Utenos Alus

The decision to build the region's most modern brewery was taken in 1970. Kloviniai in Utena was chosen as the brewery's location, due to its clean environment and abundant supply of water suitable for beer production. Construction of the ‘Beer Complex of Utena’ was managed by Gediminas Jackevičius, who later became the brewery's first manager and remained in the post until his death in 1993. The project was implemented with the help of experienced constructors from the TechnoExport Company of the Czech Republic. Traditional copper boilers were installed in the brewery by brewing engineer Jerzy Tomášek, whose signature today adorns Utenos Pilsener labels.

On 14 January 1977, the Utenos Alus Brewery brewed its first beer, Žigulinis. Using the experience gained while working alongside the Czech specialists, the brewmasters of Utena quickly refined their lager and it not only became a ‘default’, but also spread the fame of Utena. The legendary soft drinks of the period like Citrina, Sajanai, Tarchūnas and Šaltukas were also bottled in the Utenos Alus Brewery. It is said that the world-renowned corporations Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola competed for a right to make the drinks of their brand in Utena.

In 1991, the Complex became public limited liability company Utenos Gėrimai to berestructured as Utenos Gėrimai AB (a company with share capital). After the restoration of Lithuania's independence, the Utenos Alus Brewery started making new types of beer. These include: Lietuviškas, Aukštaitijos, Studentiškas, Gaudeamus, Sartų, Bočių, Baltų, Utenos, Utenos Premium, GJ, Turbo beer and Porteris. The dark and heavy Porter beer in particular served to spread the fame of Utena all around the world: in 1992, it won its first silver medal in an exhibition abroad andreceived gold on many later occasions.

In 1997, Utenos Gėrimai AB started to cooperate with Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH), consisting of investors from Sweden, Norway and Finland. In 2001, BBH merged Švyturys and Utenos Alus into a company with share capital called Švyturys-Utenos Alus AB. Švyturys-Utenos Alus UAB has been part of the Carlsberg Group since 2008.[2]

In 2011, the Utenos Alus Brewery produced 102 million litres of beer and 31 million litres of other drinks. The beer brewed in Utena is exported to more than 20 countries worldwide and has received numerous diplomas and medals.[3]

The brewery has implemented a quality and environmental management system based on two standards: the ISO 9001 standard for quality and the environmental ISO 14000 standard. The Utenos Alus Brewery is based in one of Lithuania's cleanest regions of Lithuania, near the Aukštaitija National Park. The water used in its beer production is obtained from a 207-metre-deep well owned by the brewery. The Utenos Alus Brewery pays particular care to the cleanliness and good maintenance of the region and implements the ecological ‘Ežerų Kraštas’ (‘Lake District’) programme.[4]

• „Utenos Utenos“ (Pale Lager);
• „Utenos Auksinis Special“ (Premium Lager);
• „Utenos Auksinis“ (Premium Lager);
• „Utenos Pilsener“ (Pilsner);
• „Utenos Dark“ (Dunkel);
• „Utenos Porteris“ (Baltic Porter);
• „Utenos Kvietinis“;
• „Utenos Classic“;
• „Utenos Radler Cola“ (beer cocktail);
• „Utenos Radler Lemon“ (beer cocktail);
• „Utenos Radler Orange“ (beer cocktail);
• „D-Light“ (beer cocktail);
• „Kiss“, „Somersby“ (cider);
• „Vichy Classique“ (drinking water);
• „Vichy Fresh“ (soft drinks);
• „Vichy Classique Vivasport“ (soft drinks).

• In 1970, the decision was taken to build the region's most modern brewery that would make the highest-quality products in Utena. Its construction and later the brewery itself were managed by Gediminas Jackevičius. The project was implemented with the help of experienced constructors from the TechnoExport Company of the Czech Republic. Traditional copper boilers were installed in the brewery by brewing engineer Jerzy Tomášek, whose signature today adorns the labels of Utenos Pilsener.[2]
• In 1977, the Utenos Alus Brewery bottled its first batch of beer (Žigulinis).[2]
• In 1980, the Utenos Alus Brewery supplied soft drinks for the Moscow Olympics.
• In 1985, the production facilities were renamed as the ‘Non-alcoholic Drinks Complex of Utena’.[5]
• In 1992, the brewery was restructured asapublic limited liability company called Utenos Gėrimai, which later became a company with share capital. The company's modernisation also started that year.[2]
• In 1992, Utenos Porteris won a silver medal in the competition for Baltic beers in St. Petersburg, Russia.[2]
• In 1995, Utenos Porteris won a gold medal in the international Beer’96 competition in Minsk.[2]
• In 1996, Utenos Porteris was awarded a gold medal in the Riga Beer’96 competition in Latvia.[2]
• In 1997, Utenos Alus beer won a bronze medal in the Cheers Beer Festival in Florida (USA).[2]
• In 1997, half the company's shares were acquired by Swedish-Norwegian-Finnish company Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH) and Estonian company Hansa Investments.[2]
• In 1999, Utenos Alus beer won gold medals at the Agrobalt’99 exhibition and in the Lithuanian Product of the Year contest.[2]
• In 2000, the company started producing Vichy Classique drinking water and Kiss cider; Utenos Alus beer was also renewed.[2]
• In 2000, Utenos Porteris was awarded a gold medal in the Lithuanian Product of the Year contest.[2]
• In 2001, the breweries of Švyturys and Utenos Alus were merged into Švyturys-Utenos Alus, with the Registered Office at Pramonės str. 12, Utena.[2]
• In 2001, Utenos Porteris was awarded a gold medal by experts from the Chicago Beer Tasting Institute (USA).[2]
• In 2004, Utenos Alus carried out the public campaign ‘Freedom for Joninės’. As a result, June 24 became a public holiday in Lithuania.[6]
• In 2005, Utenos Utenos beer won bronze in the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA).[2]
• In 2007, Utenos Alus introduced the first beer in transparent bottles into the Lithuanian market.[7]
• In 2007, Utenos Utenos beer in transparent bottles was awarded a silver medal in the Lithuanian Product of the Year contest.[2]
• In 2008, the Utenos Alus Brewery became part of one of the biggest beer groups in the world, the Carlsberg Group.[2]
• In 2008, Utenos ICE with its pull-off cap won gold in the Lithuanian Product of the Year contest.[2]
• Every summer since 2009, the company has installed so-called ‘Eco-stops’ (rubbish-sorting centres intended for picnickers) in the country's Lake District (the districts of Utena, Molėtai, Ignalina and Zarasai).[8]
• In 2011, Utenos Alus introduced the unique multilayer packaging that preserves the taste and quality of a beer right until its ‘best before’ date. The packaging won a gold medal in the Lithuanian Product of the Year contest.[9]
• In the National Responsible Business Awards of 2011, the company received the Environmental Enterprise of the Year award for its ‘Lake District’ project.[10]
• In 2014 Utenos Classic won 3 starts award in „iTQi Superior Taste Award“.[11]

Since 2006, Utenos Alus has sponsored numerous environmental initiatives: the company is involved in the maintenance of the banks of Lithuanian lakes and provides high-quality equipment to facilitate quality leisure at the most popular beaches. Since 2009, the company has also contributed to sorting out picnickers’ rubbish in the Lake District (the districts of Utena, Molėtai, Ignalina and Zarasai) by installing rubbish collection centres (so-called ‘Eco-stops’). In the National Responsible Business Awards of 2011, the company received the Environmental Enterprise of the Year award for its ‘Lake District’ project.[10]

Utenos Alus is also an active participant in the city's community and cultural projects and is the long-term sponsor of Utena Juventus Basketball Club.[12]

The Utenos Alus Brewery follows the international ISO 9001 standard, saving electrical and heating energy and other resources.[2]

In autumn 2012, the Modern Brewing Knowledge Centre opened its doors in the Utenos Alus Brewery and is dedicated to brewing achievements and history. It can be found at Pramonės str. 12, Utena.[13]

• Official website of Utenos Alus
• Official website of Utenos vairavimo mokykla