Beer in Armenia
Beer has been produced in Armenia since ancient times. In the 5th century BCE, after arriving at a village in Ancient Armenia, Xenophon wrote in the Anabasis that "There were stored wheat, barley, vegetables, and barley wine in the craters (clay pots). In upper level of vessels with the edges in the wine floated barley, and there was stuck a reed, large and small sizes and who wanted to drink, had to take a reed in his mouth and pull it through the wine. Not mixed with water, the wine was very strong, but for local people  it was a very pleasant drink". Beer festival. The "Yerevan Beer Fest" is held annually during August. It was first organized in 2014. The "Swan lake" located in the park near the Yerevan Opera Theatre is the regular home of the festival. More than 10,000 visitors attended the 5th edition of the "Yerevan Beer Fest" in August 2018, which featured all the breweries and microbreweries in Armenia. Breweries. The first brewery in modern history of Armenia was opened in 1892 in Yerevan. Known as "Zanga Brewery", the plant was located in the Hrazdan River gorge. The brewery's products were  branded as Bok-Beer. However, the plant was closed during the 1920s. As of November 2020, the following six brewing companies are operating in Armenia: Microbreweries/Brewpubs. As of 2019, there are eight microbreweries/brewpubs that produce and serve draught/unfiltered beer in Armenia: Republic of Artsakh. The Republic of Artsakh currently has a single brewery – Central Brewpub in the capital Stepanakert.