Beer review: Sandels Tumma (4.0% Finland: Olvi)

The Sandels Tumma is a lager, more specifically a dark lager. The beer is named after the famous Field Marshal Johan August Sandels. It's the premium beer brand of Olvi, one of the largest beer producers in Finland. The Sandels Tumma is a dark version of the basic Sandels lager, and it's produced in bulk quantities. Thus, one can't really expect much character from it. Let's try it out nevertheless.

Taste: The Sandels Tumma is a light/medium-bodied beer with a slightly sweet bready malt taste. It's a bit watery and the taste is quite dull - the beer doesn't really offer anything besides the maltiness. The beer finishes with a faint hoppiness, but really nothing to speak of.

Overall, the Sandels Tumma is basically everything you would expect it to be. It's a dark version of the basic Sandels lager. It's quite smooth, but then again it's quite watery and dull. Although the Sandels Tumma manages to do an OK job, there are several better dark lagers available in Finnish supermarkets.

50 Average

Beer review: Little Valley Withens Pale Ale (3.9% England: Little Valley Brewery)

The Little Valley Withens Pale Ale is a pale ale, more specifically a Golden Ale/Blond Ale. It's brewed by the Little Valley Brewery, a small British brewery located in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. The brewery was founded in 2005 and uses 100% organic ingredients.

Taste: The Withens Pale Ale is a medium-bodied beer with a bitter, hop dominant taste. It has a faint malty aroma but mainly focuses on a spicy, citric, grassy and orange hoppy bitterness. The aftertaste of the beer is quite bitter and exceptionally lemony.

Overall, the Withens Pale Ale is an interesting beer. It offers a surprisingly rich hoppy flavor considering that it only has 3.9% alcohol. The taste is also distinctively citric, but in my opinion is slightly too bitter. Overall, it is an OK beer with some character but doesn't really manage to impress.

60 Above average

Beer review: Chimay Dorée (4.8% Belgium: Chimay Brewery)

Chimay Dorée is an ale, more specifically a Belgian style, brewed by Chimay Brewery, a brewery located in the Scourmont Abbey in southern Belgium. It is one of the ten breweries in the world to produce Trappist beer. All of the profits from Chimay products go for the benefit of the monastery and to charity. Considering that it's a monastery brewery, the annual amount of Chimay products being brewed is staggering, 12 million litres reported in 2005. The Chimay Dorée was previously reserved only for the visitors and inhabitants of the monastery, but now it has been released into wider distribution and is also available in the Finnish liquor stores.

Taste: The Chimay Dorée is a medium-bodied beer with a really distinct flavor of several spices and herbs. It starts with a fruity, flowery taste of apple, coriander and orange peel. It then delivers a malted body with surprisingly wheaty feel and finishes with a faint bitterness.

Overall, the Chimay Dorée is a great beer with a distinct taste and great character. It really stands out among Belgian ales and especially among the Chimay selection and is perfect for a warm sunny day. Unfortunately the flowery aromas of the beer remind me of some deodorants and fragrances which ruin the experience slightly, but of course that's not the brewery's fault. Maybe the aromas could've been slightly more potent and it would be interesting to taste a stronger version of the Dorée. In any case, it's really an outstanding beer, quite literally.

82 Great

Cider review: Crowmoor Dry Apple (4.7% Finland: Sinebrychoff)

The Crowmoor Dry Apple is an apple cider manufactured by Sinebrychoff, one of the largest Finnish breweries. Sinebrychoff belongs to the Carlsberg Group, the fourth largest beer manufacturer in the world. The cider promises a strong apple taste with no dominating oak flavor. It's sweetened with sugar.

Taste: The Crowmoor Dry Apple is a light/medium-bodied cider with a sweet, sugary apple taste. It delivers a flavor of sweet apples but fails to do much else. The apple aroma isn't refreshingly natural, although it isn't artificial either.

Overall, The Crowmoor Dry Apple is a decent bulk cider without anything interesting to offer. It tastes like one might expect, but the aroma is not really reminiscent of real apples. It's somewhat refreshing but I've tried many ciders that do much better in that area. I wouldn't really recommend it although it's OK.

50 Average

Beer review: Laitilan Kievari Ameriikan Ale (4.7% Finland: Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas)

The Laitilan Kievari Ameriikan Ale is an ale, more specifically an American Pale Ale. It's brewed by Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas, a medium-sized Finnish brewery mainly focused on soda manufacturing. The company was founded in 1995 and is currently the fourth largest brewery in Finland. The beer is available in Finnish supermarkets.

Taste: The Laitilan Kievari Ameriikan Ale is a medium-bodied beer with a slightly sweet malty body. It starts with a malty flavor and then delivers a strong herbal hoppiness with citric and fruity aromas. The beer finishes with a hoppy citric bitterness.

Overall, The Laitilan Kievari Ameriikan Ale is a great beer. Considering the market-strength of the beer, it succeeds in delivering a strong fruity and citric hoppy taste. It's definitely one of the better choices in Finnish supermarkets, and a positive surprise from such a large brewery.

75 Good

Beer review: Sinebrychoff Porter (7.2% Finland: Sinebrychoff)

The Sinebrychoff Porter is a porter, more specifically a Baltic Porter. It's brewed by Sinebrychoff, a large Finnish brewery which is part of the Carlsberg Group, the 4th largest beer producer in the world. Sinebrychoff was founded in 1819 and they have been brewing porter on and off since the 1860s. Thus, the beer has long traditions and it's an award-winning beer. For example, it was chosen as the best beer in Finland in 2011.

Taste: The Sinebrychoff Porter is a medium/full-bodied beer with a rich roasty malt body. It offers faint aromas of chocolate, coffee and liquorice but mainly focuses on a roasty, smoky malty body and finishes with a long, full taste of burnt malt, faint tar and even ash.

Overall, the Sinebrychoff Porter is an excellent beer from one of the largest breweries in Finland. This shows that the company does have the skill-set required to brew a good beer, but unfortunately most of their beers are produced with a quantity-over-quality mindset. This beer offers a sophisticated aroma-rich flavor and since it's one of the cheapest strong beers available in the Finnish liquor stores, it's one of the best beers in Finland price-quality-wise. The only downside for me is the slightly musty aftertaste which is too burnt and ashy for my taste.

80 Great

Beer review: Perlenbacher Pilsener (4.7% Germany: Brasserie Champigneulles)

The Perlenbacher Pilsener is a pilsner made by the supermarket chain Lidl. It's supposedly brewed by Brasserie Champigneulles, a French brewery which is part of the TCB Beverages group based in Frankfurt Germany. Since it's a product by Lidl, I marked the beer under Germany although it might be brewed in France. It's a bulk lager, but it's one of the more quality beers of Lidl. That's not saying much but let's try it out!

Taste: The Perlenbacher Pilsener is a light-bodied beer with a herbal, light malty body. It finishes with a faint bitter hoppiness.

Overall, the Perlenbacher Pilsener is what you would expect it to be. It's an OK beer and relatively good for its price, but it doesn't offer anything impressive. If you want a cheap bulk beer with quite easy drinkability, this might be your choice. If you're looking for a tasting experience, the Perlenbacher Pilsener doesn't really offer one.

55 Above average

Beer review: Fink Bräu Alkoholiton (0.0% Germany: Lindenbrauerei/Oettinger Brauerei)

The Fink Bräu Alkoholiton/Alkoholfrei is a non-alcoholic beer. It's a non-alcoholic version of the Fink Bräu pils, a product by the supermarket chain Lidl. The manufacturer of the beer is a bit unclear, some sources saying that it's brewed by Lindenbrauerei, a German brewery located in Unna. Other sources say that it's brewed by the Oettinger brewery in Oettingen. In any case, it's a bulk beer and since it contains no alcohol, it's not even a real beer. Thus, I've got no expectations towards it, but let's try it out anyway.

Taste: The Fink Bräu Alkoholiton/Alkoholfrei is a light-bodied, watery "beer". It's reminiscent of a soda and it features a sweet doughy taste of malt and yeast. I guess this is an attempt to add malty flavor to the beer, but in my opinion it has failed miserably.

Overall, The Fink Bräu Alkoholiton/Alkoholfrei is an abysmal "beer". The closest description of it would be soda which has been flavored with bread dough. There really isn't anything positive to say about this product, except the cheap price....However, water is better and free.

5 Abysmal

Beer review: Grillimaisteri Gourmet (4.5% Finland: Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas)

The Grillimaisteri Gourmet is a lager, more specifically a dark lager. It's part of the Grillimaisteri brand, a barbecue brand of the supermarket chain Lidl aimed for the Finnish markets. Supposedly the beer is produced by Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas, a medium-sized company mostly focused on soda manufacturing. It's quite cheap and produced in bulk quantities, so I've got no great expectations towards it. In any case, let's find out what this "barbecue master" is all about.

Taste: The Grillimaisteri Gourmet is a light/medium-bodied beer with a bready malt body. It's a bit watery but delivers a decent roasted malt taste and finishes with a faint hoppy aftertaste.

Overall, the Grillimaisteri Gourmet is an OK, easy-to-drink bulk dark lager. It doesn't offer anything exciting, but it's fine considering the cheap price. There are definitely worse beers available in Finnish supermarkets, although there are also plenty of better ones as well.

60 Above average

Beer review: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier (5.4% Germany: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan)

The Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is a wheat beer, more specifically a Hefeweizen. It's brewed by Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, a German brewery located in Freising. It's arguably the world's oldest brewery, dating all the way to 1040.

Taste: The Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is a medium-bodied beer, with a mature and aroma-rich body. The beer starts with a banana, sweet fruity aroma and then produces a wheaty malt aroma. It finishes with faint hoppiness, sweet and round yeast and fruity aromas.

Overall, The Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is a sophisticated and flavor-rich beer. It delivers all of the typical aromas of a Hefeweizen and can very well be used as a benchmark of what a Hefeweizen should taste like. Without a doubt, it's among the best of its kind. I personally prefer the Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier because in my opinion it's even more refreshing than the Weihenstephaner while delivering the same rich set of aromas... but that's just me, try them both so you get to know which one you prefer!

90 Exceptional

Beer review: Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock (7.7% Germany: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan)

The Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock is a wheat beer, more specifically a Weizenbock. It's brewed by Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, a German brewery located in Freising. It's arguably the world's oldest brewery, dating all the way to 1040.

Taste: The Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock is a medium/full-bodied beer, with a mature and aroma-rich body. The beer starts with a banana, sweet fruity aroma and then produces a wheaty malt aroma. It finishes with medium hoppiness, soft and round yeast aromas and slight bitterness.

Overall, The Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock is a sophisticated and flavor-rich beer. It's the "bigger brother" of the normal Weihenstephaner and this is apparent in every way. It delivers all of the same aromas as the normal version, but in a stronger package. If you want a strong experience go with the Weizenbock but if you prefer a refreshing wheat beer, then go with the original. In any case, they're both well-accomplished wheat beers, and among the best of their kind.

80 Great

Beer review: Nobelaner Kesäolut (4.5% Finland: Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas)

The Nobelaner Kesäolut is a lager, more specifically a Pale Lager. It's a "summer edition" of Nobelaner, a beer brand of the supermarket chain Lidl. It's aimed for the Finnish markets and it's brewed by a Finnish medium-sized company Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas.

Taste: The Nobelaner Kesäolut is a light-bodied beer with a watery, light and slightly sweet malty body. The beer finishes with a faint metallic and citric hoppiness.

Overall, the Nobelaner Kesäolut is an OK beer, but it doesn't impress in any way. It's one of the cheapest beers in Finland so it's OK in that sense, but that's basically the only good thing there is to say about it. For beer connoisseurs, it doesn't really offer anything.

50 Average

Cider review: Nokian Panimo Omenasiideri (4.7% Finland: Nokian Panimo)

The Nokian Panimo Omenasiideri is an apple cider. It's produced by Nokian Panimo, a medium-sized Finnish brewery located in Nokia. They pride themselves in being an honest, independent brewery. The Nokian Panimo Omenasiideri can be found in supermarkets all over Finland, and currently it's one of the only widely available ciders by a medium-sized brewery.

Taste: The Nokian Panimo Omenasiideri is a light/medium-bodied cider with a natural, sweet yet sour body. It tastes like real apples and is quite juice-like. It finishes with moderate dryness.

Overall, The Nokian Panimo Omenasiideri is a really nice cider. Among the ciders available in Finnish supermarkets, it's definitely one of the best. You can really taste the natural ingredients. It's refreshing and natural, just the way a cider should be. The market-strength makes it a bit light but that's the price you have to pay for wider circulation in Finland.

75 Good

Beer review: Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel (4.7% Germany: Weltenburger Klosterbrauerei)

The Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel is a lager, more specifically a dark brown lager (Dunkel). It's brewed by the Weltenburger Klostenbrauerei, a German monastery brewery. The brewery was founded in 1050 and claims to be the oldest monastery brewery in the world (competing with the Weihenstepan abbey brewery). The beer has won several awards, for example the World Beer cup award in 2004, 2008 and 2012 for the best Dunkel beer in the world. Can't wait to try it out!

Taste: The Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel is a medium-bodied beer with a sophisticated, aroma-rich body. It delivers a smoky, roasted and bready and slightly sweet malt body. The flavor is strong, yet very pleasant and smooth. The beer finishes with a faint, yet once again very smooth hoppy bitterness.

Overall, the Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel is the best Dunkel I've ever tasted. It's an incredible achievement to pack such a rich set of aromas into a market-strength beer. This beer manages to do it, and yet maintains a well-balanced and smooth aroma. It's like drinking the liquid form of the best dark bread you've ever eaten. Pure enjoyment!

95 Legendary

Beer review: Blanche de Namur (4.5% Belgium: Brasserie du Bocq)

The Blance de Namur is a wheat beer, more specifically a Witbier. It's brewed by Brasserie du Bocq, a small Belgian family-owned brewery located in Purnode, near Yvoir. The brewery was founded in 1858 and produces about 6 million litres annually. The Blance de Namur has received several awards, for example the title of World's best wheat beer in 2009.

Taste: The Blanche de Namur is a light/medium-bodied beer with a spicy, yet quite sweet front. The beer is dominated by a wheaty, citric aroma and it finishes with a faint yeasty yet citric aftertaste.

Overall, the Blance de Namur is an excellent supermarket Witbier. It doesn't offer a strong aroma, but that's not what one should really be looking for in a Witbier, especially one that's sold in supermarkets. Being only 4.5%, the Blance de Namur packs a surprisingly rich set of flavors and is really enjoyable. One of the best, if not the best Witbier!

90 Exceptional

Beer review: La Trappe Dubbel (7% Netherlands: De Koningshoeven Brewery)

The La Trappe Dubbel is an ale, more specifically an Abbey Dubbel. It's brewed by De Koningshoeven Brewery, a medium-sized Dutch brewery located within the walls of the Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven abbey in Berkel-Enschot. The brewery was founded in 1884 and nowadays produces about 14,5 million litres.

Taste: The La Trappe Dubbel is a medium-bodied beer with a sweet sugary malt body. In addition, the beer offers aromas of sugary yeast, spices, roasted malt, dried fruit and caramel.

Overall, the La Trappe Dubbel is an excellent, well-balanced beer with a rich set of flavors. The beer is really smooth and sweet, but the spices balance the sweetness, resulting in a phenomenal overall taste. When you choose a Trappist, you're guaranteed to get your money's worth.

95 Legendary

Beer review: Lervig Art Collection Funky Moi Rye Saison (6.5% Norway: Lervig Aktiebryggeri)

The Funky Moi Rye Saison is an ale, more specifically a Rye Saison. Saison beers are usually fruity and the addition of several spices and herbs create a complex fruity or citric flavor. The beer belongs to the special "art collection" series of Lervig Aktiebryggeri, a small Norwegian brewery located in Oslo. The brewery was founded in 2003 and their products have received several awards in Norway, for example for the best summer beer and best pale beer in 2008.

Taste: The Funky Moi Rye Saison is a medium-bodied beer with a soft, fruity and sweet body. It features a slight malty flavor which is quite round and smooth (typical to beers with rye). The beer also features "earthly" aromas and finishes with a slight hoppy bitterness.

Overall, the Funky Moi Rye Saison is a good beer. It doesn't offer anything unforgettable, but delivers a nice variety of flavors in a well-balanced package. It's not the best Saison out there, but it's definitely worth trying...just because of the cool labels if nothing else!

75 Good

Beer review: Brooklyn Lager (5.2% United States: Brooklyn Brewery)

The Brooklyn Lager is a lager beer, more specifically an Amber lager. It's brewed by Brooklyn Brewery, a medium-sized brewery located in Brooklyn, New York. The Brooklyn Brewery was founded in 1987 and the lager is their most popular beer.

Taste: The Brooklyn Lager is a medium-bodied beer with a nutty, sweet malty body. It is quite soft, very well-balanced and features aromas of caramel, citrus, fruits and finishes with a slight bitter hoppiness.

Overall, the Brooklyn Lager is an excellent lager. It's well-balanced and rich in flavor, yet refreshing and easy to enjoy. In my opinion Samuel Adams Boston Lager wins by a nose, but that's just because I prefer the toffee aftertaste of it. Both are very close to perfection in their own category.

90 Exceptional

Beer review: Fuller's Black Cab Stout (4.5% England: Fuller's Brewery)

The Fuller's Black Cab Stout is a stout, more specifically a dry stout. It's brewed by Fuller's Brewery, a medium-sized British independent brewery located in Chiswick, London. The company was founded in 1845 and currently produces about 26 million liters annually.

Taste: The Fuller's Black Cab Stout is a medium-bodied beer with flavors of roasted, bready malt, chocolate and coffee. The beer then continues with sweet aromas of caramel and finishes with a touch of bitterness.

Overall, the Fuller's Black Cab Stout is a really nice, sophisticated beer. It's slightly more watery than some of the other stouts that I've tried, but considering the low percentage of alcohol, it delivers a really aroma-rich flavor. A really nice supermarket strength beer.

85 Great

Beer review: Meteorite vs. Earth (8.5% Sweden: Modernist Brewery)

The Meteorite vs. Earth, is a pale ale, more specifically a Double India Pale Ale. It's brewed by Modernist Brewery, a Swedish microbrewery founded in 2012 and located in Stockholm. The name of the beer promises a powerful punch and the description on the bottle further pledges to "...give you the most pleasant whack on the chin you've ever had." That's saying a lot, let's see if the beer delivers what it promises.

Taste: The Metorite vs. Earth is a medium-bodied beer with a pleasant sweet front taste of raisins, and other dried fruit. It then delivers a nice maltiness and finishes with a medium-strength hoppiness and some berry aromas.

Overall, the Meteorite vs. Earth is a very nice DIPA with a distinct flavor and nice character. Personally, I'm left without the "whack on the chin" because the hoppiness is actually quite smooth and therefore the beer is a disappointment on that area. It does stand out among DIPAs because of its raisiny sweetness, and in my opinion that should be the factor the brewery should advertise this beer with.

70 Good

Beer review: Game Brewery RyePA (5.3% Finland: Panimo Hiisi)

The Game Brewery RyePA is a pale ale, more specifically a rye American Pale Ale. It's a collaboration by Panimo Hiisi, a Finnish microbrewery located in Jyväskylä and Game Brewery, an upcoming Finnish game company. Panimo Hiisi was founded in 2013 and has just released its first beers to wider distribution so I'm eager to try them out. Extra credit for the cool retro-gaming styled labels.

Taste: The Game Brewery RyePA is a medium-bodied beer with a smooth, moderately hoppied taste. The beer is slightly sweet and round, and unfortunately delivers a slightly watery feel. It delivers a smooth taste of rye malt and moderate bitter hoppiness but the taste fades quite fast.

Overall, The Game Brewery RyePA is a mild disappoinment in my books. Maybe it could've done with some extra kick since now it delivers a slightly thin set of aromas. It serves well as a refreshment and certainly does an OK job but it would've been great to be blown away by it.

60 Above average

Beer review: Humulus Lupus Double IPA (9.0% Finland: Panimo Hiisi)

Humulus Lupus Double IPA is a pale ale, more specifically a double Indian Pale Ale. It's brewed by Panimo Hiisi, a Finnish microbrewery located in Jyväskylä. Panimo Hiisi was founded in 2013 and has been in existence for just over a year. It's one of the most interesting upcomers on the Finnish beer scene, and I'm eagerly awaiting to check out their products.

Taste: The Humulus Lupus Double IPA is a medium/full-bodied beer with a slightly sweet, malty front. It is quite well-balanced and offers a strong herbal hoppy body with aromas of citrus, pine and fruits. The beer finishes with a medium-strength hoppy bitterness.

Overall, the Humulus Lupus Double IPA serves as a nice proof of the expertise of the guys at Panimo Hiisi. The world of IPAs, and even DIPAs, is really crowded and it's quite difficult to stand out. Nevertheless, the Humulus Lupus does an excellent job and is warmly welcomed into the variety of Finnish DIPAs. There's still some room for improvement though. Personally, I would've preferred more fruitiness and a smoother bitterness, but those are just my preferences.

75 Good

Beer review: Kasteel Donker (11% Belgium: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck)

The Kasteel Donker is an ale, more specifically a Belgian Strong Ale. It's brewed by Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck, a small Belgian brewery, founded in 1865 and located in Ingelmunster.

Taste: The Kasteel Donker is a full-bodied strong ale with a fruity, sweet malty body. It offers flavors of raisin and other dried fruit, and almost gives a wine-like impression (the 11% adding to this). The beer ends with a long-lasting sweetness and a faint hint of hoppiness.

Overall, the Kasteel Donker is a very well-accomplished, mature and sophisticated beer. It delivers a strong, distinctive taste with a lot of character and therefore earns a place among the most interesting beers I've ever tasted. Definitely worth a try!

85 Great

Beer review: BrewDog Hardcore IPA (9.2% Scotland: BrewDog)

The BrewDog Hardcore IPA is a pale ale, more specifically an Imperial/Double India Pale Ale. It is brewed by BrewDog, a medium-sized Scottish brewery. BrewDog, with the annual production output of about 10 million liters, was founded in 2007, and despite its young age has become one of the best-appreciated breweries in the world. The Hardcore IPA promises to deliver a hardcore hoppy punch in your face, let's see if it does.

Taste: The BrewDog Hardcore IPA is a full-bodied IPA with a strong fruity and malty body. It also features aromas of caramel and raisin. It finishes with a strong herbal hoppy aftertaste and medium, although quite smooth bitterness.

Overall, The BrewDog Hardcore IPA is definitely one of the best, if not the best widely available Imperial IPAs. It delivers a well-balanced taste with a strong hoppy character, typical to beers of its kind. If you want to know what the world of IPAs is all about, you should definitely make Hardcore IPA your guide. However, I'm still looking forward to meeting the perfect fruity IPA that I'm in search of!

85 Great

Beer review: AleBrowar Rowing Jack (6.2% Poland: AleBrowar)

The AleBrowar Rowing Jack is a Pale Ale, more specifically an India Pale Ale. It's brewed by AleBrowar, a Polish microbrewery located in Lebork. AleBrowar was founded in 2012 but their beers have received great reviews, for example in ratebeer.com. Rowing Jack is one of their best rated beers, and thus it's time to find out how it looks in my book.

Taste: The AleBrowar Rowing Jack is a medium/full-bodied IPA with a strong fruity and malty body. The beer finishes with a strong, bitter and quite long-lasting citric hoppiness.

Overall, The AleBrowar Rowing Jack is a very nice and well-balanced IPA. It's among the best ones I've tasted, but I won't give it a full five points since I'm still in search of the perfect IPA. This one gets pretty damn close however.

90 Exceptional

Beer review: Pinta Atak Chmielu (6.1% Poland: Browar Pinta)

The Pinta Atak Chmielu is a pale ale, more specifically an American style Indian Pale Ale. It's the most popular beer of Browar Pinta, a Polish microbrewery founded in 2011. Although the brewery has been in existence for only a few years, their products have received a lot of acclaim among beer enthusiasts.

Taste: The Pinta Atak Chmielu is a medium-bodied IPA which starts off with a caramel, malty body. It then moves on to deliver a fruity, malty, and herbal taste and finishes with a herbal medium-strength hoppiness and medium bitterness.

Overall, the Pinta Atak Chmielu is a pleasant beer and there is nothing bad to say about it. However, in my opinion it lacks the final character that sets beers apart from the masses. It most certainly belongs to the upper-class of IPAs, but doesn't reach a podium place in my ranking.

75 Good

Cognac review: Apteekkarin Cognac V.S.O.P (40.0% France: Peyrat Associés et Cie)

The Apteekkarin Cognac V.S.O.P (The Apothecary Cognac in English) is a cognac brand, continuing the traditions of cognac that was available in Finnish pharmacies during the Prohibition. It is a brand by the French cognac manufacturer Peyrat, and as is traditional for V.S.O.P cognacs, the Apteekkarin Cognac V.S.O.P has an average ageing of 6 years.

Taste: The Apteekkarin Cognac V.S.O.P delivers a medium-bodied, fruity and syrupy taste. It also offers faint aromas of oak and honey.

Overall, the Apteekkarin Cognac V.S.O.P is a decent cognac. It's quite cheap and therefore, the price-value is quite good. However, in my opinion it's not pleasant enough to truly enjoy, and thus serves more as a true reminiscent of the times when alcohol was difficult to obtain.

50 Average

Beer review: Lapin Kulta Arctic Malt Dark Lager (4.6% Finland: Hartwall)

The Lapin Kulta Arctic Malt Dark Lager is a lager, more specifically an Amber lager. It's brewed by Hartwall, one of the biggest beer producers in Finland. Hartwall belongs to Royal Unibrew, the second largest brewery group in Denmark. The beer belongs under the Lapin Kulta beer brand, and is brewed in large quantities. Therefore, I don't have much expectations towards it but you never know, it might just surprise me.

Taste: The Lapin Kulta Arctic Malt Dark Lager is a light/medium-bodied beer. It has quite a rich bready, sweet malt dominant body and it finishes with a faint, slightly metallic hoppiness.

Overall, the Lapin Kulta Arctic Malt Dark Lager does an OK job. It delivers a nice bready, malty flavor but otherwise remains disappointingly boring. It doesn't offer any mind-blowing flavors, but neither does it disappoint in any way. It's a good alternative for the basic lagers available in Finnish supermarkets, but these days there are many better beers available even there.

65 Above average

Beer review: Schneider Weisse Tap 4 Mein Grünes (6.2% Germany: G. Schneider & Sohn)

The Schneider Weisse Tap 4 Mein Grünes is a wheat beer, more specifically an organic Hefeweizen. It is brewed by G. Schneider & Sohn, a medium-sized German brewery located in Kelheim, in southern Germany. The brewery was founded in 1872 and specializes in wheat beers.

Taste: The Schneider Weisse Tap 4 Mein Grünes is a medium-bodied beer with a wheat and yeast dominant taste. The beer has faint aromas of citrus, herbs and banana but mainly produces a wheaty, yeasty body and finishes with a medium-strength herbal hoppiness.

Overall, the Schneider Weisse Tap 4 Mein Grünes is a nice, full wheat beer for those who enjoy the rich taste typical to wheat beer: wheat, slightly bitter yeast and citrus. However, what the beer is lacking in my opinion is the fruity aroma that some wheat beers deliver. Still, a very well-accomplished wheat beer. Definitely worth trying! Extra points for being organic.

85 Great

Beer review: Westheimer Weizen (5.0% Germany: Gräflich zu Stolberg’sche Brauerei Westheim)

The Westheimer Weizen is a wheat beer, more specifically a Hefeweizen. It's brewed by Gräflich zu Stolberg’sche Brauerei Westheim, a medium-sized German brewery located in the town of Marsberg in central Germany. The brewery was founded in 1862 and today has about 35 employers.

Taste: The Westheimer Weizen is a light-bodied wheat beer, with a fruity and refreshing taste. The beer starts with a fruity, banana taste and then offers a faint wheaty aroma, with hints of herbal hoppiness.

Overall, the Westheimer Weizen is a really refreshing wheat beer with not much personality. It delivers all the flavors of a wheat beer, and therefore delivers what's expected but does so with no real enthusiasm. It serves its purposes and as a refreshment works well, but doesn't deliver anything exceptional.

65 Above average

Beer review: Samuel Adams Boston Lager (4.7% United States: Boston Beer Company)

The Samuel Adams Boston Lager is a lager, more specifically an Amber Lager. It's brewed by the Boston Beer Company, the fourth largest brewery in the States and the largest one to manufacture craft beers. The brewery was founded in 1984 and its products have since received several awards, for example at the Great American Beer Festival.

Taste: The Samuel Adams Boston Lager is a light/medium-bodied beer with a pleasant malt-rich body. The taste is slightly sweet and offers aromas of toffee. The beer finishes with a nice herbal hoppiness, a touch of bitterness and faint aromas of toffee.

Overall, the Samuel Adams Boston Lager is a well-accomplished beer. It was a really pleasant surprise and among the market beers, it's definitely one of the best. It's the best amber lager that I've come across.

95 Legendary

Beer review: Prykmestar Savukataja (9.0% Finland: Vakka-Suomen Panimo)

The Prykmestar Savukataja is a smoke beer, more specifically a smoke juniper beer (Savukataja= smoke juniper). It's brewed by Vakka-Suomen Panimo, a medium-sized Finnish brewery located on the western coast of Finland, in Uusikaupunki. The brewery was founded in 2007 and its products have received several awards since.

Taste: The Prykmestar Savukataja is a medium/full-bodied beer with a smooth, smoke dominant flavor. It delivers a slightly sweet smoky flavor, with a faint taste of smoked ham. The smoky flavor is then replaced by the flavor of juniper which, unfortunately, remains quite faint. The beer finishes with a nice sweet and smoky aftertaste.

Overall, the Prykmestar Savukataja is a mature beer with a surprisingly smooth taste, considering that it's quite strong alcohol-wise. However, because the name suggests that there should be juniper in it, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of it. There is a faint aroma of juniper but I was expecting a bit more. However, still definitely worth a try!

70 Good

Beer review: BrewDog Fake Lager (4.7% Scotland: BrewDog)

The BrewDog Fake Lager is a lager, or more specifically a Czech type pilsener. It is brewed by BrewDog, a medium-sized Scottish brewery. BrewDog, with the annual production output of about 10 million liters, was founded in 2007, and despite its young age has become one of the best-appreciated breweries in the world. The Fake Lager is their critical take on the bulk lagers, and they aim to return the Czech type pilsener to its former glory by returning to its roots. Therefore, the beer promises a malty body with a fine hoppy aftertaste, not the watery taste of bulk lagers.

Taste: The BrewDog Fake Lager is a medium-bodied pilsener with a faintly sweet, malt dominant body with a touch of citrus. After this the hop kicks in with its herbal goodness, delivering a nice slightly bitter herbal taste.

Overall, the BrewDog Fake Lager delivers what it promises. It doesn't offer anything revolutionary, but it succeeds in showing the bulk lagers what a real beer should taste like. Once again, a quality beer by BrewDog.

75 Good

Beer review: BrewDog Punk IPA (5.6% Scotland: BrewDog)

The BrewDog Punk IPA is a pale ale, more specifically an Indian Pale Ale. It is brewed by BrewDog, a medium-sized Scottish brewery. BrewDog, with the annual production output of about 10 million liters, was founded in 2007, and despite its young age has become one of the best-appreciated breweries in the world. Punk IPA is one of their most popular beers and therefore, I'm eager to test it out.

Taste: The BrewDog Punk IPA is a light/medium-bodied Indian Pale Ale. It's quite refreshing and has a body of medium strength grassy hoppiness. The beer also features some fruitiness and finishes with a good, herbal, hoppy aftertaste which features just the right amount of bitterness.

Overall, The BrewDog Punk IPA is a great way to start exploring the exciting world of IPAs. It definitely isn't the best IPA available, but neither is it the worst. It could do with some more fruitiness and a richer flavor overall, but the nice refreshing aftertaste with just the right amount of bitterness is a lot to my liking.

75 Good

Beer review: Ayinger Bräuweisse (5.1% Germany: Brauerei Aying)

The Ayinger Bräuweisse is a wheat beer, more specifically a Hefeweizen. It is brewed by Brauerei Aying, a medium-sized family-owned brewery in Germany, Aying, a small village near München. The brewery was founded in 1878 and has been owned by the Inselkammer family the whole time. Let's see what this wheat beer has to offer!

Taste: The Ayinger Bräuweisse is a very pleasant wheat beer with a medium-bodied flavor. It starts off with a sweet banana flavor which is then surpassed by a herbal citric hoppiness and a faint wheaty flavor. The aftertaste of the beer is very pleasant mixture of sweetness and the herbal hoppiness.

Overall, the Ayinger Bräuweisse is a well-balanced, great wheat beer, which offers all the things that I desire in a wheat beer. The only thing that the beer could offer more is the taste of wheat. However, all things considered it's among the best wheat beers I've come across.

85 Great

Beer review: San Miguel Pale Pilsen (5% Philippines: San Miguel Brewery)

The San Miguel Pale Pilsen is a pilsener, more specifically a German type pilsener, brewed by San Miguel Brewery, a Philippine brewery and the largest one in Southeast Asia. It is a bulk beer, so I have no great expectations towards it. Nevertheless, lets give it a try!

Taste: The San Miguel Pale Pilsen offers a watery, light-bodied flavor with surprising sweetness. The beer features aromas of corn, fruitiness and a slightly meady aroma. It features no hoppy flavor and only a slight hint of malt.

Overall, the San Miguel Pale Pilsen is a decent easy-to-drink bulk beer with a watery and sweet taste. However, the only thing close to a pilsener is its name. It tastes like a decent pale lager, although a sweet one at that. However, it's quite cheap and it's surprisingly drinkable. For inebriation purposes it serves well.

50 Average

Beer review: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen (5.1% Germany: Heller Bräu Trum)

The Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen (German for Real Dangling Smoked March beer) is a specialty beer, more specifically a smoked pale lager. It is brewed by Heller Bräu Trum, a relatively small brewery located in Bamberg, in central Germany. The name Schlenkerla (~dangling) reportedly originated with a previous brewmaster of the brewery whose walk was similar to a swinging motion. The brewery specializes in Rauchbier and they have brewing traditions reaching all the way to 1405. Sounds very promising!

Taste: The Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen is a mature medium/full-bodied beer with a rich, elegant smoky flavor. As the name of the beer suggests, the flavor is dominated with a smokiness which features flavors of wooden smoke, tar and smoked ham. The beer also features a slightly sweet maltiness, and finishes with a nice combination of the flavors.

Overall, The Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen is an excellent beer. It is quite rich in flavor but isn't excessive in any way. It delivers what is expected, and does that in an elegant and mature manner. If you are looking for a smoked beer, it doesn't get much better than this.

95 Legendary

Beer review: Nikolai Alkoholiton Vaalea Lager (0.0% Finland: Sinebrychoff)

The Nikolai Alkoholiton Vaalea Lager is an alcohol-free lager, more specifically a Pale Lager. It's brewed by Sinebrychoff, a large Finnish brewery which is part of the Carlsberg Group, one of the largest brewery corporations in the world. Since the beer contains no alcohol, it can't really be considered a real beer. However, let's give it a try.

Taste: As expected, the Nikolai Alkoholiton Vaalea Lager offers a light-bodied flavor with just a hint of maltiness. It's quite watery and it's really best described as malty water.

Overall, the Nikolai Alkoholiton Vaalea Lager is a disappoinment, even when having no expectations. I've tasted a few alcohol-free beers and some of them actually succeed in being surprisingly close to real beer, but this one falls miles short. Don't buy it, there are better options if you want an alcohol-free beer.

15 Abysmal

Beer review: Mufloni IPA (4.5% Finland: Panimoravintola Beer Hunter's)

The Mufloni IPA is an ale, more specifically a session Indian Pale Ale, brewed by the Finnish brewery restaurant Beer Hunter's located in Pori. Although the beer selection of many Finnish supermarkets has widened nicely, IPAs are still quite uncommon. Therefore, a Finnish IPA is an interesting and welcomed product.

Taste: The Mufloni IPA is a medium-bodied Indian Pale Ale. It starts with a lemony, faintly sweet aroma which is surpassed by the strong, slightly dry and very bitter hoppiness. The aftertaste of the beer lasts quite long and the beer finishes with a strong bitterness that is left lingering in the mouth.

Overall, the Mufloni IPA is a nice beer, and it succeeds in nicely delivering all of the qualities associated with IPAs. The hoppiness is quite strong with this one, which is quite a good accomplishment considering the market strength of the beer. If you're into IPAs, this one's worth trying out, although it doesn't deliver anything memorable.

70 Good

Beer mix review: Red Girl (3.9% Germany: The Bremen Beer Company)

The Red Girl is a beer mix, more specifically a mixture of lager beer and ginger ale, the ratio being 80-20. It's produced by, and currently the only product of The Bremen Beer Company, an unknown German brewery located in Bremen. Beer mixes are shunned upon by beer connoisseurs but since I only focus on the taste of the beverage, you never know...maybe some day I'll be introduced to a beer mix that is actually really great. Let's see if today's my lucky day!

Taste: The Red Girl tastes precisely as expected. It's a mixture of beer and ginger ale, and although the ratio is 80-20 the aroma of ginger is surprisingly dominant. It offers a thin aroma of malt which is unfortunately surpassed by the taste of sweet ginger. Thus, the Red Girl ends up tasting like a strange beer ginger ale lemonade.

Overall, the Red Girl isn't the beer mix that will change everyone's opinions about them for the better. However, if you're into ginger ale and basic lagers, it's definitely an easy-to-drink mixture of both. Not bad, but not great either.

55 Above average

Beer review: Luostari Dubbel (7.5% Finland: Saimaan Juomatehdas)

Luostari Dubbel is an ale, more specifically a Dubbel, brewed by Saimaan Juomatehdas, a relatively small family brewery located in Mikkeli, Finland. In 2014 they produced a total of 900 000 liters. The Luostari Dubbel is produced in association with Valamon Luostari, an orthodox monastery in Eastern Finland. Thus, Luostari Dubbel prides itself in being the only orthodox monastery beer in the world. Let's see if it can equal its Belgian siblings.

Taste: The Luostari Dubbel is a medium/full-bodied beer with a malt-dominant flavor. It provides a sweet, fruity and berry flavor and finishes with a slight herbal hoppy taste.

Overall, the Luostari Dubbel is a nice beer but still has some growing up to do, if it wants to challenge the Belgian monastery beers for real. It offers a nice variety of flavors, but still looks a bit thin when compared to other Dubbels. However, it's definitely worth trying since it's among the best Finnish beers available in Finnish liquor stores.

75 Good

Beer review: Trappist Achel 8 Blond (8.0% Belgium: Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis)

Trappist Achel 8 Blond is an ale, more specifically a Belgian strong ale Tripel. This means that the brewers use up to three times the amount of malt used in standard Trappist beers. It's brewed by Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis, the smallest of the eight currently approved Trappist breweries. The brewery is located in the Abbey of Saint Benedict in Achen in Belgium. Sounds really promising, can't wait to try it out!

Taste: Trappist Achel 8 Blond is a medium-bodied beer with a strong, malt-dominant body. It is a very sophisticated and mature beer with challenging, but rewarding aromas. It delivers fruity aromas of peach, apple and citrus. The aftertaste of the beer is a herbal hoppy aroma and the beer finishes with quite distinct hoppy bitterness.

Overall, the Trappist Achel 8 Blond is a really nice beer. However, maybe I expected too much out of it (considering that it's a Trappist and you really can't go wrong with them) but it didn't deliver any real wow factor to me. It's a great beer, but not among the very best I've tried. Still definitely worth trying, because like most of the Trappists it delivers a range of flavors equaled by only a few others.

80 Great

Beer review: Höss Adler König Das Echte Weissbier (4.7% Germany: Privatbrauerei Höss der Hirschbräu)

Adler König Das Echte Weissbier (German for Eagle King The Real White beer) is a wheat beer, more specifically a Hefenweizen, made by a relatively small German brewery. It is an interesting addition to the beer selections of Finnish supermarkets and gets a plus in my books for its lightning stopper sealing method and stylish labels.

Taste: The Adler König Das Echte Weissbier offers the traditional flavors of a Hefeweizen: a wheat dominant flavor with a faint citric aroma and a touch of herbal hop. However, it is a bit dry, disappointingly thin and light-bodied.

Overall, the Adler König Das Echte Weissbier is not bad, but it's not good either. I really like the lager beer by the same brewery and therefore my expectations were quite high for their wheat beer. I'm sad to say that it's a disappointment, since it offers a thin and even a bit dry taste. If you're looking for a refreshing, aroma-rich wheat beer this is not your choice.

50 Average

Beer review: Wold Top Against The Grain (4.5% England: Wold Top)

Wold Top Against The Grain is a specialty beer, more specifically a gluten free beer made from lager malt, maize, hops and yeast. It's brewed by Wold Top, a small English brewery located in Yorkshire. Gluten free beers are quite rare, and therefore Wold Top Against The Grain is an interesting release, especially since at the moment it's found in some of the Finnish supermarkets. Let's give it a try!

Taste: Wold Top Against The Grain is a light/medium-bodied beer, with a faint malty taste. The maltiness is quite sweet and is combined with the flavor of maize. The beer is slightly fruity and features a medium strength taste of herbal hop. The aftertaste of the beer is slightly bitter.

Overall, the Wold Top Against The Grain is an interesting beer. It's gluten free and although, when it comes to brewing beer, it starts from this disadvantageous position, it manages to deliver a nice set of flavors. It's nothing unforgettable, yet it's a nice choice, especially for people sensitive to gluten.

70

Beer review: Nobelaner (4.5% Germany: Feldschlösschen)

Nobelaner is a lager, more specifically a pilsener. It's one of the main beer brands of Lidl, a German supermarket chain which has stores all over Europe. Lidl is present in most European countries and therefore all of its beer brands are produced in bulk quantities. The can of Nobelaner doesn't include its brewery - this might tell you something about the quality of the beer. However, the logo on the can seems to suggest that it's brewed by Feldschlösschen, a German brewery which belongs to the Oettinger Brauerei brewery group.

Taste: Nobelaner is a light/medium-bodied lager with a relatively smooth and rich malty flavor. It's a bit watery, but not to the extent of Finnish lagers. The beer also features a slight taste of grassy hop, but ends up with a slightly metallic and watery aftertaste.

Overall, Nobelaner doesn't offer anything exciting. However, it's really cheap and all things considered it's a decent bulk beer. Compared to the basic Finnish beers (Karhu, Karjala, Koff, Lapin Kulta, Olvi) it does fine, but doesn't outshine any of them.

55 Above average

Beer review: Keisari EloWehnä (4.7% Finland: Nokian Panimo)

Keisari EloWehnä is a wheat beer, more specifically a Hefeweizen. It is brewed by Nokian Panimo, one of the middle-sized breweries of Finland. Nokian Panimo prides itself in being an honest, independent brewery. Keisari EloWehnä can be found in supermarkets all over Finland and it offers an interesting alternative to the basic lager beers.

Taste: Keisari EloWehnä is a fine wheat beer. It offers a light-bodied wheat and yeast dominant flavor, with a hint of banana fruitiness. The aftertaste of the beer is pleasantly fruity and the beer finishes with a faintly bitter wheaty flavor.

Overall, Keisari EloWehnä is among the best wheat beers available in Finnish supermarkets. It's not the most refreshing one, since the flavor is quite rich. However, the flavors that it offers are really enjoyable and therefore the Keisari EloWehnä is definitely worth trying!

70 Good

Beer review: Karjala Maltti (4.5% Finland: Hartwall)

Karjala Maltti is a lager beer, more specifically an Amber lager. It is a new release by Hartwall, a large Finnish brewery that belongs to the Danish brewery group Royal Unibrew. Karjala is the main beer brand of Hartwall and thus Karjala Maltti follows along its traditions. As the name suggests, the beer offers an especially malt-rich flavor. It's sold, at least currently, in most of the Finnish supermarkets. Despite the fact that it's being described as a special batch, the wide availability shows that it is produced in bulk quantities.

Taste: As promised, Karjala Maltti delivers a significantly maltier taste than the basic Finnish lagers. It is surprisingly rich in aroma, considering that it is a bulk beer. The beer is light/medium-bodied and offers a soft, malt-dominant flavor. The aftertaste of the beer is quite a pleasant combination of faint hoppiness and smoky oak, coming from the bourbon aroma that is added to the beer.

Overall, Karjala Maltti is a welcomed release to the dull beer selection of Finnish supermarkets. The aroma is quite watery, but what can you expect from one of the largest beer producers in Finland? In my opinion, it is a positive surprise and I would recommend it if you want a change from the basic piss/watery-tasting lagers.

55 Above average