Greetings from Finland! I think it's about time that those of us living in the Nordics get our own thread! Not sure how lively it's going to be, but I hope it encourages those of you in the Nordics to post more. For those new to this... It's inspired by the long-running "What beer are you drinking now?" series. You'll notice that other regional forums have their own thread too. To join: simply grab a beer brewed in the Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), take a picture, and embed it in your post (read this guide for help) with some thoughts. Make sure you drink it too! You're also encouraged to crosspost in today's WBAYDN, New Beer Weekend, and any relevant beer tasting/appreciation threads in Beer Talk or elsewhere. I'll start... Arctic North Lager from Tornion Panimo up in Tornio (Lapland), Finland. According to the label, it's a 5.5%, Mosaic dry-hopped lager brewed with Lapland water, malted barley, oats, hops, and yeast. There's also a little story on the can: ### Once Upon a Time in Tornio There are two kinds of stories—those that begin with once upon a time, and those that begin with once we were. We, in the small arctic border town, brewed arctic north lager for the hoppy beer fans to be enjoyed in the moments when you just hang out and nothing happens. And then always something starts to happen. ### Tonight, that something is this thread. So, what Nordic beer are you drinking now? Kippis!
I get this feeling that I'll be drinking alone (at least in this thread)... Winding down with Kukko Pils from Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas in Laitila. It's a heavily-hopped, full-malt, 4.5% Pilsner brewed with water, malted barley (Pilsner, Caramel Pale), hops (Northern Brewer, Hersbrücker), and yeast. Fruity, floral, spicy, herbal, and a bit raw with some bready and honey malts. Easy drinking, and easy to find in Finland. Kippis!
Hello? Is this thread on? Kukko Lager from Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas in Laitila. It’s a lively, lightly-hopped (grassy, lemony), full-malt (bready), 4.7% lager. Ingredients: water, malted barley (Pilsner), hops (Magnum, Saaz), and yeast. Wish I bought another one, but I've got a couple of other Laitilan beers to drink tonight. Kippis!
Maybe I should rename this thread to: What Nordic beer is Todd drinking now? Next: Kukko Helles from Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas in Laitila, Finland. Finnish: "Pehmeän Maukas Vaalea Lager" or a "Soft Tasty Light Lager." And that's what this 5% Helles is. Soft, creamy, biscuity, herbal, and leafy, with a light honey finish. And damn tasty! Ingredients: water, malted barley (Finnish: Pilsner, Caramel Pale), hops (German: Magnum, Perle), and yeast. I need more of this beer in my life. Kippis!
Hei from Helsinki! Kukko Dry Lager from Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas in Laitlia, Finland. Brewed w/ Pilsner malt, hopped w/ Columbus and Amarillo. Very bright, light, and citrusy w/ a dry, aspirin-like edge and appley finish. 50 cl can; ABV: 4.5%; carbs: 1g; of which sugar: <0,1g; gluten-free Kippis! (PS - This thread is not paid for by Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas.)
My tasting notes on this one: 500 ml can, kindly provided by yngwie for an informal tasting. The ABV was 4.5%. Type pale lager golden colour, moderate head. Fairly sweet aroma, fruit and malts. Standard pilsener flavour, fairly bitter finish, slightly metallic aftertaste. No masterpiece, but I’ve had worse pilseners. And the name is quite amusing in Norwegian!
Good evening from Helsinki, Finland! Now drinking: Pyöveli (“Executioner,” a 9.2% Imperial Stout) from Tuju in Lappeenranta, Finland + a shot of salmari at The Riff. Have an awesome weekend. Kippis!
Hiisi Homunculus Lupus Lovely old-school double IPA. These are hard to find nowadays. Proper bitterenes, grapefruit, pine. Caramelly maltiness.
Omnipollo x the Veil - Triple Amun Smooth and creamy TNEIPA. Very potent, pithy, grapefruity, sweet but gets dryer towards the end. Some hopburn. Really good.
Short answer: Read my ruddy ratings! (Okay, I rate non-Nordic beers too, but many of my ratings are indeed Nordic, and particularly Norwegian ones, as that is the country where I'm born and bred, and I still live here.) In my home county (Rogaland) we have good breweries like Lervig, Salikatt, Rygr, Berentsens and more. The beers from the bigger Nordic industrial breweries may not be very exciting (like in other countries), but they are not miserable either, as the brewers are well trained and know what they are doing.
Well, that's not the point of these WBAYDN threads. They're more causal. Share a pic and some quick thoughts about the beer in hand. Some will also include where, what they're doing, or embed whatever music they're currently listening to as well.
Today I am drinking Danish - Grauballe Munkens Juledrøm (The Monk's Christmas/Yuletide Dream). BB date in 2019, but still very, very good. Called a Tripel, but looks and tastes more like a Dubbel. ABV is 9%. Spicy character, despite no spices being added.
Hjerting Kaane Dubbel (8.5%) from Vadehavsbryggeriet, Denmark. BF date Dec. 2022, but has aged extremely well, and is very drinkable now, if you can get hold of a few bottles. Tastes like a cross breed between a dubbel and a porter.
Drinking Grauballe Enebær Stout, 6.0%, a Danish stout with juniper berries, BF date 10 years ago, stored in fridge, still excellent. Highly recommended, whether fresh or aged.
