Welcome to part
two of the Baltic beer blog! In my previous article I focussed on
Latvia (Riga). Today it’s the turn of Vilnius (the locals pronounce
it Vill-nus – no need for that random ‘I’!) in
Lithuania.
Vilnius was
certainly more mysterious than Riga when it came to pre-trip research
and I wasn’t necessarily expecting much but I ended-up pleasantly
surprised by the beer scene and even more surprised by the place
itself – I really fell for it and it’s immediately in my top 5
revisit list.
Like Riga,
there’s plenty to see and do in Vilnius aside from drinking. It’s
a different vibe here though – in the picturesque old town it’s
much more laid-back and with far fewer Western European/Anglo
tourists.
You should always do a free walking tour and the two we did
with Vilnius Free Walking Tours were great, with the
who took us through the various architectural ages of town,
finishing-up in the Šnipiškės area – a real contrast of aged
wooden houses just behind the ultra-modern skyscraper quarter.
Tours start from the picturesque
Cathedral Square; whilst you’re waiting, go find the
– a human chain of approximately two million
people spanning 430 miles across the three Baltic states in 1989 as
part of the pro-independence movement from the USSR.
Plus many other oddities
and a grumpy security guard.
A day trip out to
Trakai to see the
lovely
small town and beautiful castle is highly recommended.
There’s a regular bus service but be warned, there are small
multi-stopper minibuses which are for locals only and you’ll be
clearly waved away on a busy day – don’t rely on Google for your
times! The tourist buses are clearly labelled ‘Trakai’. If you
do get caught out on the return leg there’s a neat little bar
(Alynas, which sells said brewery’s beers) in the modern bus
terminal complex as well as a large and well-stocked supermarket.
On
a sunny day, we sat in a swing overlooking the water which made for a
bucolic few minutes. We ate a punnet of super-fresh strawberries
from the supermarket at the bus terminal whilst waiting for the
tourist bus to arrive, having been caught out by the locals' minibus scenario!
A hotel tip; we
stayed at
Hotel
Vilnia which was fabulous – reasonable rates for
excellent rooms and a buffet breakfast fit for a king (pro-tip - bag
as much fish in you as you can, great margins!). The huge park
opposite (
Bernardine
Garden) is really well cared for and a is a wonderful
stroll on a sunny days.
Take a trip from there up to the
Three
Crosses for a superb view of the city.
Beer and bars
Less
well-developed than Riga when it comes to craft beer, the Vilnius
scene is a bit more traditional in outlook but there are plenty of
interesting places if you are willing to put the effort in – and
occasionally go off the beaten track.
The old town is a bit of a
warren, so expect to take a wrong turn at least once! Prices are very
reasonable, slightly cheaper than Riga in all. Most places are bar
service and those which are table are mentioned as such. I’ve added
a rating to guide you to what I think are the ‘must-do’ places if
time is tight. Most capital-dwelling Lithuanians under the age of 40
speak decent English but there’s less immediate fluency than in
Riga, and the older generations can’t really communicate in it, so
be prepared to use Google Translate and hand gestures. Usual rules
apply – learn a few key words in advance and you’ll have a
smoother ride.
Alaus
Biblioteka - Trakų g. 4, 01132 Vilnius
Fancy a guess at
translating the name? Yes, it’s ‘beer library’. Not immediately
obvious from the street, you need to go up a couple of flights of
stairs to locate the bar which indeed is done-out in an athenaeum
style.
The bottled range is ordered by style with each having its own
compartment – there’s a picture on the far wall which indicates
what lives where. 17 taps with around a 70/30 split in favour of
local brews.
There are two excellent seating options – the tiny
balcony (don’t look too closely at the state of repair though) and,
behind a secret door, a private room which looks like it seated a
dozen or so. A laid-back atmosphere, with nobody in a hurry.
Rated
8.5
Alaus kolonėlė
- Rinktinės g. 55, 09207 Vilnius
A 30 minute walk
from old town out into the modern Vilnius where the locals live (the
33 bus can be taken at a very reasonable price for a 10 minute
journey). It’s located next to a thundering main road in a modern
colonnade overlooking out-of-town megastores and doesn’t look
over-promising on approach.
However inside is somewhere you might
feel you recognise – it’s a quasi-micropub, basically. Fairly
homespun but not without a bit of charm. There are a good number of
lesser-spotted Lithuanian brews here, a number with a traditional
farmhouse bent. Service is friendly though beware that being this far
out of the old town means that the English will likely be as pidgin
as your Lithuanian. The locals clearly thought us interlopers
slightly peculiar but everyone rubbed along and we enjoyed it enough
to stay for a second round. Apynio Barzda Su Kanapėmis by Biržų
Alus was a stand-out; brewed with cannabis seeds, we had it for
comedy value but it was actually a really nice, nutty brew.
Rated
7.5
Alaus Namai -
A. Goštauto g. 8, 01108 Vilnius
Another local’s
redoubt, just off the bank of the Neris river (which makes for a
pleasant stroll back into the old town). This is another subterranean
bar which is surprisingly large and is set-up akin to a Bierkeller in
feel – fairly dim and lots of wood. Aimed at the middle-aged male
sports crowd, there’s nonetheless a good range of interesting local
beer to try.
We were taken by the wonderful collection of carved wood
fonts and some comedy fake handpumps. Beware that the owner speaks
about as much English as you do Lithuanian and the place is a Faraday
Cage as far as mobile signal goes, so be prepared to point and
gesture – probably best visited at a quieter time so you don’t
annoy the locals by holding up the service. There’s a laminated
menu, which is of limited use unless you have Google Translate on
your phone. We got lucky on our first round with two exceptionally
good dark beers from the Trakai-based Pilialaukis – Pinčius
and Pekla. Less so on the second, where one tasted of ullage.
Rated
6.5 |
| Banks of the Neris river |
Alinė Leičiai - Stiklių g. 4, 01131 (table service) / Leičių Bravoras - Didžioji g.
18, 01128
OK so a warning
to start with. There appears to be two venues which share the brewery
beer and must be owned by the same people; a streetside restaurant
(Alinė Leičiai) and a bar (which I assume to be the brewery -
Leičių Bravoras) the latter of which is tucked away over the
crossroads, through an arch, in a courtyard.
Google Maps seemed
confused and so were we. In the end the bar was closed so we popped
into the restaurant (Alinė Leičiai) which is a traditional rustic
affair.
To our disappointment most of their beers weren’t actually
on! Jolly service at least from the barrel shaped young man who
struggled to deal with the stereotypical haughty French tourists. The
food looked very hearty – we’d have eaten there had we been
staying for an extra day.
Rated 5 (but the brewery bar may
well be much better for drinking)
Beer House -
Mėsinių g. 4, 01130 Vilnius (table service)
Our first stop,
located in the old town. A tidy mid-market place with polished dark
wood and a central European feel. A bit of confusion about getting
served as despite there being a huge bar it turned out to be table
service. The proffered menu had a fair list of world beers to have a
go at, though most brews would be familiar to the seasoned Euro-toper
and were concentrated around the Benelux/Germany area though a few
standard Lithuanian beers were listed as well. Fancied a Flemish and
the Rodenbach Classic was one new to me. We ate here and the food was
decent, if somewhat aloof on the service.
Rated 5.5
Būsi Trečias
- Totorių g. 18, 01121 Vilnius (table service)
Traditional
rustic bar with a Germanic feel. They brew their own beer - nothing
to write home about - but the win here is the food which is
fantastic hearty fayre at very reasonable prices with friendly
service (try the Witch's Tears and you won’t need to eat again for
the rest of the day).
There’s also a huge library of board games.
Whilst this sits in the old town, it felt like they don’t get too
many English-speaking visitors. A good atmosphere – if only the
beer had been a bit better…
Rated 7 (or 9 if you eat!)
Craft &
Draft - Gedimino pr. 5, 01103 Vilnius
Located in the
upmarket shopping streets of Vilnius, this is a subterranean brewpub.
Very modern and upmarket inside with surprisingly few customers as
well. We tried three of their own brews, none of which particularly
pulled-up any trees. The dark beer I wanted was off, and that seems
to get better reviews. However on a hot, stifling day, the cool
cellar was a welcome break!
Rated 5.5
Girta Bitė -
Gedimino pr. 5, 01103 Vilnius
OK something a
bit different for you. This is a bar which specialises in mead which
Sir Doris wanted to try. Upmarket place, very modern and appealing to
the moneyed, trendy crowd but in we went anyway!
Main reason for
visiting was to try the flight of meads which ranged from mellow to
rocket fuel, but all rather enjoyable in a silly way.
Rated 6
Nisha craft
Capital - L. Stuokos-Gucevičiaus g. 9, 01122 Vilnius
Like a hipster
version of a bijou brown café, this is located close to the gorgeous
Bernardine Garden and Three Crosses, so an ideal pit-stop. There’s
a good range of taps and bottles with a satisfying breadth of
countries and styles. Unfortunately we only got a few minutes in here
as we left it a bit late in the day, but I’d have happily stayed
for seconds any other time.
Rated 8.5
Špunka
(Savičiaus Špunka - Savičiaus g. 9, 01127 / Etmonų
Špunka – Etmonų g. 3, 01305)
There are three
branches of Špunka
(no giggling at the back!) in town and we
tried two. They follow a fairly similar pattern (although each has
its own individual character); basic, rustic feel with a younger
person’s atmosphere. Around 8-10 taps majoring on Lithuanian beer,
with pretty much the same range in each, though the beer does change
over the course of the month by the looks of it.
You can find beers
from Lithuanian craft stagers like Dundulis and Širvėnos bravoras.
Pick of the bunch was a Širvėnos brew featuring birch and matcha
tea – an odd but satisfying combination!
Rated 7/7
%20v2.jpg)
