Blukach is a craft brewery in Rozhyshche in Volyn, founded by brothers Oleh and Yaroslav Radionov. They started brewing beer in 2017 in pots in their parents' kitchen, back then under the name Black Woods. Commercial production was planned to launch in 2021, but due to the pandemic and the full-scale invasion, the first Blukach beer was brewed in late 2023.
Name and Varieties
The founders explain the name by the endless search for the ideal beer and new flavor combinations; at the same time, it features a play on the English words "blue" and "duck", so the brand's symbol is a duck, and the design relies on a blue palette. All varieties have Ukrainian names: Zaida, Kruk, Kulbit, Dovha istoria, Litostep, Sutenilo, Soniachni klarnety, Horyzont podiy.
The first lineup consisted of American stout, blond ale, hazy IPA, German hefeweizen, and witbier with rosemary and orange peel. Later on, tomato-strawberry gose, golden ale, a double stout with an 8.3% ABV, Mexican lager, and the seasonal autumn Zhovtenfest appeared.
How It Is Brewed
The brewery is fully automated. Water is purified by reverse osmosis and then salts are added to obtain a mineral profile for a specific style. The brewhouse with two kettles—a mash-lauter tun and a 500-liter wort kettle with a whirlpool—produces two batches per shift; fermentation takes place in seven cylindrical-conical tanks of one thousand liters each. The malt is German, and the hops are American and New Zealand. The brewery's main market is Lutsk.
Photo: Techdrinks, Ukraïner.
