Kaunas, 2001. Jonas Miežys, a native of Vilnius, begins his second year of informatics studies at Kaunas University of Technology. Laurynas Lisauskas, back from San Francisco with his head filled with fresh house rhythms, joins forces with Šarūnas Karalius, who has already explored the London night scene, to organise parties that will go down in history over the next decade.
(This text was published in the August 2026 issue of the magazine “Kaunas Full of Culture”, titled “Refresh”)
History does not record whether Jonas and Laurynas ever met in those disco whirlpools. But today, they are both writing history – not of nightlife, but of drinks. “Genys” (The Woodpecker), started by Laurynas and adopted by Jonas, is already ten years old, and from now on, the brewery counts… 180 years of history. Sounds confusing? That is exactly why this article exists.
From Dancing To Microbrewery
Having already been a co-owner of the dance bar “Pop Star Bar” and perhaps the first specialised whisky bar in Lithuania, Laurynas had jetted off to his beloved California for the umpteenth time to clear his head. On that occasion, he returned not with music, but with impressions left by craft drinks. In Kaunas Old Town, on M. Daukšos Street – a place remembered for much rightful hustle and bustle – he opened a gastrobar, which he named simply “Genys”.
He called upon Jonas, by then a homebrewer, to curate what flowed from the bar’s taps – he wanted that lingering taste of California, which can be visualised through tattoos on forearms, plaid shirts, knitted fisherman hats, and curled moustaches. Hipsters were still a rarity back then, so you couldn’t find their favourite drinks from interesting countries everywhere. “Genys” was one of the first.
Laurynas and Jonas quickly found a common language – though Jonas had to be convinced that the bar truly needed its own beer and that it could be brewed within the bar itself. As becomes clear during our conversation, Laurynas always arrives with a vision, while Jonas retorts: “Forget it, it won’t work.” Why bother with innovations? Let’s continue with what we do best. It is precisely because of many such dialogues that we are now chatting while holding glasses of… sparkling tea, which Jonas swore he would never brew (“Brew that kombucha of yours yourselves”). Now, he admits with a smile that he dearly loves his craft as a creator of drinks and that, despite his conservatism, it is interesting to improve. And innovation is the middle name of Laurynas, an experienced HoReCa (hotel, restaurant, catering) entrepreneur.
So, when a neon sign saying “craft brewery” lit up in Laurynas’s mind, the bar in the Old Town was handed over to others, renamed “Hop Doc”, and continues to operate to this day – naturally, it serves “Genys” products. Meanwhile, the name of the bird went to the new brewery, which initially had no premises and brewed its partisan batches in… Maišiagala.
Around the same time, more interesting, independent niche drink makers appeared in Lithuania (such as “Dundulis” or “Sakiškės”) – today, all microbreweries have found their identities, quality formulas, and fans. Although in the beginning, anything could happen, and experiments didn’t always succeed. I remember a saying that flew around a decade ago: “The bast shoe fell into the barrel.”
At Home In Šančiai
“There was no specific goal to settle in Šančiai – we were simply looking for a suitable place. I remember bringing Jonas to these premises, where there were puddles of oil and bumpers lying around, and he said: ‘But you understand that there will never be a brewery here’,” Laurynas explains when asked why we are meeting exactly here today, at the beginning of A. Juozapavičiaus Avenue, near the Panemunė Bridge. Nevertheless, we are snacking on treats baked on the same street, which means the men feel good here. As it turns out, we are sitting in what used to be a scrap yard for car parts. Very Kaunas.
Having launched the production line in early 2017, they invited guests to the first “Genys Brewing Co.” event in the autumn of that year. As they said back then, it was without industrial producers and farmhouse ale. The first gathering of tastings, food, music, and like-minded people was called simply “Craft Beer Day”, and eventually, the event – which will likely return for its tenth time this September – became simply “Genys & Friends”. This was how they introduced themselves to the city and the colourful local community, which welcomed the new bird into its nest. Now, in the brewery’s spaces specifically adapted for events, they host not only tastings (in December – almost every day) but even weddings.
Longevity, Anyone?
So, about that sparkling tea… Non-alcoholic drinks today make up a fifth of “Genys Brewing Co.” production. They themselves are very fond of the “Tealure” kombucha discussed in this issue; however, when they decided to sell it in their own bars (more on those later), the company’s capacity was insufficient. In short, another vision from Laurynas, another raised eyebrow from Jonas… And here we are, debating whether yuzu or mango flavour is better suited for this hot afternoon.
Laurynas believes that the non-alcoholic choices of consumers, especially younger ones, are driven by several factors. Firstly – we are living better. And the better we live, the more attention we pay to ourselves, because we want to live well for longer. We take care of ourselves, analyse our schedules, and look for alternatives to hobbies that might be harmful. This leads to non-alcoholic beer, and then to other categories.
Laurynas believes that the advertising of non-alcoholic drinks, pumped out in large quantities, cannot fail to work. Speaking of beer, the non-alcoholic “California Sun”, sold in cans, has already surpassed the sales of its traditional counterpart in the same packaging.
By the way, if you wanted to know how to make the best non-alcoholic beer, Jonas can help you. You will need special yeast that simply… does not produce alcohol. Yes, “Genys Brewing Co.” drinks are not cleaned or filtered in any way; they are made just like traditional ones, but with “healthy” yeast.
180 Years Of History… How?
In the introduction, I mentioned a new chapter in the history of “Genys Brewing Co.” that takes us back to the 19th century. Indeed – in January last year, news spread through the business community that Jonas and Laurynas had bought “Kauno alus”, whose history dates back to 1846. Every Kaunas resident knows the historic buildings of this brewery – they are right in the centre, at the bottom of Savanorių Avenue.
And here it is important to clarify immediately – the recently spread news about the conversion of the historic brewery into a complex of restaurants, bars, public, and business spaces involves other entrepreneurs. It will take several years before the vision of Gintaras Staniulis, one of the owners of “Top Sport”, and Darius Žakaitis, the founder of the company “Techzity” which has already completed several conversions, becomes a reality. And the beer itself? Here we return to the heroes of this article, who are currently busy with a mega-project – the relocation of “Kauno alus” to Šančiai.
“There is no point in hiding it – we are opportunists,” Laurynas comments on the purchase, acquired, naturally, with the help of investors. According to him, there were two options – either “Genys Brewing Co.” takes over the technology and production, or the history of “Kauno alus” comes to an end.
“Others wanted the buildings, and we happened to be in the right place at the right time – when we started, we certainly didn’t have a plan to buy a larger brewery a decade later,” he laughs. Indeed, there is nothing in common, even visually, between the products of “Kauno alus” and “Genys”. Admittedly, the new owners have already slightly updated the labels of the historic beer and introduced a couple of new products, but there will certainly be nothing radically “woodpecker-like” there. For now, they are getting to know the acquisition and its consumer, as well as studying its history.
The Bar As A Calling Card
“Genys Brewing Co.” calls the pandemic its biggest challenge to date – perhaps it seems to the reader that it is long forgotten, but many a HoReCa business has only just finished paying off Covid loans… For microbreweries, whose products are largely intended for bars (rather than shops, as is the case for the big ones), the closure of these establishments was a major blow. The heroes of this article only recently managed to reach a point where these proportions are roughly balanced. Nevertheless, a bar where you can dictate the rules yourself, decide how many taps you will have and what will flow from them (sparkling tea will flow this year too), is both a calling card and, of course, a playground.
Even today in Kaunas, you can visit the “Genys Taproom” near the Soboras – the bar is open daily and has a secret room nicknamed “Shanghai”. Previously, there was also a spot on Vilniaus Street, but businesses are still struggling in the Old Town. In Nida and Palanga, the Kaunas-bred woodpecker is also pecking away. Laurynas and Jonas are not giving up after a couple of unsuccessful attempts in the capital – there will be a new bar there too.
P.S. You must agree, considering the history of “RyRalio”, who will invite everyone to their 25th anniversary party this September, it would be truly strange if Laurynas didn’t have a bar where the main focus is on good music. Coming this year.
