Lithuania ranks sixth in annual beer consumption per capita. Today, most Lithuanian breweries offer standard European lagers. But 500 years ago, Lithuania was Paganism’s last holdout against Christianity. The Pagans had several gods that looked over the production of beer, including: Gambrinum, the god of beer; Ragutis, the god of brewers (and fermentation); and Austeja, the goddess of hops (and all flowers… and bees).
In Vilnius, its capital city, there is a stone near the main square that is a symbol of Ragutis. Vilnius has several brew pubs, plenty of beer bars, and a 12-person bicycle that can take you around the city, while you’re drinking beer. These bicycles are rare in the US, because in order to legally take a beer on a bike, open containers must be allowed.
This place loves their beer. Recently, staff at the Carlsberg Brewery in Lithuania voted to walk out over pay and working conditions, but a Lithuanian court stopped them, declaring the production of beer as “vitally essential”, which put it in the same category as medicine and water.
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