The craft scene in Estonia seems to have exploded out of nowhere. It must be only a year ago that I was reading about the homebrew scene there, and the first brew from Põhjala. Since then, over a dozen microbreweries have popped up, and they’re not afraid of experimentation. Estonia (specifically Tartu) played a role in the history of imperial stout, so maybe it’s no surprise to see a variety of stouts being produced (including a very minty mint stout); there’s also pale and red ales, weizens, and so on. Continue reading Estonia: a Baltic Beer Boom
Month: February 2015
Govt Approves Small Brewery Tax Relief Measures
Good news from the Finnish parliament today, as the bill to allow small breweries to claim greater tax relief was passed.
Knock Knock
We already heard that a new “American-style” beer bar is set to open next month, at the site of The Stage on Iso Roba. A little more was revealed today about the newcomer, the third new beer-focused bar to open in Helsinki in as many months.
Trends for 2015!
Sour Grapes
I got a little surprise when I saw this month’s Ruoka & Viini magazine. Right there on the front cover, sandwiched between ice-cream soda and kefir, was hapanolut–sour beer–picked as a coming dining trend for this year. Continue reading Trends for 2015!
Enter the Lizard
Walking into Oljenkorsi last night, it was immediately obvious that something was Going On. All the staff were decked out in matching t-shirts, and the latest thing to come out of the wellspring of innovation in Espoo was already on tap: Fat Lizard‘s 101 California Pale Ale. Is that a good metaphor? Would a lizard come out of a spring? Who knows..
Before long, a van pulled up outside and sent forth a bunch of energetic-looking people, who carried with them some not-so-typical accessories. A frying pan. Bunch of coriander. Ok, cool, we might get some snacks. Is that a worm farm? Yes. Yes it is. Continue reading Enter the Lizard
Craft Beer on *ihan* Nyt
There was a pretty nice article in last Friday’s Nyt about the beer scene here. Using the opening of a couple of new craft-focused bars as a hook, it dug into the history of beer and brewing in Finland and came up with a few interesting things. Continue reading Craft Beer on *ihan* Nyt