renewed Švyturys Ekstra won the gold medal in the most prestigious international beer competition, the World Beer Cup. In 2012, the dark Švyturys Baltijos won the highest 3-star Superior Taste Award in the iTQi contest. In 2013 Švyturys beers Baltijos, Baltas and Old Port Ale won Superior Taste Awards. It was the third one for Baltijos, so Baltijos were awarded with Crystal start. Social responsibility The sponsorship philosophy of Švyturys is to support the best we have in Lithuania. The Švyturys Brewery is a major sponsor of Lithuanian sports, culture and art. The company pays particular attention to the region of Klaipėda. In 2012, Švyturys-Utenos alus signed an agreement to create the Švyturys Klaipėda Origin Fund. The fund encompasses three types of social programme: sport, culture and communities. For many years, Švyturys beer has sponsored Lithuania's largest city festival, the Klaipėda Sea Festival. The company also sponsors Žuvėdra (a Klaipėda dancesport club), the Neptūnas basketball team, the annual Curonian Lagoon Regatta and the Klaipėda Jazz Festival, and makes contributions to the Meridian support fund. In addition, the brewery continues to support the Švyturio Art Dock and Švyturio Arena. Švyturys initiated the replanting of the area of Smiltynė forest destroyed in a fire, has contributed money to coastal sand dune restoration and sponsored the Tall Ships Races Baltic 2009 regatta of old sailboats. Švyturys was the first Lithuanian beer maker to contribute to promoting harmony between the food and beer: it organises special events and educational sessions on this topic and carries out publishing projects about beer-drinking culture. These are aimed at the general public and those working in the catering sector. Since 2004, Švyturys-Utenos Alus has been a regular sponsor of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee. Basketball receives the largest share of Švyturys-Utenos Alus support. The sponsored teams include the Lithuanian national basketball team, Vilnius Lietuvos Rytas, Klaipėda Neptūnas and Utena Juventus.The company also supports the amateur basketball leagues in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda. In addition, Švyturys-Utenos Alus was the official sponsor of EuroBasket 2011, the European Basketball Championship hosted by Lithuania. Every year, the company initiates the ‘Operos Švyturiai’ (‘Lighthouses of the Opera’) awards for the best opera and ballet soloists. The Brewery Museum In cooperation with the Klaipėda Tourism and Culture Information Centre, the Švyturys Brewery invites visitorsto the brewery's exhibition. Its address is Kulių vartų str. 7, Klaipėda. References External links Official Švyturys website Švyturys Arena Klaipėda