The Ariana Brewery is a defunct company, founded in 1884 in Sofia, Bulgaria under the name Sofia Brewery, changing to Ariana in 1996.
The brewery was bought by Heineken International in 1997, and closed down in 2004, with production of its main brands, Ariana and Stolichno , transferred to the Zagorka Brewery. [1]
Founded by the Czech Proshek brothers in 1884, the Sofia brewery began producing Proshekovo Pivo using Czech brewing practices, leading the beer to be awarded a gold medal at Antwerp in 1891. (Before establishing themselves in central Sofia, the brothers had originally rented a smaller brewery in the nearby village of Knyazhevo .) [2]
In 1947, the brewery was nationalized by the communist regime and renamed Vitosha, and the beer was eventually renamed Sofiisko Pivo. A second factory was built in the nearby village of Gorublyane, and in 1978 the brewery in central Sofia was closed. The company changed its name to Ariana brewery in 1996.
In 1997, Ariana was bought out by Heineken, and in 2004 production was moved to the Zagorka brewery. Ariana accounts for 50% of total sales of Zagorka AD.
The brewery shares its name with the nearby Lake Ariana.
Heineken N.V. is a Dutch multinational brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. As of 2017, Heineken owns over 165 breweries in more than 70 countries. It produces 250 international, regional, local and speciality beers and ciders and employs approximately 73,000 people.
Beer is a popular beverage in Serbia.
Kamenitza is one of the top-selling Bulgarian beer companies, alongside Heineken and Astika based in the city of Haskovo. It was established in 1881 and is currently owned by the multinational Molson Coors. The brewery has a wide variety of lager and dark beers. Its slogan is "Mazhete znayat zashto" which translates to "Men know why."
Zagorka is a Bulgarian beer brand from the city of Stara Zagora. It is brewed at the Zagorka Brewery.
Beer has a long history in what is now the Czech Republic, with brewing taking place in Břevnov Monastery in 993. The city of Brno had the right to brew beer from the 12th century while Plzeň and České Budějovice, had breweries in the 13th century.
Bolyarka is a Bulgarian beer brand from the city of Veliko Tarnovo. The company was founded in 1892 by the HadjiSlavchevi brothers, five years after the first brewery in Tarnovo was founded in 1887 by the German Artur Wilser. During the latter part of the 20th century the beer was called simply Velikotarnovsko pivo, renamed Bolyarka in 2000, in honour of the city's history as the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire and home of the bolyars.
Birra Moretti is an Italian brewing company, founded in Udine in 1859 by Luigi Moretti. In 1996 the company was acquired by Heineken N.V.. The brewing plant in Udine was sold to the newly formed Birra Castello S.p.A.; Moretti is now a brand of Heineken.
Amstel Brewery is a Dutch brewery founded in 1870 on the Mauritskade in Amsterdam. It was taken over by Heineken International in 1968, and the brewing plant closed down in 1982, with production moving to the main Heineken plant at Zoeterwoude.
Stolichno is a Bulgarian bock beer produced by the Zagorka Brewery since 2004.
Novi Sad Brewery is a brewery in Serbia owned by Heineken Srbija. It started production in 2003 and is the youngest brewery operating in the country.
Trebjesa Brewery is the largest brewery in Montenegro. It is based in Nikšić, and is owned by Molson Coors. It produces a small range of pale lagers under the "Nik" brand name.
Velkopopovický Kozel is a Czech lager produced since 1874. The brewery was founded by František Ringhoffer in Velké Popovice, a town 25 km (15 mi) southeast of Prague. Their symbol is a goat. The company was bought by SABMiller in 2002 and sold to Asahi Breweries in 2016.
The modern history of beer in Bulgaria dates back to the 19th century, when it was introduced to the country by foreigners shortly before the Liberation of Bulgaria. Until then, beer was practically unknown in what used to be a mainly rakia and wine-drinking country. Today, Bulgaria ranks 15th by beer consumption per capita, with 73 litres a year.
Heineken N.V. is a Dutch brewer which owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly pale lager, though some other beer styles are produced. As of 2006, Heineken owns over 125 breweries in more than 70 countries and employs approximately 57,557 people.
Pivovar Samson a.s., formerly known as Bürgerliches Brauhaus Budweis is a brewery founded by mostly German-speaking burghers of the city of České Budějovice in the Kingdom of Bohemia, Holy Roman Empire in 1795. Its beer was known as Budweiser Bier or Budweiser Bürgerbräu since 1802 and as trademark officially since 1899. In 1894, the official company name was "Die Budweiser Bräuberechtigten - Bürgerliches Bräuhaus-Gegründet 1795 - Budweis".
Ariana is a Bulgarian beer brand, produced by the Zagorka Brewery since 2004. The company was established in 1884, and for most of its history brewed at the Ariana Brewery in central Sofia. It was bought by Heineken in 1997 and currently has four brands – Ariana Light, Ariana Dark and two citrus-flavoured brands available only in summer – Ariana Radler lemon and grapefruit.
In 2008 beer production in Belarus fell by 0.4% to 3.53 mln hl.
Starobrno Brewery is a Czech brewery located in the city of Brno. It was built as a successor of the brewery founded in 1325, as a part of Cistercian convent. The brewery was named Starobrno Brewery only in the second half of the 19th century. In 2009, Starobrno Brewery produced more than one million hectoliters of beer. The same year, the brewery merged with the Royal Brewery of Krušovice and became a part of the Dutch brewing company Heineken.
Beer in Slovakia has been produced and consumed at least since the 15th century. Together with the neighbouring Czech Republic, with whom it has a shared and intertwined history, Slovakia has a number of breweries and a rich beer culture.
Union Brewery is one of the largest breweries in Slovenia. It was formed in 1864 in Ljubljana and became part of Heineken International in 2015. Since 1987 it also includes a museum of beer.