Originally, European 'ale' (not yet called beer) was produced without hops, which were introduced to Europe from the east. Hops are more narrowly distributed, preferring humid temperate climates, similar to potatoes. It has been brewed into beer-like beverages for thousands of years, and grown in most of Europe since ancient times. Barley was first domesticated during the Neolithic in the ancient Near East. These countries' geography is closely tied to the historical growing range of its two main ingredients, barley and hops.

Countries preferring beer Р”В¬ountries in Europe in which beer is historically the most popular alcoholic drink are located to the southwest of countries preferring vodka and to the northeast of the countries preferring wine. The 'Schnellhardt compromise', proposed by Horst Schnellhardt, suggests that vodkas from other than cereals, potatoes and molasses, should be labeled to say 'Vodka produced from'. The term has received much attention since 2006 in the context of the ' vodka war' within the European Union about the standardisation of vodka: the vodka-preferring countries insist that only spirits produced from grains and potato must be allowed to be branded as 'vodka', according to the long established traditions of its production, a brand protection similar to the ' protected designation of origin'. And indeed in 1998, beer surpassed vodka as the most popular alcoholic drink in Poland. The Polish Beer-Lovers' Party (which won 16 seats in the Sejm in 1991) was founded on the notion of fighting alcoholism by a cultural abandonment of vodka for beer. Residents of Finland and Sweden consume twice as much beer as vodka (in terms of pure alcohol). In many countries traditionally preferring vodka, the spirit has been supplanted by beer as the alcoholic drink of choice since the early 21st century. Likewise, in his Russia and the Russians, historian Geoffrey Hoskins notes the distinct effect vodka culture has had on the countries of the former Russian Empire, creating drinking as a social problem on a different level from other European countries. Other than the prevalent hard liquor, the vodka belt is also characterised by a higher occurrence of binge drinking compared to the rest of Europe.

In particular, he explains Russian peculiarities by their belonging to the vodka belt and the absence of the beer belt in the Soviet Union. In his book about the Soviet Union, Alex de Jonge elaborates on his concept of 'geoalcoholics'. There are exceptions, such as Р•В»ubrР“С–wka, a type of Polish vodka that dates back to the 16th century, which became popular among the szlachta (nobility) as well as the peasantry as early as the 18th century. Before the 19th century, vodka was considered very much a 'people's drink' that was common among the peasantry who made up the majority of the population in most countries of the time, while the aristocracy preferred imported wines or other alcoholic drinks that were considered less plebeian. Vodka preference is sometimes associated exclusively with the Slavic countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as they are the historical homeland of vodka (Poland and Russia being the nations most often associated with the invention of the drink). EU-countries preferring vodka produce over 70% of the EU's vodka.

With the exception of Poland, Ukraine, and some regions of southern Russia, cultivation of grapes is impossible or very difficult. The southern boundary of this region corresponds to the РІв‚¬вЂ™2Р’В РІВРЉ January isotherm in lowlands. The following countries, known as the vodka belt, are significant producers and consumers of spirits, particularly vodka:

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