The modern history of beer in Turkey started with the Ottoman Empire. During certain periods of the Ottoman Empire, drinking alcoholic beverages was forbidden in some cities, but many small producers in Istanbul made boza with a high alcohol level like beer. Beer was first produced and served at Erzurum by some small Armenian producers in "beer gardens" (). The first modern production of beer in Turkey started with the Bomonti beer factory in Istanbul in 1894 by the Swiss Bomonti brothers.