By Martha Gathercole 

‘I didn't say, Xenophon said!’, the banner beckons me to Yerevan’s Beer Days 2025 festival. It's true, 2500 years ago, Greek historian Xenophon was the first to ever write a review of Armenian beer, which was apparently ‘very strong, but for local people a very pleasant drink’. Clearly this tolerance for strong beer in Armenia has been preserved, as people mill around beer stalls, with steins securely clasped in hand ready for their next top-up.  

Hence my surprise when two tourists participating in the festival tell me how Armenia is more  a ‘country of wine' than a 'country of beer'. At Yerevan’s Beer Days festival I explore for myself whether Armenia is not, or will be, or has always been a 'country of beer'. 

I speak to Armine at Dargett Beer, to find out more about the industry. I am briefed on the seven different types of beer that they sell, including Irish stout, pilsner, even a Viennese beer which I'm told is for women only. Each beer is from a different country, used with ingredients from around the world to simulate tastes from countries such as Czechia, Belgium and Ireland. However, the secret ingredients, she tells me, which make it so unique, are the Armenian water, and the love they put into the beer, which gives this wide range of beer types a uniquely Armenian taste.  

Beer Days providing obligatory education for the next generation

 Dargett's original creation, however, is the apricot beer. Armine tells me that as far as she knows, no-one before Dargett ever produced this flavour for beer. As the most popular beer for clients at home and abroad, she explains that this is "because it has the taste of Armenia". 

Armine pouring me a pint of apricot beer 

"I don't do this for everyone", she says, pouring me a pint to taste. Sure enough, the taste is as unique as its country of origin. The first taste deceptively feels like a usual beer, but as it lingers on the palate, the fresh, nutty apricot is left with you for far longer than you would ever expect.  

Pilsner and Weitsel also make it to the top three of Dargett's most loved beers.  

Dargett started selling its own beer in 2018, when they decided to bottle the beer that they sold at their pub – established in 2016. Since then, they have participated in Beer Days since its first year in 2022.   Theythey were proud to tell me that it has won the award for selling the most beer at the festival. Clearly, Beer Days has been invaluable for rallying beer lovers around their stall – both from Armenia and abroad. Armine tells me how originally from 2020, the majority of Dargett's foreign customers were Russian, but that now the business attracts buyers from China, Europe and the United States. 

When I ask why she thinks Dargett has won the prize, I get a simple answer: "Because Dargett has changed the beer culture in Armenia". Previously, Armine tells me, the culture was very segregated, and beer was stereotypically for men. But now, Dargett, through hosting in its pub, encourages a family atmosphere where men, women, perhaps not children, can drink beer together and learn about the craft. The pub offers tours of the brewing process of beer, so that people can understand where the quality concoctions come from. Rather than beer merely being a way to drink, "in our brew pub we educate people, it can be family entertainment. We make beer that ensures the experience of tasting the high-quality beer of Armenia." 

As I potter around Beer Days with the apricot beer happily relaxing my step, it strikes me as a relatively calm atmosphere for a beer festival – a sophisticated affair and a far cry from the rampage of something like Oktoberfest. 

Here, people chat and take in the atmosphere, anchored down by their tankards perhaps. Later, as performers come to fill the evening with music, the festival becomes more concert-like. As more pints are filled, dance moves become more exuberant, but it's a far cry from a bender-style Beer Festival that one might see abroad. I'm told by participants that Beer Days is comparatively relaxed compared to Wine Days, which has gathered more popularity and, apparently, booze-induced enthusiasm. We will see if the calm of Beer Days will remain as the beer industry and popularity grows. Stomachs can be lined by various food options, including authentic Zhengalov hats (an Armenian flatbread filled with fresh herbs and greens), fish and chips, and fresh meat from barbecues, which generate an atmospheric smoke machine-type-effect along the street.  

Beer Days, where food is just as integral to the festival as tenuous word plays  

The popularity of the Beer Days festival has shown a clear steady increase since its first holding in 2021: 

The managing company of Beer Days, Eventtura, reported for the 2025 festival is not ready yet, but did state that this year saw a record number of brewers participating in the festival, a total of 25 from almost all provinces of Armenia – Syunik, Tavush, Gyumri, Gegharkunik, Kotayk, and many others. This is eleven more companies than in 2024. Eventtura also commented on the diversification of beer types over the years at Beer Days: 'While in the first year of the festival, companies producing classic beer were mainly represented, this year visitors could find a variety of craft beers with cherry, honey, tomato and other flavours'.

In comparison, there are 200 wine companies operating in Armenia, half of which participated in the festival. Whereas at Wine Days, they were unable to accommodate twenty wine companies due to limited space, at Beer Days most brewing companies have the opportunity to be represented. Clearly, Beer Days has become an important and useful platform for the presentation of companies' produce.  

Although the number of visitors to the festival has increased, entry to Beer Days is free, and therefore these numbers do not necessarily reflect increased income. Packages must be bought at the festival in order to sample various beer types. This includes a Beer Stein, and a number of tokens, which can be swapped for a beer of choice. Eventtura reported that the actual number of packages sold has remained stable at 8-10,000. In 2024 alone, 7,200 liters of beer were sold, but the company believes that this year this figure may have doubled, but they are waiting for their statistics to be finalised. 

Beer Days clearly is set to continue to boost the Armenian economy. In 2024 alone, the company paid a total of 80 million AMD in tax. This year about 70 million drams (183,000USD) were spent on beer days, and the Tourism Committee of the RA Ministry of Economy contributed 3.6 million drams (9,400USD) of this. 

The first Armenian brewery was opened in 1892 in Yerevan and closed in the 1920s. The beer industry had a pause in these Soviet years, but has been in the process of revival since 1952, when the Beer of Yerevan Brewery opened in Yerevan. Since then, industrial beer has undergone a steady rise, but it has not been until the last decade with the rise of Dargett, that craft beer has become popular,  

The beer industry more broadly in Armenia has shown not only an improvement in culture but an improvement in figures. In 2025, the beer market revenue amounts to US$58.39m, and this is expected to grow annually by 2.91% (CAGR 2025-2030). In comparison, the vodka industry is only expected to grow annually by 1.14%. Finport also reports that overall alcoholic beverage production in Armenia has declined, except for whiskey and beer. Whereas wine production decreased by 33.3% between January and February 2025, and vodka by 3.9%, beer is on a steady increase of 8.1%.

"Beer has always been popular in Armenia, but now it's entertainment, an experience, it has a low percentage of alcohol, so you can enjoy it for a long time." Armine says. Clearly, figures show that the people of Armenia agree, as vodka sales drop and beer sales rise. The beer industry is making up for lost time in its rise in sales.  

Beer Days has seen an increase not only in quantity but also in quality. Previously, Armenia exclusively sold industrial beer, Armine explains, but Dargett, along with other brewers at the festival, prides itself in the quality of both its ingredients and its results. 

Armine at Dargett mentions the fact that until recently, the vast majority of tourists at Beer Days come from Russia 

This shift in Armenian beer culture and focus on quality has clearly caught international attention too. Armine tells me how Dargett has begun exporting to Russia, France, the USA. Indeed all Armenian beer has increasingly attracted attention from international buyers over the last decade.  

"We want to prove that we can compete with other companies all around the world."  

It seems that Dargett, and Beer Days more broadly, is intent on a Beer renaissance – creating a culture and quality of beer that is reminiscent of Xenophon's days of old. Through these initiatives, foreigners can be shown that Armenia is not just a 'country of beer', but one with a far older history, and a richer and more inclusive culture of beer than many. 

Photos: Beer Days Facebook page & Martha Gathercole 

Infographics: Nare Petrosyan