Trebjesa brewery

Lore & Background

Brewing in Montenegro traces its roots to 1896, when Vuko Krivokapić built the Onogošt brewery in Nikšić, endorsed by Prince Nicholas. In 1908, entrepreneurs from Nikšić built another brewery, named Trebjesa, and its first beer was produced in 1911. The factory was burned during the First World War and converted to a prison by occupying Austria-Hungary. After the war, reconstruction was slow, and the brewery resumed operations in 1931. World War II brought further destruction, and after liberation the brewery was nationalized, thoroughly reconstructed and expanded from 1946 to 1956, becoming one of the most recognizable Montenegrin brands.

The regional crisis during the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s affected the company, but it recovered relatively soon after the region stabilized. A majority stake was acquired by Interbrew in 1997 for DM25 million. In mid-October 2009, private equity fund CVC Capital Partners bought all of Anheuser–Busch InBev's holdings in Central Europe for €2.23 billion, renaming the operations StarBev. In 2012, StarBev was acquired by Molson Coors. During the entire period in private ownership, the brewery expanded to import and bottle various international brands alongside its signature Nikšićko brand.

Reader's Guide

Trebjesa Brewery dominates the Montenegrin beer market, covering more than 90% of it, and is increasingly successful in the regional market. Besides the domestic market and Serbia, Nikšićko beer and its variants have significant popularity in Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with some quantities exported to France, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and England. The company produces four lagers under the "Nik" brand: Nikšićko pivo, Nik Gold, Nik Cool, and Nikšićko tamno. Additionally, Beck's, Jelen, and Staropramen beers are bottled at the Trebjesa brewery and sold as domestic beers in Montenegro. Beer for home consumption is mostly sold in 500 ml, 330 ml, and 250 ml glass bottles, 330 ml or 500 ml cans, and since 2004, often in plastic Q-pack bottles of 2 litres, which are cheaper but equal in quality. In bars, beer is served in bottles or as draught beer in various glass sizes. Light beer dominates; dark beer is less common. Prices in the notes: glass bottles around 1.2 euros per 500 ml, plastic 2-litre bottles around 2.6 euros, pub bottles around 1.7 euros per 330 ml, and draught around 2.5 euros for 500 ml.