Author: brewnardo

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Craft Beer Garden Festival 2019

Spent last Saturday evening at the final day of the sophomore round of Craft Beer Garden Festival.

The grounds had been significantly expanded from last year, now the nearest hall was in full use, as only a fraction of the brewery stands were in the eponymous garden.

Craft Beer Garden Festival
Craft Beer Garden Festival

The glasses (and portions) were pleasantly small, 10cl for the visiting breweries, 15cl for the domestics. The payments were easily dealt with using tokens, and no monetary transactions took place.

The beer selection was varied, with most of the stands offering between two and four taps. Concentrated on the favourite genres: IPAs and imperial stouts. Neither category disappointed, but neither featured absolute gems either. The best of the sample was Whiplash’s Let It Happen – a single-hopped DIPA that carried its very juicy load on a robustly multi-malted body.

In addition to the beers, opted for Coolhead’s first cider and the strongest mead encountered thus far, both barrel-aged, both far deeper-tasting than presumed.

Unfortunately Barrier Brewing, one of the American visitors, had experienced difficulties, as their kegs had exploded after transit. But there was easily enough replacements to the missed experiences.

FI: Onnistuneet puutarhakekkerit. Tänä vuonna paljon vähemmän omenoita Korjaamon puissa.

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STHLM, day 3

My pre-trip trial order at Systembolaget (done in the user-friendly website) pinged its readiness, and I walked down to PK-Huset’s shop to pick it up. The process was smooth, and easily conducted in english: announced my intention to a random employee who directed me to a very blatantly marked “order pickups”-location, had to flag down a second employee to get my three beers, but all in all this took less than two minutes and the result was tangible: three otherwise unavailable domestic imperial stouts in my paws.

Små partier
Små partier

So the trial was a rousing success, and I definitely look forward to trawling deep into the selection in the future.

The trawling is necessary, as the små partier selection available in the shop was not that wide, but had nonetheless quite a few interesting offerings. Sadly most of the bombers were of the sour kind. Purchased the mopst prominent non-sour: a previously un-encountered Sierra Nevada brew. But the smaller wares included enough barley wines and imperial stouts to fill up the suitcase nicely.

All in all a very pleasant trip to cap off the summer vacation – easy flights, easy transport and easy hotel made this about stress-free as things can be.

FI: Oikein onnistunut lomanlopetusreissu Tukholmaan. Ja nyt on Systembolageting tilausvalikoimakin korkattu.

Old Stockholm tram
Old Stockholm tram
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STHLM, day 2

Stockholm - Kungsholmen
Stockholm – Kungsholmen

The second day in Stockholm was rather less beer-influenced than the first.

Took a long shopping detour in Gamla Stan to the almighty Science Fiction Bokhandeln. The selection is awesome, this is how spontaneous purchases are achieved, not by creating massive piles of top sellers as the domestic book stores seem to be playing the game.

Pizza menu at Omnipollo's Hatt
Pizza menu

After a massive breakfast served by the Radisson guys, had no lunch, only dinner at Omnipollo’s Hatt. The pizza selection was great (ranging from truly conventional to “casus belli for Italians”), and the beer list as well. On account of the smallish bar being crowded we sat at the bar. Which was a great place to sit, since it allowed us to chat with the bartender during slower times – we learned of the existence of the “secret third drawer” where unadvertised beers were available. Sampled a few, ranging from a chili-packed imperial stout to the new Empress of the Rubæus Throne (i.e. the greatest raspberry beer known to man) via liquified rocky road ice cream.

Had spotted from the Systembolaget website that the Folkungagatan store had new Fjäderholmarnas Bryggeri brews available. Quite liked the initial batch back in 2017, and picked up the recent arrivals (imperial stout and barley wine).

Fotografiska logo
Fotografiska logo

The walk from Södermalm to Fotografiska museet on Slussen was much longer than presumed (big intervening sheer cliffs tend to have that effect), but the museum is worth a visit. The exhibitions ranged from seriously disturbing to characteristic celebrity snapshots. The upstaits restaurant was booked solid for the rest of the week, but the cafeteria offered a splendid view on the bay below. Had no inclination to try the new waste-bread beer, mineral water hit the spot far more sweetly.

Stockholm bay at sunset
Stockholm bay at sunset

FI: Omnipollon Hattu tarjosi taas oivaa pizzaa, ja parasta hedelmäolutta toistaiseksi.

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STHLM, day 1

Spent three days in no longer so summery Stockholm last week.

Flew in on Wednesday morning, and departed early Friday afternoon. Moved the lodgings slightly – from Radisson Viking to Waterfront. Still conveniently close to Arlanda Express, but a definitely less weary hotel.

Perch @ Lisa Elmqvist
Perch @ Lisa Elmqvist

As per tradition, the first port of call was Lisa Elmqvist at Östermalmhallen. The seafood was plain exquisite, and the beer menu same as every year – short, but not at all without merit. St Erik’s IPA was an appropriately fruity accompaniment to a magnificent plate of perch fillets. Took a slight detour at the nearest Systembolaget, and picked up a couple of mainly domestic cans. Ad Libris offered plenty of reasonably priced recent books (including a stealthily published new Jo Nesbø novel), and thus muled a stack of hardbacks back to the hotel.

Nya Carnegiebrygget building
Nya Carnegiebrygget building
List of tanks at Nya Carnegiebrygget
Tanks at Nya Carnegie

After acquiring access to the room at the hotel there was not much time before the next leg: a tour at the Nya Carnegiebryggeriet. The trip across the bay on Emelie was pleasantly breezy and quick. The tour was in Swedish, and I must have missed quite a few of the inside jokes – but understood most of the presentation. No surprises (apart from the fact that Carnegie Porter is one of the oldest surviving trademarks in Sweden), brewing is brewing – no matter what the scale is, and at fifteenish tanks the brewery was definitely on the craft side of things. The attached tasting consisted of four very different beers. Kellerbier was immature, straight off a chilling tank. FrIPA and Passion Glow showcased the brewery’s range. The final beer was an unnamed and commercially unlaunched barley wine – easily the best in show: awash in brown sugar, plums and malts, this was a very worthy beer indeed.

Omnipollos Flora
Omnipollos Flora
Elsa and slushie cap
Elsa and slushie cap

A detour on the way back to the hotel took us to Omnipollo’s popup reastaurant in Humlegården. Omnipollos Flora served beer, soft ice cream and food. Opted for a good-sized octopus chunk and lobster rolls for a late dinner. The eight taps served mainly Omnipollo’s own, and quite a few of them were new: vanilla french toast version of Aon was expectedly sweet and dark, but Elsa (accompanied with a slushied cap) was a very fine example of a neither too sour, nor too sweet fruit beer.

FI: Tukholman ensimmäisen päivän anti koostui merenelävistä, kävelystä ja shoppailusta.

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Heading to STHLM

Stockholm logo
Stockholm logo


The annual late July Stockholm trip is upon us again.

This time I’ve made preparations on two new fronts:

  • Registered as a “foreign purchaser” at Systembolaget and committed a small order (kind of late, so did not want to over-reach).
  • Checked out what the locals say. Yes, Akkurat is still the top dog.

FI: Kohta kohti Tukholmaa.

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No SOPP 2019

Skipped this year’s Helsinki installment of Suuret oluet, pienet panimot, and accidentally participated in not just one, but two tap takeovers: Cloudwater’s in Pien (very good batch of fresh Yakima Valley hops) and Ritual Lab in Sori (pleasantly multi-genre affair).

FI: Vahinko-osallistuminen kahteen hanaryöstöön oli oivaa tekemistä lauantai-iltana.

Ritual Lab
Ritual Lab
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Fiskars Redux

Spent a lazy hot sunday in Fiskars, after an absence of a couple of years.

The village had changed a tad for the better – on the previous visit the number of vacant shops was noticeably higher.

Unfortunately the number of restaurants remains low. Opted for Kuparipannu for lunch, and the result was the same as the last time: the fishy appetizers were excellent, the main course far from it. And as an insult to injury, the dessert buffet ran out of pannacottas just before I went to claim mine.

Kuura Cider was also down in its selection. Their three mainliners were all at zero, but picked up a couple of ice ciders and limited editions, and got a look inside the factory – so definitely came out ahead.

Fiskarsin Panimo was chugging along as well. Hadn’t really paid much attention to them since their “we’re getting out of pale ales”-statement, but picked up a full set of the farmhouse series, as well as a bomber-sized Floridus. While Flanders Red is nowhere near the top of my genre-list, it’s nonetheless an interesting bottle to crack open in an appropriate company.

FI: Fiskars oli muuttunut edukseen sitten viime näkemän, etenkin Kuuran meininki vakuutti.

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Schlenkerla Urbock

Urbock
Urbock

Schlenkerla’s Urbock is one of my all-time favorite beers.

It traditionally lands in Finland as part of the annual christmas beer selection in Alko, serves beautifully as a ham accompaniment, and one or two bottles end up in the stash, to be consumed during the summer.

Urbock, as the name lets on, is an old-school, archetypal beer – and in this particular case the ecological niche is rauchbier, smoked beer. And Urbock is indeed smoked, very well smoked. It’s not a light dusting of smoke as an add-on flavor – nope, Urbock goes all-in, and apologizes to no-one. In comparison to the more common Märzen from the same brewery, Urbock is a much more powerful beer. And with great power comes great polarization: this is not a beer that you “kinda like”, either you love it or you hate it.

The coloration is dark, and the smoke meets the nose as soon as the bottle is cracked open. The pour is thick, with a pretty dark head – but the mouthfeel does not reflect the totalitarian presence of smoked ham, no perceivable oiliness at all.

The taste needs warmth to be fully appreciated – there’s subtle hints of caramel sweetness and bitterness that surface much better with time as the beer warms up.

Even if I’m firmly in the “love it”-camp, there’s no denying that Urbock is a tad one-dimensional. No matter how pleasant that dimension is. So, 4.5 stars (and a smoky the bear badge as an additional merit).

FI: Savuoluiden kantaisä.

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Visiting Coolhead

Visited Coolhead in Tuusula, and came away slightly disappointed, especially considering how well last year’s World Cup kickoff extravaganza went.

They had run out of Peanut Butter Caramel Crisp (which obviously was something beyond their own control, and should have nipped in on Friday instead).

Coolhead yard
Coolhead yard

They had only vegetarian barbecue (which is a major sin, considering I had quite a hunger for chicken hearts and well-roasted steak).

But came away with almost full 24-box of beers (and a bottle of the brand new peated whiskey sour, so the visit was definitely a victory. And I’m looking forward to the equivalent August outing.

FI: Ei ihan putkeen Tuusulan visiitti tällä kertaa.

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Powered by Pien

Ever since the disappearance of Pien from Iso Omena, there’s been a beer-store shaped void in Espoo.

The arrival of a “Powered by Pien”-shelf in the Lasihytti K-store is a move in the right direction, but a single cabinet is obviously a far cry from a dedicated shop.

Powered by Pien
Powered by Pien

The selection includes Pühaste, Frau Gruber (their first day in Finland), Brekeriet, Whiplash and others.

I’ll be keeping an eye out on how the selection evolves – though as this is not exactly a neighbourhood store, it’ll be a while between reports.

FI: Pien palasi Espooseen.

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Craft Beer Helsinki 2019

Craft Beer Helsinki, now on its fourth year, continued strong.

The breweries were recruited deep and wide, and the food-side of things offered plenty of alternatives.

Craft Beer Helsinki
Craft Beer Helsinki

There was no unifying theme – sours, IPAs and imperial stouts were very much in the vogue.

Omnipollo was (again) the brewery with the longest queues, and while they apparently had run out of the dessert-y excesses, the pale ales (Henosis and Tetraktys) were pleasant new acquaintances.

By far the worst disappointment was Stone’s Enter Night, a limp pilsner that utterly fails to capture what’s good about Metallica. Like the band itself these days, the beer was about maximizing the audience – hence it is an immediately forgettable pilsner that evokes no meaningful positive response beyond “wet” at all.

The best in show-award goes to Coolhead’s Peanut Butter Caramel Crisp, a massively sweet imperial stout that piles on the chocolate and nut flavours.

Other notables:

  • Danish Hustler, my first triple NEIPA – which turned out a lot better with a little bit of warmth (unlike pretty much any other IPA).
  • Liquid Rorschach, the debut from Salama – a very black stout that proves that the Espoo brewing scene keeps on evolving.

Looking forward to 2020.

FI: CBH onnistui taas.

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Best beers of June 2019

The best beer of the months was also the most expensive one (some correlation, definitely no causation): Mikkeller’s Beer Geek Cocoa Shake sampled when the brewery opened a bar in Helsinki. Essentially this is a liquid chocolate cake, and would be awesome as a dessert beer in November – served way-too-chilled on an ever-bright summer evening was not its optimal operating environment.

Beer Geek Cocoa Shake
Beer Geek Cocoa Shake

The domestic winner was Radbrew’s Wasteland Oasis, a well-hopped wheat beer. The hops keep the bananish aromas well in check, and the beer is refreshing and very summery indeed.

FI: Vahva kontrasti – toinen toimii kesällä ja toinen olisi parhaimmillaan muumilaakson marraskuun depistä vastaan taistellessa.

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4 years

This blog is now four years old.

Considering that last year was utterly silent, things can only get better from now on.

4 years
4 years

FI: Neljä vuotta takana. Niistä jopa kolme aktiivisia.

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Sticker Shock at Mikkeller

Mikkeller finally landed in Helsinki. The bar opened after a couple of years worth of searching for an appropriate location. The location is smack in the middle of downtown, a couple of blocks up Kalevankatu from Stockmann. The location used to be a cafe, and is very much on the small side with half a dozen tables and the bar itself.

Mikkeller logo
Mikkeller logo

On the opening night the party spilled into the street, with easily more than 80% of the customers located outside rather than in.

There’s twenty taps, and on the opening night they were all Mikkeller’s own (or Warpigs), no guest taps in sight.

This is not that big of a problem, considering the width of Mikkeller’s portfolio – all corners were covered, from basic pils to imperial stout via the appropriate pale ales and sours along the way.

The price level, on the other hand, is a huge problem. A NEIPA costs 15 euros for a large glass (euphemistically just 0.4 liters), whereas the imperial stouts and double fruited beers hit the bell at close to 30 euros. Considering the prices in comparable bars (Brewdog, Bier Bier), this is easily too high by a half, and I would expect the invisible hand to adjust the pricing soon.

With the Mikkeller now opened, it’s time to speculate on the next arrival. Thornbridge has allegedly been sniffing around the downtown for several years without concrete results.

FI: Mikkeller aukesi. Kovin oli kallista.

Mikkeller Helsinki prices
Mikkeller Helsinki prices
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Back!

So THIS is what an eighteen month break feels like… It’s the gestation period an asian elephant.

Elephant
Elephant

No good reason for taking a break, it just happened.

As did plenty of things meanwhile (which would’ve been blogged about):

  • The law concerning the sale of beer changed for the better. While the increase to 5.5ABV in milkstores brought a significant amount of new brews, the main benefit is the breweries ability to do direct sales.
  • Pien opened a bar and seriously upped the ante in how to import fresh beer.
  • Pien also sadly lost the Espoo location on account of legal complications.
  • The festival circuit continued to expand: Craft Beer Garden was nice, Craft Beer Ullanlinna was awesome. But considering the serious lack of crowds in the latter, it’s no wonder that it was a one-off.
  • Uba ja Humal seemed to have gone downhill since the opening of their taproom, selection was severely limited to mostly Estonian beers.

Considering that Mikkeller opens a bar in Helsinki tomorrow, and Craft Beer Helsinki is just a week away, this is a good time to leap back into the saddle.

FI: Pidin taukoa.