TOLSTIAK Grechishnoye (buckwheat) - a new brand in SUN Interbrew portfolio

MOSCOW, February 19, 2004 – SUN Interbrew Russia was first to launch production of a beer with buckwheat as an ingredient.

Tolstiak Grechishnoye is a specialty semi dark lager beer, which is brewed with a traditional Russian product – buckwheat. It has peculiar brown-red color, rich flavour and thick foam. Buckwheat in this beer’s recipe corresponds a mild bitter flavour to Tolstiak Grechishnoye and makes it very easy to drink.

The new brand is produced at ZAO “Kombinat Napitkov” in Novocheboksarsk and at Saransk affiliate of OAO “United Breweries” – the breweries within the SUN Interbrew holding. Buckwheat beer had been previously produced only by mini-breweries in Belgium and North America.

Tolstiak Grechishnoye is bottled in 0.5l glass and 1l PET bottles. Its gravity is 14%, alcohol content – minimum 5.9%.

Tolstiak Grechishnoye will be distributed nationwide. Launch of the new beer will be supported by a national TV advertising campaign and through promotional activities.

For more information contact:

Note to Editors:

SUN Interbrew Limited is the second largest brewer in Russia and the largest brewer in Ukraine. The company is a strategic partnership between Interbrew, one of the largest brewers in the world, and the SUN Group, operating in the region since 1958, and in the beer sector of Russia and the CIS since the beginning of the 1990’s.

The company’s main brands are Stella Artois, Beck’s, Staropramen, Klinskoye, Sibirskaya Korona, Tolstiak in Russia, and Stella Artois, Beck’s, Chernigivske, Rogan, Taller and Yantar in Ukraine.

Tolstiak is a quality Russian beer with characteristic rich flavour and distinct hops scent. This trademark was first brewed in Saransk in May 1996 and afterwards it grew popular across the country. All Tolstiak fans can call telephone number 8-800-200-74-86 to find out everything about their favourite brand.