I search for historic Belarusian beer recipes, study the sources and bring history back to the glass. These are my investigations, recipes, discoveries and films.
Pridibaila StanislavBrewer and researcher · Прыдыбайлавы Бровар
From an archive page to a living brew
2026 / Beer History / ResearchBeer History / ResearchПБПA study of a 1756 archival plan tentatively associated with the Bakszty (Bakshty) estate in Ashmyany County. The labels for kettles, the malt house, spirits stores and an ox stable suggest that brewing and grain-spirit production may have operated together at this estate complex.
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2026 / Culture and everyday lifeCulture and everyday lifeПБПHow did people drink beer in the 18th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth? Drawing on Jędrzej Kitowicz, we explore regional beer traditions, unusual drinking vessels, the game “piwo — dobre — nalej”, and the political role of alcohol at noble assemblies.
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2026 / Culture and everyday lifeCulture and everyday lifeПБПHow did coffee transform the morning habits of noblewomen in the eighteenth-century Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth? Historian Jędrzej Kitowicz recounts how coffee replaced a traditional beer-based breakfast soup known as gramatka and, in his view, helped curb excessive consumption of strong spirits.
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2026 / Beer History / ResearchBeer History / ResearchПБПHow did Antoni Tyzenhauz’s economic reforms influence brewing in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the second half of the eighteenth century? Czech brewers, masonry breweries, malt production and hop cultivation are examined through historical studies and archival documents.
Read ↗Interviews, stories and conversations about the project.
The project in the mediaOnlínerПБПOn May 26, 2025, the Belarusian online publication Onlíner published an article by journalist Sasha Manitu about my historical research into the origins of borscht. The article explores evidence that, in the lands of present-day Belarus, borscht once referred not only to a soup but also to a fermented, low-alcohol drink made from hogweed, sometimes consumed as an alternative to beer. The publication introduces historical accounts by European authors from the 16th to the 18th centuries and features commentary by Elena Mikulchik, a specialist in Belarusian culinary history. The article highlights findings from my research, “Borscht in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Not a Soup!?”, and examines a little-known tradition in Belarusian beverage history.
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The project in the mediaOnlínerПБПIn a special Onlíner feature produced in collaboration with Alivaria, we prepared a version of Butterbeer inspired by gramatka, a traditional Belarusian beer-based soup. The article explores the recipe, the preparation process, and my research into the historical brewing traditions of Belarus. It also discusses the possible connection between gramatka and the Butterbeer described in the Harry Potter books, as well as efforts to preserve and revive historical Belarusian recipes.
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The project in the mediaOnlínerПБПOn December 30, 2024, Onlíner published an article about Stanislav Pridibaila's research into historical butterbeer and gramatka, a traditional warm beer-based drink associated with the drinking culture of the region. The article explores parallels between Tudor-era English butterbeer, gramatka from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the fictional drink featured in the Harry Potter books. It also discusses historical recipe reconstructions, public workshops, and tastings. The publication includes commentary from historian Aleh Dziarnovich, PhD, who described the proposed historical connection between these drinks as a convincing interpretation.
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The project in the mediaOnlínerПБПIn August 2024, Onlíner journalist Sasha Manitu and photographer Maxim Malinovsky visited an island on Lake Selyava, where our team was recreating the historical Belarusian beer “Інфляцкі бір” from a recipe preserved in the manuscripts of Nikolai Mlechka, dated in the article to the period 1595–1632. The feature explores my search for historical Belarusian beer recipes, collaboration with historians, scientists and traditional craftspeople, and the brewing process itself — using local hops, juniper, wild yeast, wooden vats and heated stones. Archaeological excavations were taking place on the island alongside our brewing experiment, producing significant discoveries relating to the ancient history of Belarus.
Read ↗Brewing, discoveries and conversations about Belarusian beer.
ПБП / video60sDid you know that several centuries ago “borshch” could mean something very different from soup? Historical sources describe a fermented drink made from common hogweed ( Heracleum sphondylium ) in the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was consumed as a substitute for light beer, used as a base for food, and the plant was also associated with the production of stronger alcoholic drinks. In this video, we examine accounts by John Gerard from 1597, Caspar Hofmann, Friedrich Cartheuser, Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert, Alexandre Dumas and other authors to discover why the history of borshch is connected not only with cuisine, but also with brewing and fermented beverages.
ПБП / video235sAn archive recording of a barrel of “Inflanty Bir” being opened: a reconstructed beer based on a recipe from the 1630s.
ПБП / video108sA short reflection on the difference between ale and beer in historical and modern usage of the terms.