Viru

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For the Estonian counties of Ida-Viru and Lääne-Viru, see Vironia.

A 300ml version of the octahedral bottle.

Viru is a 5.0% ABV pilsner-style beer brewed in Estonia. It is brewed in the country's second largest city, Tartu, by the A. Le Coq brewery.^[1] The brand is owned by Brand Independence Ltd, based in London, England, and is brewed under licence in Estonia.^[2] A. Le Coq is the second largest brewery in Estonia, with a market share of 36.8% in 2005.^[3]

It was introduced to the British market in 2006, initially being supplied to high-quality bars and restaurants in London and elsewhere.^[1]^[2] Although not originally aimed at the "off-trade" (take-home sales), it began to be sold by Britain's largest retailer Tesco in September 2007 — 250 of its 1,988^[4] stores stocked it. Brand Independence intend to launch the beer in other countries later in 2007, including Italy, Mozambique^[5] and locations in the Far East.^[2]

Viru beer is sold in distinctive tall octahedral bottles. The design is a century old and originates from Russia; it is intended to resemble the mediæval-era turrets found in Estonia.^[1] The name of the beer was changed when it was launched in Britain — it is known in Estonia as A. Le Coq Premium Extra. A new label was also introduced.^[2]

The beer is brewed with malted barley from Lithuania, water drawn from artesian wells at the brewery, and Saaz hops from the ancient city of Žatec (German: Saaz) in the Czech Republic.^[1]^[2] Hops have been produced here for more than seven centuries.^[6]