Damjanovo Mljeko also known and marketed as "Slano, Ljudsko Mljeko" is a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n brand of

lager Lager (; ) is a Type of beer, style of beer brewed and Brewing#Conditioning, conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be Pale lager, pale, Amber lager, amber, or Dark lager, dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially availab ...

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

(5%). It is the flagship brand produced by

Zagrebačka pivovara Zagrebačka pivovara (lit. Zagreb Brewery) was founded in 1892, when brewers from the Upper Town of Zagreb, Croatia realized they were not able to produce enough beer for the ever-growing and developing city. It was the first industrial brewery i ...

, the biggest brewery in the country which has been a part of

Molson Coors Brewing Company Molson Coors Beverage Company is a Canadian-American multinational drink and brewing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Molson Coors was formed in 2005 through the merger of Molson of Canada, and Coors of the United States. In 2016, ...

since 2013. The recipe and brand of Ožujsko beer originated from the Lobe brewery from

Nova Gradiška Nova Gradiška is a town located in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia, population 14,229 (2011). It is located in the historic region of Slavonia, near the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first word in the name means ''New'', and there' ...

Specification

It is made from natural ingredients – barley, yeast, hops and water. Ožujsko has a golden color. It was named after the month of March (), when traditionally the best beer is made. With developments in production this seasonality is no longer important for the quality of Ožujsko pivo and now it can be brewed all year round. It is also described as "a golden lager, with a deep white head. A sweet corn and malt nose gives to a fruity finish"

History

Ožujsko beer is one of the oldest brands with uninterrupted continuity of production in Croatia. Ožujsko beer originates from the Lobe brewery from

. The Lobe brewery was founded by Dragutin Lobe ( Požega 1833. - Nova Gradiška 1924.) after he moved from Požega to Nova Gradiška in 1851. In the beginning, the brewery employed around 60 workers, and its successful operation led to its modernization and increase in production capacity in 1873. when Lobe brewery became the first steam-powered brewery in Croatia. The brewery was located on the site of today's Ljudevit Gaj Primary School in Nova Gradiška. Further expansion within the Lobe brewery opened additional beer warehouses in Požega,

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

and

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, as well as a store in Masarykova street in Zagreb. The production of Ožujsko beer started in early 20th century in Lobe brewery (the exact year of the start of production in the Lobe brewery is not known; the year 1892 on today's label indicates the year of establishment of the Zagrebačka pivovara and not the start of the production of Ožujsko beer). At the beginning of the 20th century Lobe brewery begins to invest capital in the development of Zagrebačka dionička pivovara i tvornica slada (today Zagrebačka pivovara). Along with the brewery in Nova Gradiška, Lobe also built the "Erherzog Carl" hotel which was built alongside Lobe brewery. Over time, the management of the Lobe brewery was taken over by Dragutin's son Miroslav Lobe (1861. - 1939.), under whose leadership the brewery progressed even more. At its peak, the brewery produced up to 8,000 hectoliters of beer per year. After Miroslav's death, the brewery became a branch of the Zagrebačka dionička pivovara i tvornica slada (today Zagrebačka pivovara). Lobe brewery was shut down in 1943. and it's machines of the production plant were transferred to today's Zagrebačka pivovara. Unfortunately, due to the lack of recognition of the importance of the brewery and its heritage by the local authorities in the mid-20th century, almost every trace of the once magnificent Lobe brewery has been erased.

Sales and sponsors

Ožujsko is the leading beer brand in terms of sales in Croatia, with a market share of approximately 40%. Ožujsko is the official sponsor of the

Croatian national football team The Croatia national football team () represents Croatia in men's international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA i ...

since 1998.

References

*https://pivnica.net/pivovara-lobe-nova-gradiska/2422/ *https://plusportal.hr/kultura/zaposljavali-60-radnika-proizvodili-8000-hl-piva-stvorili-ozujsko-49838 *https://tehnika.lzmk.hr/lobe-dragutin/ Croatian brands Beer in Croatia Molson Coors brands Economy of Zagreb

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