No Beer for Sale – kaigerai.lt

No Beer for Sale — The Water’s Been Cut Off

Historical book written by Vytis Ramanauskas and Žygimantas Šalkauskas. It explores Lithuania’s industrial beer culture, cafés, restaurants, and pubs from the nationalization of 1940 through to 1990.

Made: Book design, illustrations, and visual communication assets for the book presentation at the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius.

The book features an extensive collection of visual and archival material, with more than 2,500 illustrations, including historical documents, photographs, beer labels, coasters, branded beer glasses, bottle caps, and other artefacts.

It’s a seriously massive book—weighing around 4 kg, 620 pages.
Publisher: Mirabilis
Year: 2019
Format: 25 × 32.5 × 5 cm, hardcover
Languages: Lithuanian, English, Russian

An open book spread presents the history of beer bottles, with vintage labels, a large green bottle, and a colorful timeline of bottle designs.

An open book shows the article “The Punishment Is Two Weeks Without Beer,” alongside dense text and a historic red-and-yellow beer label.

An open book displays a chapter divider for Biržai, with a playful gold illustration made from repeating grain, wheat, and geometric patterns.

An open book introduces the Biržai beer factory, pairing a bright yellow page with a black-and-white photograph of the brewery building.

An open book spread presents historic brewery material, including a black-and-white photograph, vintage “Aukštaičių Beer” labels, and a row of bottled drinks.

An open book spread displays decorative beer mats, a tall beer glass, historic bottle caps, and a black-and-white photograph from a brewery.

A seated person holds the large black book “No Beer for Sale — The Water’s Been Cut Off,” with a photograph of a historic bar interior on its cover.

Kvass (instead of beer), canned food, and a Soviet-era-inspired shopping bag to carry it all were chosen as part of the book launch concept, setting the mood and taking visitors back to the period explored in the book. Typography and grain illustrations were used consistently across all communication materials, with every visual detail carefully selected to evoke the aesthetics and atmosphere of the era.

A person holds a large book titled “No Beer for Sale — The Water’s Been Cut Off,” featuring a photograph of a historic bar interior on the cover. — Book cover

An open book displays archival photographs, documents, labels, and bottle tags from the “Red Poppy” beer hall in Kaunas. — An open book

A vintage bar interior with round standing tables, patterned brown walls, fluorescent ceiling lights, and a woman behind the counter. — A vintage bar interior

Three stylized grain symbols in black and golden brown, combining long parallel lines with geometric wheat and leaf shapes. — Grain illustration

A darkbottle of rye kvass with a yellow label featuring grain graphics and the text “No Beer for Sale — The Water’s Been Cut Off” and “Rye Kvass, 0.5 L.” — A darkbottle of rye kvass

An amber bottle of rye kvass with a yellow label featuring stylized grain illustrations and the title “No Beer for Sale — The Water’s Been Cut Off.” — An amber bottle of rye kvass

A person carries a red string bag containing a bottle, book, tin, and yellow-and-black promotional items for “No Beer for Sale — The Water’s Been Cut Off.” — Promotional items

A bright yellow invitation card with bold black and gold grain illustrations lies on matching printed envelopes; the large text reads “Invitation.” — Invitation card

A framed yellow poster announces the presentation of the book “No Beer for Sale — The Water’s Been Cut Off,” decorated with bold black grain illustrations. — Poster for book presentation

A yellow poster for the book “No Beer for Sale — The Water’s Been Cut Off” features bold black grain illustrations and announces its presentation at the National Gallery of Art on September 28, 2019. — Poster announces book presentation

Mock-ups of Instagram posts showcase the visual identity of “No Beer for Sale — The Water’s Been Cut Off,” using yellow, gold, and geometric grain illustrations. — Instagram posts

Each chapter opens with a custom illustration inspired by the visual symbols of the featured city or brewery. The illustrations were intentionally designed to be neutral and decorative, functioning almost as ornaments rather than narrative elements. Their purpose is to create a distinctive visual transition between chapters without introducing an additional layer of storytelling or competing with the book’s rich historical content.