This article is about the main brands of beer produced and served in Romania, also revolving around the history of this beverage on the territory of the Romanian lands, since at least the times of the Romanian Old Kingdom (specifically during the late modern period) to contemporary times. The hereby article also focuses on the local breweries and craft beers. Overview A national association of beer with mititei came into existence during the 1877 Independence War of Romania and after that it saw a spread of beer pubs throughout the Romanian Kingdom. The beer pubs (berării) became a place of social and business meetings for the Romanian urban middle-class. Currently, Romanians are amongst the heaviest beer drinkers in the world, with an annual consumption of over per capita in 2007. Romanian law considers beer and wine to be foodstuffs and therefore they are not subject to the usual tariffs and restrictions imposed upon alcoholic beverages. The word "beer" in Romanian (bere) is derived from German Bier (itself an early loan from Latin biber), but there is also an obsolete regional word "olovină", of Nordic origin (ole; ) and related to ale. Brands Some of the most commercially consumed Romanian beers are: Ursus (Latin for "bear"), Timișoreana (named after the city of Timișoara), Stejar (Romanian for "oak") – all owned by Asahi, Bergenbier – owned by Molson Coors, Ciuc (named after Miercurea Ciuc) and Silva (Latin for "forest") – owned by Heineken. Silva and Ursus have also a dark lager variety. Some international brands are brewed locally, being very popular but sometimes more expensive than the traditional ones: Heineken, Carlsberg, Stella Artois, Beck's, Tuborg, Holsten, Peroni, Staropramen, and Skol. Also, there are a large number of beers usually sold in 2-liter PET bottles and targeting the low-end market. Examples are: Ciucaș, Golden Brau, Bürger, Neumarkt, Bucegi, Gambrinus, Azuga, Noroc, Albacher. Breweries The largest brewing companies in Romania are Ursus Breweries, owned by Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd., which has three breweries, in Brașov, Buzău, and Timișoara, and Heineken Romania (previously called Brau Union Romania), which also has four breweries, in Constanța, Craiova, Miercurea Ciuc, and Târgu Mureș. Other major companies are Bergenbier, owned by Molson Coors, which has facilities in Blaj and Ploiești, and Tuborg Romania (officially called United Romanian Breweries), part of the Carlsberg Group, which has a brewery in Pantelimon. Other national companies are European Drinks, which owns a brewery