A craft brewery
What is craft beer?
We brew craft beer in a house that goes back to the 17th century, carrying on centuries of brewing in Trenčín. Here you'll find out what craft really means, what goes into our beer and why the brewery is called Lanius.
- Address
- Mierové námestie 20, 911 01 Trenčín Map and contacts
- House No. 20
- first recorded in 1649
- On tap
- 6 to 10 of our own beers, always changing Beer archive
- Bookings
- +421 904 803 459 Book online
A craft brewery is a small independent brewery. Rather than making one beer in huge volumes, it brews a varied range in smaller batches, and each batch is a chance to try a different malt, hop or yeast.
For us it means a lot of handwork. We brew the beer, bottle it and apply the labels by hand. Our equipment lets us offer 6 to 10 beers at a time, and the line-up keeps changing.
Made by hand
Brewing, bottling and labelling are all done by us, not by an automated line.
Always something new
Over time we bring you all the major beer styles of the world and their variations.
In short
Lanius in numbers
- Trenčín gets the right to brew
- 1380
- first record of our house
- 1649
- of our own beers on tap
- 6 to 10
- beers in our archive
- 108
The world of beer styles
There is more to beer than lager
Czech-style lager, the beer most people here drink, is just one style among many. The names of the styles and what sets them apart are described by an international organisation called the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program). Think of it as a handbook used to classify and judge beer all over the world.
A beer's flavour comes mainly from three things: malt, hops and yeast. Once you know what each one does, it's much easier to pick a beer you'll enjoy.
First recorded in 1649
Why we're called Lanius
The first written record of house no. 20 on Mierové námestie dates from 1649. At that time it belonged to Thomas Lanius, who really did work as a butcher. His surname is Latin for butcher, which is why our logo shows a bull’s head.
Over the years the house was rebuilt, burnt down and restored, yet it kept its original medieval layout. The interior has been carefully renovated and many historic features remain. You can see them up close when you visit.
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Arched Renaissance portal
A Renaissance stone arch that still graces the interior today.
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Renaissance window portal
Richly decorated and found during excavations in the medieval cellar.
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Original stone fireplace
Another piece of history that has stayed right where it belongs.
Beer in Trenčín
Five centuries of Trenčín beer
Beer mattered to Trenčín more than you might think. For a long time it was the town's single biggest source of income.
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1380
The right to brew
King Louis I granted Trenčín the right to brew and sell beer. Beer soon became the town's most important source of income.
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16 Feb 1546
Ferdinand I's charter
Ferdinand I restored the town's exclusive right to brew wheat beer, with the proceeds going towards the upkeep of the town walls. Anyone could brew other kinds of beer.
Charter of Ferdinand I, 16 February 1546 -
1553
A new town brewery
The town built a large brewery that employed up to four brewers. It made mostly wheat beer with barley malt and hops. People from the surrounding area could have beer brewed there for a fee, and townspeople paid less.
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17th century
Beer on rafts
Trenčín beer had a good name well beyond the town and was often shipped by raft as far as the Hungarian lowlands. Grain from the town's farms and hops from its hop gardens weren't enough, so more had to be bought in.
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17th century
Ten times as many breweries
The town leased its brewing rights to burghers for small private breweries. Their number grew from four to ten times as many.
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1708
Fire and a fresh start
The town brewery burnt down but was soon brewing again, this time barley beer, around 25 batches a year. Part of every batch went to town employees, from the mayor and the parish priest down to the forest wardens.
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18th century
Competition from the nobility
The Illésházy family ran one and later two breweries with their own taprooms, which was unlicensed competition for the town's beer.
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1788
A brewery in Humná
A plan survives from this year of a brewery in Humná, the lower part of the town.
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11 Jun 1790
Another fire
The brewery in Trenčín burnt down.
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1872
Kugel and Spitzer
This small brewery, with one brewer, two labourers and a square brewing pan, produced 2,008 buckets of beer. A year later it was 1,548, and the year after just 736.
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1888
A railway to Moravia
The line from Trenčianska Teplá to Moravia made it easier to bring in Moravian beer from Brumov and Jarošov. At the same time, small brewers were being squeezed out by industrial breweries in Ilava and Bytča.
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Late 19th century
Brewing stops
Beer was no longer brewed in Trenčín. The town brewery building, the Bauer House on Vajanského Street, became housing and, after Czechoslovakia was founded, a pub. It was demolished after the Second World War. The Hotel Laugaricio and the Prior department store now stand in that area.
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Today
Beer returns to the square
Beer is being brewed in Trenčín again, in the Lanius house on Mierové námestie.
EU funding
The brewery project received support from European Union funds.
The best way to understand it is to taste it
Come to the house with the Renaissance portals and try whatever's on tap right now. We'll happily keep a table for you.