Category: News & Events

Want to drink Irish on St. Patrick’s Day?

Today is the Irish national holiday, which for some reason or other is inextricably linked with alcohol consumption. So as not to disturb the stereotype, I thought I’d give a quick run-down of the options available here for anyone who wants a genuine Irish beer experience–no green beer here! Continue reading Want to drink Irish on St. Patrick’s Day?

Estonia: a Baltic Beer Boom

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

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.

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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

Shock as Sensible Comment heard from Finnish Parliament

In a rare departure from the norm, a member of the Finnish parliament has come out in support of not only small breweries, but beer culture in general. Continue reading Shock as Sensible Comment heard from Finnish Parliament

A Note on Conviviality

Prologue

I have only been in The Gallows Bird once before; me and a drinking buddy decided to go west instead of east for our semi-regular beer/cycle trip. It was August, it was mid-afternoon, and the place was pretty quiet. We had a couple of halves of something decent, served by a perhaps slightly gruff barman (not that there’s anything wrong with that), before saddling up and, if I recall correctly, stopping by Viisi Penniä and Janoinen Lohi on our way home. Good exercise..

For a place on the edge of a dual carriageway, sandwiched between a fire station and a couple of burger joints, Gallows Bird seemed relatively impressive. Still, I came away without any particular desire to hurry back. Continue reading A Note on Conviviality