The contemporary geography of craft beer production and on-site consumption in Minsk, Belarus

Abstract

The presented material is devoted to the geographic analysis of the phenomenon of the so-called “craft beer revolution” in Belarus and, in particular, in Minsk (once 74% of the country’s’ craft breweries were located in the capital in 2024). The brief history of the establishment and development of the craft beer production in Belarus and Minsk is analysed, with an emphasis on the current state of things. The investigation also features of the contemporary spatial structure of craft beer consumption, based on the location attributes, selected visitor’s check-in data, variety of selection and the structure of beers on tap at 28 selected bars, defined as “real” craft beer bars (CBBs). Such topics, as the impact of the “craft beer revolution” on urban development in Minsk, as well as the cases of demonstration of (neo)localisation are also discussed in the article