)
      • Jagodinsko pivo (Jagodina beer)
      • Simbol (Jagodina export brew)
    • Niš: Niška pivara (Niš brewery)
    • Pančevo: Pivara Pančevo
      • Pančevačko ekstra (Pančevo extra)
      • Standard
      • Weifert
    • Peć: Pećka pivara (currently operating in Belgrade)
    • Peć: Biere e Peja (operating in facilities of Pećka pivara)
    • Vršac: Vršačka pivara (Vršac brewery) www.vrsackapivara.co.yu, in Serbian
      • Šampion (Champion) - light and dark, plus two varieties
      • Zoffman
    • Zaječar: Zaječarska pivara (Zaječar brewery)
      • Zaječarsko pivo (Zaječar beer)
      • Pils plus
      • Nikola Pašić - dark beer
    • Zrenjanin: Zrenjaninska industrija piva (ZIP) (Zrenjanin Beer Industry)
      • Rooster Beer
  • In Montenegro
    • Nikšić: Nikšićka pivara (Nikšić brewery)
      • Nik Gold (Nikšić export brew)

External links