Biržai District Municipality
Aukštaitija
family brewery with beer museum
Alyvų g. 8, Biržų k., Biržai District
56.20750, 24.72350
40 minutes to 2.5 hours, depending on tours and tastings
year-round, with advance booking
Rinkuškiai, Rinkuškiai Brewery and Alaus kelias
Beer in the Biržai region
Rinkuškiai Brewery is in Biržai, a region that calls itself Lithuania's beer capital. It is a family brewery where production operates alongside a museum described as the only beer museum in Lithuania and the restaurant Alaus kelias, meaning Beer Road.
The site is interesting because it joins living craft with heritage. Visitors can see production, view old wooden tubs, taste beer made in a home tradition, and try beer-themed dishes. It is one of the most popular visitor stops in the Biržai area.
A family brewery from the 1990s
The brewery's roots lie in the home beer of brewer Jonas Čygas, known far beyond the Biržai area. At the end of 1990, his son Rimantas Čygas and relatives Petras and Sigitas Kalkiai founded the Rinkuškiai company.
At the beginning of 1991, the first Rinkuškiai beer was brewed according to Jonas Čygas's authentic recipe in his old wooden tubs; those tubs are now museum exhibits. The brand name comes from Rinkuškiai village, once part of the Radziwiłł estate.
Beer museum and Alaus kelias
The brewery complex includes what is described as Lithuania's only beer museum. In a recreated old brewer's barn, original Čygas-family brewing equipment and wooden tubs are displayed, while programme hosts demonstrate traditional brewing and serve fresh beer.
The Alaus kelias restaurant operates next door, with several halls and terraces and beer-themed dishes. Visitors can choose excursions and tastings of different lengths, from a short overview to multi-hour programmes with tasting and food.
Biržai beer tradition
The brewery belongs to a living regional tradition. In 2022 the home-brewing tradition of the Biržai and Kupiškis areas was entered in Lithuania's Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage Values. That recognition applies to the regional tradition, not to one company alone.
According to VLE, home beer has long been made in Lithuania, and in the Biržai and Pasvalys area it is brewed mainly from barley malt, hops, and water. This malt beer preserved traditional features longest in this region, so a beer trip to Biržai is also an introduction to living heritage.
Visiting
Excursions and tastings must be booked in advance. During research, programmes cost roughly from 7 EUR for a short overview tour to 39 EUR for a long tasting programme with food; the restaurant and shop follow separate schedules. Check exact prices and opening hours on the official page.
The visit combines easily with other Biržai-area sites: Biržai Castle and Sėla Museum, Lake Širvėna, and the karst sinkholes. Advance arrangement is especially important for groups.
