| Švyturys | |
| Location: | Utena, Lithuania |
| Owner: | Švyturys-Utenos alus |
| Opened: | 1978 |
The Utenos Alus Brewery is a Lithuanian brewery headquartered in Utena, Lithuania.
The Brewery is based near the Aukštaitija National Park.
It is currently considered one of the Carlsberg Group breweries in Europe. In addition to making beer for Lithuanian consumers, it also makes products for international brands located in Scandinavia and northern Europe.[1]
In 1970, the decision was made to construct the most cutting-edge brewery in the area. Because of its pristine surroundings and plentiful supplies of water that are suited for brewing beer, Kloviniai in Utena was chosen as the brewery's location. Gediminas Jackevičius oversaw the building of the "Beer Complex of Utena," and he later became the brewery's first manager, serving in that capacity until his passing in 1993. The project was carried out with the aid of skilled builders from the Czech Republic's Techno Export Group. Brewing engineer Jerzy Tomáek, whose signature can be seen on the labels of Utenos Pilsener today, placed traditional copper boilers at the brewery.
Igulinis, the first beer produced by the Utenos Alus Brewery, was released on January 14, 1977. The brewmasters of Utena swiftly improved their lager using the knowledge they obtained from working with the Czech experts, and it not only became a "default" but also helped spread the word about Utena. The Utenos Alus Brewery also bottled the renowned soft drinks of the time, including Citrina, Sajanai, Tarchnas, and Altukas.
Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola are said to have competed for the right to make their brands of drinks in Utena.
In 1991, the Complex became public limited liability company, Utenos Gėrimai, to be restructured later 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 and received 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.[3]
In autumn 2012, the Modern Brewing Knowledge Centre opened in the Utenos Alus Brewery.[7]