Tartu is the birthplace of Estonian beer industry and has been a beer town for nearly a thousand years. In order to perpetuate the history of industrial brewing, the Beer Museum was opened on July 1, 2003. The Beer Museum is located on the territory of A. Le Coq in a malt tower, built in 1898. The museum is located on six floors and the total number of exhibits amounts to approximately 2000. The exhibition explains brewing traditions worldwide and in Estonia, starting from the ancient Egyptian beer culture until the present times. You can see both, the homebrew making tools and old industrial beer equipment.
Naturally, the museum also includes beer corks, bottles, jars and barrels. The museum exhibits speak of the students’ beer-drinking traditions; we have also displayed the prizes and awards from various global exhibitions. All museum visits are concluded in the museum pub, where the visitors have a chance to taste drinks produced by A. Le Coq. Upon special request, tours can be arranged to the production facilities.
House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.