Is beer an alcoholic beverage?

We’ve previously seen how Russians feel about their alcohol, but it appears that we may even disagree on what drink is. For example, in Russia, the law declaring beer to be an alcoholic beverage only went into effect in 2011. It may seem difficult to believe, but drinks containing less than 10% alcohol were not officially deemed alcoholic beverages until roughly ten years ago. Although the law has changed, this does not imply that Russians are drinking less alcohol. Instead, the change in beer’s status has increased its price, driving more Russians back to their traditional choice – vodka.