Brooklyn Brewery partnering on its first Eastern European brewing venture

Brooklyn Brewery continues to grow its global empire along with its partner The Carlsberg Group. After recently announced joint ventures in Hong Kong and London, the dynamic brewing duo is turning to Klaipėda, Lithuania, to collaborate on a brewery.

The new brewery will be installed at the site of Švyturys Brewery, part of the Carlsberg Group, and will see its brewers collaborate with those from Brooklyn Brewery to create a range of small-batch classic and experimental beers.

The new range is scheduled to launch at the end of this year, following completion of the construction of the new Švyturys Brewery building.

“Brooklyn Brewery has become a synonym for high-quality craft beer, and the fact that they are coming to work in Lithuania is evidence of our robust beer market and our passionate consumers,” said Rolandas Viršilas, CEO of Švyturys-Utenos Alus. “We have noticed that our consumers’ habits have been changing. The beer-drinking culture and the level of knowledge about beer is rising, and the demand is growing for diverse flavors and new, versatile beers. The partnership with Brooklyn Brewery will allow us to satisfy this growing demand by offering numerous new, exclusive and experimental beers.”

“This is the first investment by Brooklyn Brewery in Eastern Europe and represents its latest collaboration with the Carlsberg Group. In June, HK YAU — a new beer brand exclusive to Hong Kong was launched, while it was announced last week that Carlsberg UK has acquired London Fields Brewery and will operate the business in a joint venture with Brooklyn Brewery.

Carlsberg and Brooklyn Brewery have also operated the E.C. Dahls brewery in Trondheim, Norway, since 2016 and the New Carnegie Brewery in Stockholm, Sweden, since 2012. The Carlsberg Group also distributes Brooklyn Brewery’s products in many of the markets in which it operates.