Category: best of the month

A warmish August was ripe pale ale country, and both the domestic and international representatives proudly wave the flag.

On top, for the second month in a row is an Omnipollo entry, Fata Morgana, a multi-hopped DIPA that brings both citrus fruits and piney resin in its dry taste.

The domestic one is, once again, a Fat Lizard beer, Bikini Top, a not-so-common wheat ale that mixes just the right amount of crispy hops into the wheaty base.

FI: Kalpeat pintahiivaoluet pinnalla tässäkin kuussa.

July was very much an imperial IPA month.

The best beer of July was Omnipollo’s Zodiak, very enjoyable in its natural environment at the brewery’s own bar in Stockholm.

The best domestic beer was United Gypsies Snake Charmer.

FI: Keisarilliselle IPAlle tuplapotti.

The best beer of the month is the random “I need one more bottle to fill my bag”-pickup from Uba ja Humal last week: Õllenaut’s Ootab Armastus is a low-voltage New England IPA – fruitful, sweet and profoundly unfiltered. I so hope this baby gets imported properly, I could mainline this all summer long. And since quite a few of the brewery’s beers are in K-shops, I don’t think that’s a far-fetched thought.

The summer’s been slow to get going, and some evenings have been righteously chilly. Hence a stiff Vuorineuvos aged in Bunnahabhain a cask is my domestic pick. Even though the smokiness (par for the course for an Islay-originating cask) makes the stout a bit one-dimensional, it’s nonetheless a very pleasant warmer-upper.

FI: Uuden englannin IPAa ja Islaylaisen tynnörin savustamaa stouttia, kiitos.

Another double punch entry of my favourite genre in May as well:

Amager’s Berserk Llama Syndrome was a serendipitous purchase at Brewdog. A boldly fruity IPA is exactly what is needed to end up in these articles, it seems. Have to look this up in Uba ja Humal, since they seem to stock a wide variety of Amager’s products. And sadly enough the titular disease is a real condition that affects farmed llamas.

Fat Lizard’s Track Day IPA is a bit lighter and mellower, but still packing a righteous dose of the hops. Tasted it in Lucky Bastard in Iso Omena, their burger was convincingly good and a great companion to the beer.

Rye Hammer continues Brewdog’s strongly hopped hammers-series. It’s drier and less tropical than the original Jack, but does hit like its namesake.

I liked the original Musta Munkki but its 2016 version is even fuller-bodied. The donuts used in the brewing remain absent in the taste.

FI: Ruisvasara osuu napakasti.

It’s pale ale time again, this time GBG Beer Week IPA 2016 and West Coast Session IPA – Special Edition (with Blood Orange Peel) are both tropical IPAs and both boast a limited quality to them. The former brewed for an occasion, the latter available only from one shop (and the brewery’s own bar).

FI: Hedelmäistä ja rajoitettua IPAa maaliskuun kärkikahinoissa.

The IPAs continue their march to victory, with Pühaste’s Mosaiik staking an oddly Viennese-tinted claim on the top position. The austrian bits are restricted to the malts, the hopping is tropical indeed.

In the finnish league Sori’s Sweet Mistress, in which chocolate and salty caramel balance each other out on a roasty baseline.

FI: Yllätyksetön kärkikaksikko: IPA ja imperial stout.

The fanciest packaged beer of the month gets the top honours. The ghostly paper wrapping of Buxton’s Yellow Belly hides a nutty, biscuity imperial stout that contains a hint of salty licorice in its aftertaste.

Domestic winner, Maistila’s Optimisti, is indeed an optimally implemented west coast pale ale with citric/tropical hopping that tickles just the correct tastebuds.

FI: Kummitusolut kärkeen.

The december winners are both fruity IPAs: Grapefruit Dead and Ruisperkele.

FI: Mehukas IPA vei vuoden viimeisen kiertopalkinnon.

November continued the very good beers-trend.

Great Divide’s Hibernation Ale was better than I recalled: dark, roasty and very soothing on a slushily dark November evening.

Malmgård’s Barleywine returned to the shop after a long absence. And my opinion has not changed in the meantime: this amongst the finest domestic beers ever. A complex taste that begins with sugars and malts and oozes into piney bitterness in its finish. When this was featured in the annual craft beers campaign, I stupidly bought only two bottles – this time I’m hoping the beer remains in the permanent selection or that at least the batch is much larger.

FI: Tummaa ja tuhtia – juuri sellaista mitä lumeton marraskuu tarvitsee.

While I’d been reasonably impressed by the few Pühaste beers tasted previously, their Dekadenz hit the proverbial jackpot. It’s an imperial stout whose initial lightly smoky roastiness soon gives way to vanilla, dark rum and even a cigar – and it’s all built on a solid layer of hops. Definitely a beer for the lousiest of November slushes.

Domestically the month wasn’t a raging success, and the mantle of the best beer ends up hoisted onto Janne Ale, a Malmgård exclusive for Sinne in Porvoo. It’s quite far outside reinheitsgebot – with spices and lemon zest added to the mix. But who is counting.

FI: Ei voittajaa virolaiselle rappiolle tässä kuussa.

August ended up being a swell month beer-wise, and several tastings broke the lofty heights of 4.75/5-barrier.

The best is a surprising entry from Õllenaut. As a card-carrying Islay fanboy, the Lagavulinesque peatiness of Turbahunt is indescribably delicious. As with the single malt, the strong taste is certainly not for everybody, but for me the smoky ale just grabbed a very firm hold of the “best beer of 2016”-prize.

Domestically the prize goes to Saimaa’s Joker Hop, a pale ale whose hopping changes between batches.

FI: Muikea virolainen savuolut nousee korkealle kaikkien aikojen suosikit-listallakin.

The best beers of July have already got their raves from the Craft Beer Helsinki festival: Mango Magnifico and Black Bretty.

FI: Epätavalliset oluet ykkösiä heinäkuussa.

There can be only one, and the top dog of June is Dog D. No beer came close to its steamrolling taste: hops, chocolate and chili all in a neat liquid package. I so need to stock up on this (and other dogs, too), would be just perfect to combat the melancholy of sleety November evenings.

The finnish honours go to Hiisi’s Bruxellensis Lupus, a wild yeast take on Humulus Lupus, my Miss October 2015. It’s deeper and sweeter than its older brother, and somehow just oozes stony fruits in its taste.

FI: Kylmä kesäkuu vaati tuhdit maut.