Region & History

What is Kaimiškas alus? The Lithuanian word means village beer or farmhouse beer, referring to a farmhouse ale that has been brewed on farms for generations in Aukštaitija, 'Upper Lithuania' in the north and east of the country. The tradition is especially strong around Biržai and Pasvalys, not far from the Latvian border.

For Biržai, the town's history points to the year 1682: Liudvika Karolina Radvilaitė from the princely House of Radvilos confirmed the order for a brewery by the river that year, and the first building stood in 1686. The family's brick castle had already been built between 1586 and 1589. During the war with Sweden, the brewery was destroyed in 1704 and later rebuilt.

In the countryside, by contrast, almost everyone brewed their own beer. According to tradition, every farm had its own method, passed down from parents only to their sons. These very farmhouse beers have survived in the region, unfiltered and unpasteurized—meaning without the heating that makes beer shelf-stable but kills the living yeast.

Since October 31, 2019, 'Kaimiškas Jovarų alus' has been registered in the EU as a Protected Geographical Indication, or PGI. What's protected is this one specific name for the beer of a family from Jovarai near Pasvalys, not the word Kaimiškas in general. According to the application, the beer has been made since the 16th century, and a yeast strain is said to have been passed down within the family for more than 130 years.

Larger in scale is the Rinkuškiai brewery near Biržai, founded in 1991. By its own account, it brews around five million liters a year, a fifth of which is exported. Su Puta is also considered a brewery that has stayed true to the farmhouse style.