Pour that Perfect Pint

The craft revolution took Moscow by storm in 2015. To help you navigate the increasingly sophisticated craft bar scene we’ve selected seven spots to experience Russian craft beer culture.

Vse Tvoi Druzya 

Craft beer bar with a cult status

This tiny bar off Tverskaya Ulitsa was opened by members of the Russian rap group ILWT and is packed almost every night. It focuses on Russian-produced craft beer and cider, but also sells some imported brews from 200 rubles ($3.50). Try the persimmon-flavored golden ale “Ruka Boga” (Hand of God) by St. Petersburg’s Bakunin brewery for 250 rubles ($4.30). 

Varka 

Craft and burgers 

Varka was the first craft bar around Taganskaya metro station, which has now turned into something of a craft Mecca—nowhere else in the city is the concentration of craft bars so high. The selection here is constantly changing, with both Russian and imported craft beer on offer. Try a milky Black Jack chocolate stout by Moscow’s ID brewery for 200 rubles ($3.50). 

Craft & Draft

Perfect bar to take your parents out

The first bar to open in the famous “craft yard” on Taganskaya, which it now shares with Cans & Beer and HLSTK, Craft & Draft looks like an old-fashioned pub. The 20 beers on tap are supplemented by almost 100 types of bottled brews. Don’t miss the Mango Mayhem IPA by Moscow’s Beer Bros Brewery (BBB) for 250 rubles ($4.30). The food is decent, try the “cray” blue-cheese burger for 500 rubles ($8.70) or a large burger with tomato chutney and mashed potatoes (550 rubles).

Cans & Beer 

The writing on the wall 

Opened by and for street artists, you can try your hand at graffiti yourself here. Draft beers include rare Norwegian brew Nogne Session IPA for 390 rubles ($6.70). 

Parka

Craft beer in a steam bath 

Parka (not to be confused with Varka, partially owned by the same people) is a craft bar designed like a Russian bathhouse. “Parka” refers to being “steamed” at a bath. You can sit on the stepped benches or at a table downstairs. Besides the ubiquitous IPAs and APAs, try the “Clockwork Orange”-inspired Moloko+ chocolate stout for 250 rubles ($4.30). 

Jawsspot

Straight from the Urals 

Jawsspot isn’t just another craft beer place —it’s a bar that belongs to one of the most popular brewers in Russia, the Sverdlovsk region’s Jaws. Original brews with witty names like Nuclear Laundry IPA (240 rubles) or Looking for a Human (260 rubles) and about a dozen others are all on tap. There’s also great bar food and a balcony with a view of Lubyanka and the FSB headquarters. 

Glavpivmag 

Pioneers of the craft beer movement 

Glavpivmag’s owners started with a stall at Rybny Market at Novokuznetskaya and then opened this proper place, located in a street leading off Chistoprudny Bulvar. Glavpivmag consists of two rooms: a beer store and a bar with a minimalist, no-nonsense aesthetic. Here they specialize in craft beer made by producers from around Russia. There are 40 varieties on tap – including Red Maniac, a chili-infused IPA for 280 rubles ($4.90) – and around 100 from their selection of bottled ales. There’s food available too if you need to line your stomach: burgers, fish and chips and special biscuits. Flush with its recent success, Glavpivmag recently opened a second location on Tverskaya Ulitsa.