A smallish brewery named Mallasjuoma was established in 1912 to a rapidly growing market town Lahti. First products were beers, but in 1920's lemonades and other refreshment drinks expanded the product line. Much, much later ciders and other mild alcoholic drinks came came along. Best remembered products include Erikois (special) lager and lemonades Pommac and Palma. The two first mentioned are still in production.

After a tough start, Mallasjuoma managed to grow to biggest single brewery of Finland. Rationalisations shook also this industry, such that in 1988 the company was bought by another Finnish brewery Ha®twall. Production in Lahti continued as ever, but finally in 2002 the brewery was moved from downtown Lahti to a logistically better location at the outskirts of the city.

The new Lahti brewery is by far the biggest drink production facility in Finland. But the old premises in central city were nothing small either. The area has already been severely stripped of old buildings, and the remaining ones are currently going through renovation. In near future, the brewing quarter will consist of blocks of expensive flats and a few old, preserved industrial buildings. In square meters, this must be the largest unused industrial complex we've visited.