Parties in the brewery

Valmiermuiža is on the northern border of the city of Valmiera.  Aristocratic estates were established there during the 15th and 16th centuries, and all of them had breweries and saloons.  Valmiermuiža had a Castle Saloon where beer was brewed and sold.  Latvians were allowed to brew beer for home consumption, and that kept traditional brewing techniques alive in Latvia.

Valmiermuiža continues to brew live and natural beer to continue the old traditions of the estate and to honour the ancient history of beer brewing in Latvia.  Visitors can examine a series of brewery tools which supplement the stories, allowing people to compare brewing techniques from the past and the present.  The visit would be unimaginable without a fancy and informational tasting of beer.

Owner Aigars Ruņģis was born and raised in Valmiera, and he has deep roots in the region.  That was one reason why he decided to open up a brewery at Valmiermuiža, which has a powerful and ancient history and a successful spirit of entrepreneurship.  Since 2009, the staff at the brewery has expanded substantially.  Each day, employees produce beer and other refreshments.  They greet every guest who turns up at the Valmiermuiža beer kitchen or retail facility with true sincerity and hospitality.  The staff are also happy to talk about beer and to offer tastings.

PROGRAMME:

• Arrival to meet one of the hospitable story tellers at Valmiermuiža;
• A story of the history and rebirth of the estate;
• Information about the components of beer in an ancient granary, discovering similarities and differences in preparing and using them today and in the past;
• The first tastes of beer and information about how to enjoy it;
• An examination of ancient brewing tools and of their use so as to learn more about modern brewing processes; a chance to use a hand-operate mill to crumble malt grains;
• Further tastings with stories about the world of beer and the discovery of new flavours.

The brewery welcomes visitors to experience how their excellent beer is brewed from a combination of Valmiermuiža well water, delicious malts, heritage hops and natural yeast. An integral part of any visit is discovering and sampling the wide range of brews and listening to stories about the traditional Latvian holiday drink. Valmiermuiža Brewery has also revived its historical and cultural centre and organises traditional celebrations and farmers markets. The brewery’s pub serves traditional seasonal Latvian foods such as fish from nearby Lake Burtnieks, and green pea mash with loganberries. The house speciality is sliced pork marinated in unfiltered winter beer. Tour and beer sampling duration: 1.5–2 hours.