Breweries

Major breweries are a relatively new phenomenon in Finland. Common households produced their own beer. Manors and castles paid part of the wages in beer and had in-house breweries for the purpose. In towns there were small cooperative breweries. This system was in place from the Middle Ages till the Early Modern period.

In the 18th century, portions of Eastern Finland belonged to the Russian Empire (so-called “Old Finland”). The first industrial breweries of Finland were established in that region. Industrial-scale brewing became more common in the 19th century.

Factory brewing brought changes in terminology. “Olut” (beer) began to refer to commercially produced beverages, while “kalja” (small beer) came to mean homemade brew. The term pilsner, originally referring to Czech-style bottom-fermented beer, took on a new meaning in Finnish—a mild, low-alcohol (around 2%) drink.

Caption: The first brewery in Loimaa operated at the Aittamäki manor in Onkijoki from 1858 to 1909. The photo shows buildings of Aittamäki c. 1932.
Photo: Finnish Heritage Agency, Ethnographic Image Collection.