Pirula makes wines, ciders, beers and distilled non-alcoholic beverages. We arrange tasting events and tours on request.
Located amid traditional countryside in Pelmaa in Yllistaro on the banks of the Kyrönjoki, Pirula is easy to reach from the Senäjoki-Vaasa road. The area consists of several historical buildings that house production facilities, a shop, a bar and the main building, which has meeting, sauna, event and accommodation facilities available for rent. A professional-standard kitchen is also available for use.
This is the story of Pirula.
In the late 19th century, Ylistaro’s first brewery was built on the river bank, opposite the local church. Not everyone was happy about this. The temperance movement was vocal in its opposition: this was not the right place for a brewery. They dubbed the plant Pirula (Devil’s Place).
Despite the best efforts of the temperance movement, the new venture proved to be a success. It produced tens of thousands of litres of alcohol, despite being set on fire on one occasion. No one confessed to the crime but everyone had their suspicions. Despite the setback, the factory flourished.
Even the then vicar visited Pirula on his last journey. Not that such a visit was his last wish but the horse that pulled his coffin decided to walk along the route it was used to taking. The brewery’s products were in high demand among the locals.
The inns in the area served its beverages to travellers until this was prohibited, to the great joy of the temperance movement. When the two brewery owners shuffled off this mortal coil in the early 1900s, the brewery was passed on to their widows. The temperance movement realised that their moment had come and bought the factory, with a view to closing it.
Once the last of the beverages had been carried out of the building and payments had been made, the association shut down the factory. Pirula was left to wait for its new coming.
The temperance movement’s victory lasted for a century, but Pirula’s spirit was never completely crushed. In 2017, Pirula finally came back to life when brewing operations restarted in the village of Pouttula in Ylistaro. High-quality beverages are now made in the same location with the same Ostrobothnian attitude as they were a century ago.
