Hops’ Level History
The brewing tradition in Lithuania has started since the 11th century, when beer was used for health and ritual purposes. It was believed that brewers were patronized by the pagan god Ragutis, who still has a small altar in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius till this day.
The brewing culture spread during the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, when the Hanseatic League was established in Kaunas in 1441 – the most important merchant base and trade transit point from West to East Europe. The first Vilnius brewers gathered not in the brewers’ guild, but in the maltsters’ guild, which was founded in 1552.
Over the centuries, beer and spirit factories in Lithuania were an integral part of the manor property economy – in Vilnius region they operated in the Sluskai, Oginskiai, Pilaitė, Verkiai and other properties and in 1811–1824 their number ranged from 16 to 22.
After the rebellions from the occupation of the Russian Czar in the 19th century, when the government confiscated the manor properties of the nobles who resisted, many breweries closed due to economic and political reasons, but several, including our factory, managed to survive.
That is true, that it was again destroyed during the First World War, touched by The Great Depression of the 20th century – the brewery was unable to restore its former glory, but it preserved the centuries-old production recipes.
Brewing Tradition Since the 11th Century.
In 1999, the brewery was taken over by new owners, who set themselves the goal of developing only unique beer recipes, creating innovative flavors, using the highest-quality ingredients from local farms. Therefore, almost the most important ingredient in Hops’ Level beer is… TRADITION.
Today our brewery is one of the independent breweries with the largest craft assortment in Lithuania. Each year, the brewery produces up to 60,000-80,000 HL of beer, brewing it in small batches and maturing them in 7-15 tones tanks.
The brewery currently has the largest Horeca-type store chain in the country, where customers can purchase up to 15 different types of beer in both freshly tapped and regular glass container formats.
Alongside a wide range of non-alcoholic beers, the most popular types for many years have remained unfiltered lager, wheat beer, IPA, and, of course, beer with cherry juice.
