Beer (Estonian: Õlu) has been brewed in Estonia for over a thousand years. The first written reference to beer in what is now Estonia dates to 1284. In Estonian, beers are often described as hele (pale) or tume (dark).

The Estonian beer market is dominated by Saku and A. Le Coq, who in 2022 together possessed over 90 percent of market share. Saku was founded in 1820 in the town of Saku near Tallinn and is owned by Carlsberg Group. Tartu's A. Le Coq was founded in 1807 and is currently owned by the Finnish company Olvi. Saku is traditionally more popular in north and west Estonia, while A. Le Coq has its heartland in the south and east.

A. Le Coq states that it is the biggest drinks manufacturer in Estonia, while Saku states that its Saku Originaal is Estonia's most popular beer brand. Both produce non-alcoholic drinks as well as beer and mixed drinks.

Both Saku and A. Le Coq operate brewery museums at their respective breweries.

Estonia's third-largest brewery is located in Haljala in Lääne-Viru County. It housed Viru Brewery until 2020 and is now the main production site of Finland's Pyynikin Brewing Company.

The Estonian Breweries Association (Eesti Õlletootjate Liit) represents the interests of the two largest breweries. The Association successfully lobbied the Estonian government into reversing rises in alcohol excise duty in 2019. This had led to a reduction in cross-border beer sales to Finland, and an increase of sales in Latvia to Estonians.

In 2025 Saku Brewery stated that sales of non-alcoholic beer had increased threefold since 2017. The company's product range included 16 non-alcoholic beers, the most popular of which was Saku Rock Zero.

The production of once popular former Soviet Žiguli (Zhigulevskoye) beer was discontinued in Estonia by the end of 20th century.