Quinno in Vilnius

A guest post by Quinten Taylor, Pub data and Beer scores coordinator for Reading & Mid Berks CAMRA (2023) who is on Twitter as @SirQuinno. [Photos by Quinten Taylor & Tanya Kynaston]

Baltic beers – Lithuania

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.

Background

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 Undiscovered Vilnius stroll being a real highlight with an excellent guide in Ugnė 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. 

The tour route also crosses a road with lady traffic lights! Tours start from the picturesque Cathedral Square; whilst you’re waiting, go find the floor tile which marks the end point of the Baltic Way – 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.

Other interesting stops include the Museum of Illusions which whilst pricey was good fun and also was notable for clearly displaying the post Ukraine invasion antipathy towards Russia – the flag against every translation had been blacked-out. 

At the Money Museum (free, ironically) you can see a huge coin pyramid - a Guinness World Record holder! 

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

Quinno in Riga

 

A guest post by Quinten Taylor, Pub data and Beer scores coordinator for Reading & Mid Berks CAMRA (2023) who is on Twitter as @SirQuinno. [Photos by Quinten Taylor & Tanya Kynaston]

Baltic beers – Latvia

A couple of months ago I was fortunate to take a break away to two of three Baltic states, Latvia and Lithuania, in order to finally complete the set.

Whilst it feels like Estonia tends to be the more dominant of the three Baltics - with its big tech sector, UNESCO-listed capital city and connections with its Scandinavian neighbours - the two L’s have plenty to offer and are different both to Estonia and each other. They are certainly not just different flavours of the same thing!

Time constraints meant that bar-hopping and boozing was restricted to the two capital cities (that’s Riga for Latvia and Vilnius for Lithuania) but both have plenty of options for the thirsty traveller. Let’s dive in…this will be over two posts, with Riga as our starting point.

Background

There’s plenty to see and do in Riga aside from drinking. 

Of particular interest to me was the huge indoor market housed in the old Zeppelin hangars. 

We booked a food tour here which really helped get in with the local offerings (book here) and was excellent value in retrospect. 

Nearby is the Latvian Academy of Sciences, known locally as Stalin’s Birthday Cake, a really striking building that’s best seen up-close. As it’s just behind the food market, it’s easy to combine the two. 

Take a trip over the jet black Daugava River to see the new National Library which is a magnificent piece of modern architecture; an insider tip is that you can access the top floor if you blag a visitor’s pass which affords a superb panoramic view of the city. 

Also make sure to explore the stunning Art Nouveau buildings in Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela and visit the Paul Stradins Museum of the History of Medicine which houses the taxidermied remains of Vladimir Demikhov's famous two-headed dog experiment.

Beer and bars

Perhaps due to the volume of young western European tourists, Riga has a thriving craft beer and bar scene and it certainly presented me with plenty to have a go at, with lots of variety if you go hunting for oddities. The stag and hen party types are pretty much confined to a small area and most of the bars listed below are not in that zone. Prices are pretty reasonable, usually coming in a quid of two below British prices for the more exotic beers, so it’s worth going high-end. Most places are bar service – those which are table are mentioned as such. 

We ticked-off a fair few places, so I’ve added a rating to guide you to what I think are the ‘must-do’ places if time is tight. Most Latvians under the age of 40 speak very good English, though it tapers off fairly swiftly above that. Usual rules apply – learn a few key words in advance and you’ll often get a smile and a bit of chat.

Alus Celle - Baznīcas iela 35 Rīga

My pidgin Latvian worked out the name of this one pretty quickly – ‘beer cellar’. Which indeed it is, a basic place tucked away on an otherwise fairly unremarkable street. 

This is without doubt the ticker’s bar in Riga (just look at Untappd’s loyal patrons list for the venue for the astronomical amount of check-ins) and the owner takes pride in sourcing some truly weird and wonderful beers from around the world. There’s a small array of draft but the main action lies on the shelves, which are laden with all sorts of stuff. The owner seemed intently fastidious, though perhaps that was because we occasionally lost things in translation – he was a few years older than us and that’s where the divide seems to be locally between those who can easily understand English and those who weren’t brought up with it being ubiquitous. Everything we tried here was fab. 

The standout beer was possibly my favourite of the whole Riga jaunt - Ārpus x Bereta Peach x Apricot x Mango x Strawberry x Lemon x Maple x Smoothie Sour. Ārpus became a bit of a go-to over the course of three days, make sure you have at least one of theirs. Rated 9

Alus Muiža - 45 Ģertrūdes iela Rīga

I’ll have to hold my hands-up here and admit that by the time we did one at the end of the night, my memory had started to go a bit goldfish at points. I can say for sure that I didn’t find this one as immediate as its nearby peers and the range over the ten taps was fairly samey, albeit with a Latvian bent. Neither of our choices set the world alight - we might have got unlucky. You’ll want to take a look though if you’re after local beer. Rated 6

Banshee - Skarnu iela 11 Riga

A new craft bar, all moodily lit and aimed squarely at the Bright Young Things of Riga though most of the crowd on my visit were middle aged guys (rather like me…). A sizeable line-up of 24 taps, with around a 50/50 mix of Baltic and world brews. Ārpus Brewing seems to be a regular and we dallied with their dangerously drinkable 12%er Peanut Butter x Vanilla x Coffee Imperial Stout. Maybe a bit less personable in here than some other nearby bars, but well-worth dropping in. Rated 7.5

BEERA Bar - Ģertrūdes iela 39 Riga

Another cellar bar which also has a huge range of beers to try and makes for a great double-header with Alus Celle as they are only a couple of minutes apart. 12 taps with around 40% Baltic-dedicated alongside plenty of bottles and cans, with a good Latvian focus. We broke our ‘drink local’ rule to try a super Canadian Imperial Stout courtesy of Willibald Farm Brewery. Sorry Latvia, but it was lovely and were addicted to high abv after our stint at Alus Celle! Rated 8

Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs - Peldu iela 19 Rīga

Subterranean restaurant and bar housed in old vaults. The restaurant operation is 95% of the output, but just push your way through to get a seat at the bar along with half-a-dozen other locals – the staff are always busy prepping drinks for the diners, so you need to use your skills to catch them at the right time. There’s a fair beer list here with a more traditional outlook on life. The Madonas Alus Nefiltrēts by Madonas Alus was a farmhouse style beer, bready and chewy. Not an essential venue but I enjoyed it and the food looked hearty, so you might fancy scheduling grub here. Rated 6

Lido (Alus Sēta) - Krāmu iela 2 Rīga

Now, this isn’t a bar as such, it’s a handy grab-and-go canteen which charges low prices for hearty local-style comfort food. There are also four self-service taps dispensing three beers (from their own branded ‘brewery’ and the national Ventspilis) plus a perry. Located centrally, so be sure to eat here one evening in order to line your stomach and save a few Euros into the bargain. Rated 6 (4 for beer and 8 for food!)

Labietis - Aristida Briana 9A-2 Rīga

30 minutes on foot from the centre, though plenty of buses go this way and Googlemap is pretty good on the times and routes. Housed in a courtyard, The venue name is that of the brewery – Labietis (there’s also another bar of theirs in the Zeppelin market - plastic glasses though, which put me off trying anything there). We were really impressed by this one, from the friendly service through to the quality of their own beer. 16 taps of theirs plus a number of bottles. We decided to extend our stay and worked our way through five of their beers, with Ķiršu Mežonis 2022 (Cherry Wildling) being the stand-out; so good we got a couple of bottles of it to take out and bring home. Make sure you make the effort to get to this one if time allows. Rated 8

Miezis un kompānija. Vecrīga - 21 13. janvāra iela Rīga

I had high hopes for this one as others raved about it online. It’s a bit out of the way and isn’t at all obvious on approach, being housed at the base of a bland modern building. This is probably the most self-consciously ‘craft’ venue in Riga; super-modern and snazzy inside, with fairly uncomfortable high stools that are some weird triangular shape. 20 taps here almost all with Baltic beers to be had. Sea Goes Radical by Nurme was a horseradish gose, which did an admirable job. The Anticiklons by Alus darīšanas apvienība Prusaks was much less successful, described by as tasting like “a donkey blanket soaked in battery acid”. Very few people in on a grey Sunday afternoon and the barmaid was a classic craft beer stereotype, be-hatted and pretty uncommunicative (I might go as far as to say surly, but maybe that’s unfair given the potential language barrier). Rated 5

Ms&Mr BEER The Local Taphouse - 1 Maza Miesnieku Riga 1050

A new-opener with a lot of buzz around it. Steampunk stylings, and possibly the only pub I’ve been in which also has a whole car as well. Pretty limited selection, with all beers seemingly brewed by Lielvārdes, a contract brewery and neither were much to write home about. Felt more like they were after the party topers with the music turned up loud at 5pm on weekday afternoon - I was happy with the one. Worth a visit for the novelty value, but this’d be a place I’d skip next time. Rated 4

MyBeer / Mans Alus - 10/12 Alksnāja iela Rīga

Now, this was my pick of the bars in Riga. Up a fairly quiet street and down a few steps, is a modern and bijou bar, ram-packed with beers from all corners of the Baltics and beyond with every style imaginable. 

Pick of our pops was Atentāts by Alus darīšanas apvienība Prusaks, a tomato-infused beer with a bit of salt and chilli, much like a Bloody Mary. 

And Talka by MIGLA brewery which is a garlic beer -not a thin and reedy one like you may have tried as a novelty value as this one is big, deep and roasty and was a real treat. 

We were also extra lucky to have Nicola as our server for the evening who was an absolute joy to share beer and chat with – full of recommendations and really made a huge effort for us to get stuff we’d like. Stayed far longer than intended and even then it was a wrench to leave. Rated 10

Sidērija - Peldu iela 24 Rīga

The name should give you a clue – this is a cider bar! A neat place with few pretensions. They also own a cidery (Mūrbūdu Sidra Darītava) and most of the tap range is from there. Over two visits (we liked it!) we had two faves; Sidrons, which tasted like it was infused with thyme (Google Translate is still a bit haphazard with Latvian, we discovered) and Pussauss Apiņots Saison Sidrs, which is a cider infused with hops which gave it a grassy flavour. Something a bit different and should be towards the top of your visit list. Rated 9

Two More Beers - 9/11 Kalēju iela Rīga (table service)

Slightly confusing in here, as there’s a restaurant operation at the front and our request for ‘just beer’ was met by a blank stare; luckily another staff member realised we were after the rear bar and we were whisked there. A mid 80’s boys bedroom feel with red and black predominating. Table service here which worked fairly smoothly. 25 taps though the beer range is fairly mainstream for the seasoned Euro toper,with only three or four local beers. Some good bets in the fridge, though these are at a fair mark-up compared to the draft. Rated 6

Riga Coach Station

After three days in Riga, we headed-off to Vilnius, via a white knuckle coach drive via the ever-reliable FlixBus. If you’re thinking of doing the same, coaches leave from the station on the bank opposite to the Zeppelin market. It’s very easy to access and simple to navigate. I hope that’s whetted your appetite for a visit - Lithuanian adventures will follow in a later post!