Latvian beer
Latvia has traditionally brewed on a small, farmhouse scale, and the modern craft scene draws on that tradition as well as on new styles. At Hoptimaal you'll find Latvian beer from Ārpus Brewing Co. in the styles sour beer, IPA and Lager & Pilsner, from fruity smoothie sours to hoppy DIPAs.
- In stock now8 beers
- Breweries1
Breweries from Latvia 1
All beers in stock 8
From farmhouse brew to craft scene
Beer has been part of Latvia for centuries. Small-scale brewing has been a fixed part of life there since the Middle Ages, and countless dainas and folk songs have been written about beer. There are indications that Baltic tribes were already brewing beer in the 7th century.
The industrial revolution brought large breweries to the country. After that, the First World War and later the Soviet regime hit hard, with a return to small-scale production as a result. Because of that, Latvia was ahead of many other countries when the current craft wave arrived.
Since the early 2010s, farmhouse and artisanal brewing has been enjoying a revival. There are now around 40 microbreweries. According to Eurostat, Latvian breweries brewed around 85 million litres of beer in 2022, compared with 75 million litres in 2021.
Herbal beer, IPA and sour smoothies
Latvia has two sides. On one side are the commercial lagers from Aldaris (Carlsberg) and Cēsu Alus, which together supply most of the bars, restaurants and supermarkets. On the other side is the older farmhouse and artisanal tradition, with among others the dark lager Tumšais from Valmiermuiža.
Herbal beer is the most distinctive style. Labietis, founded in 2012, works with Latvian and Baltic herbs, such as juniper, heather and meadowsweet, and with native yeast. Brewery Duna from Kuldīga makes lagers, pale ales, rauchbier, sour beers and a Herbal IPA with heather and peppermint.
Brewers' tastes have shifted from light and dark beers to IPAs, DIPAs, smoothie sours and barrel-aged beer. According to Duna brewer Rihards Okmanis, IPA is now probably the most popular style. When Duna started, most people didn't know what a sour beer was. That has changed.
Latvian beer at Hoptimaal
Of the Latvian breweries, we stock Ārpus Brewing Co. You'll find three styles with us: sour beer, IPA and Lager & Pilsner. Highly rated on Untappd are the smoothie sours, such as Arpus Orange X Mango X Apricot X Vanilla Smoothie Sour Ale and Arpus Blueberry X Grape X Blackberry X Plum X Pineapple Smoothie Sour Ale, and Arpus Mango X Pineapple Gose.
Hop lovers should look at Arpus TDH Motueka X Riwaka X Citra DIPA and Arpus TDH Strata X Taiheke IPA. If you want sour without alcohol, there's Arpus Non-Alcoholic Mango X Pineapple Smoothie Sour Ale.
Every brewery we sell has its own page, with all of that brewery's beers in one list.
Frequently asked questions
What is typical Latvian beer?
There is no single fixed style: according to brewer Rihards Okmanis of Duna, you'll find every style in Latvia. Typically Latvian is mainly herbal beer, alongside dark lagers. IPA is probably the most popular style these days.
Which Latvian breweries are well known?
Big names are Aldaris (Carlsberg) and Cēsu Alus. Among the craft breweries, Labietis, Duna, Valmiermuiža, Tērvetes and Alus Rūme Trofeja stand out. At Hoptimaal you'll find Ārpus Brewing Co.
What is Latvian herbal beer?
It is beer brewed with local herbs and plants instead of just hops. Labietis, for example, uses juniper, heather and meadowsweet in its herbal ales.
Beer from other countries
- Dutch beer 175
- American beer 71
- Belgian beer 68
- Canadian beer 54
- German beer 37
- English beer 37
- Spanish beer 21
- Romanian beer 17
- French beer 16
- Swedish beer 15
- Norwegian beer 14
- Estonian beer 17
- Polish beer 11
- Irish beer 8
- Finnish beer 9
- Hungarian beer 8
- Croatian beer 8
- Danish beer 8
- Portuguese beer 4
- Welsh beer 5
- Scottish beer 4
- Brazilian beer 4
- Ukrainian beer 2
- Greek beer 3
- Slovenian beer 3
- Czech beer 3
