Beer review: Olvi CXXXV (4.5% Finland: Olvi)

The Olvi CXXXV is a lager, more specifically a Pale lager. It's brewed by Olvi, one of the largest breweries in Finland. Olvi was founded in 1878 and is located in Iisalmi. The beer celebrates the 135 years of Olvi and is described as having matured with good time. It follows the recipe of the original CXX beer, which celebrated the 120 milestone of the brewing company. Let's see how the slow maturing affects the taste of the beer...

Taste: The Olvi CXXXV is a light/medium-bodied beer with a slightly sweet malty and faintly fruity flavor. The flavor is quite soft and round, and unlike the bulk lagers of Finland (Lapin Kulta, Karhu, Karjala, Koff, and the basic Olvi) it lacks the unpleasant cardboard and metallic tastes. The beer finishes with a pleasant faint touch of hoppiness.

Overall, the Olvi CXXXV is clearly more mature than the basic Olvi lager. This isn't saying much, but actually the CXXXV is quite easy to enjoy. It doesn't offer any exciting aromas, but as a refreshing beverage it works much better than the basic bulk lagers in Finland. Overall, it's a decent accomplishment in the category of Pale lagers and personally I definitely prefer it over the basic bulk lagers.

65 Above average

Cider review: Sherwood Apple Cider (4.7% Finland: Olvi)

The Sherwood Apple Cider is an apple cider produced by Olvi, one of the largest breweries in Finland. Olvi was founded in 1878, has a 24% market share in Finland and is the largest Finnish brewery not belonging to the large international beer corporations. The Sherwood cider brand is a relatively new release by Olvi and it aims to honor the English ciders in its taste. Let's see if that's true!

Taste: The Sherwood Apple Cider is a light-bodied cider with a sour apple taste. The taste is quite natural and is reminiscent of apple wine and apple juice (which is logical, since the ingredients list reveals that it's actually a mixture of the two in addition to other things of course).

Overall, the Sherwood Apple Cider is quite refreshing and a decent cider. The Finnish supermarket ciders are quite poor when it comes to taste, and the Sherwood Apple Cider doesn't really make the situation any better. However, personally I'd say it's above average when comparing it to other market ciders, although not by much. It's on the same level as Somersby and if you prefer sweetness go with Somersby, but if you prefer some sourness, choose Sherwood.

50 Average

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: Olvi III (4.5% Finland: Olvi)

Olvi III, is the signature beer of Olvi, one of the major beer manufactures in Finland. It is a lager, more specifically a Pale Lager and it's one of the 'basic beers' of Finland. Made from Finnish malt and Bavarian hop, the beer has received international recognition, winning the gold medal in Barcelona in 1991. It's produced in bulk quantities so one can't expect a mind-blowing experience. In my opinion, when comparing it to other basic beers of Finland, it definitely isn't the worst, though not the best either.

Taste: Similar to all of the Finnish 'basic beers', Olvi offers a medium-bodied malt-dominant flavor. What sets it apart from the others is the faintly sweeter and softer malt flavor. The beer ends with a hint of bitter hop and leaves almost a metallic bitterness behind.

Overall, Olvi III is one of the better choices (at least price-value-wise since it's often the cheapest one) if you ever end up in a Finnish supermarket. If you enjoy a stronger tasting beer, then maybe Karhu III is your choice but if you prefer smoothness and a cheap price, then Olvi III is for you. However, if you don't mind paying a bit more I would recommend Sandels, the premium lager by the Olvi company.

50 Average

Beer review: Pirkka III (4.5% Finland: Olvi)

Pirkka III is a lager, more specifically a Pale Lager produced by the Finnish beer company Olvi. Pirkka is a brand of the Finnish store chain Kesko (K-supermarket, Citymarket etc.) and therefore Pirkka III is one of the cheapest beers in Finland. No great taste experiences are expected, but in my opinion the beer is surprisingly drinkable considering the price and the bulk quality. However, the quality of the beer tends to vary a bit. Perhaps this is due to low price and the fact that it is brewed by Olvi but distributed by Kesko so the quality control might not be as strict.

Taste: Like all of the cheap 'basic beers' of Finland, Pirkka III is a bit watery, with a malt dominant taste. I've been drinking Pirkka III for a few years (since it came around) and at first it featured a more clear taste of hop than other Finnish lagers. However, recently the taste of hop has been replaced with an almost metallic bitterness at the end.

The overall impression of Pirkka III is a watery basic lager with some maltiness and some bitterness of hop (if you're lucky). In my opinion, still one of the best price-value deals in Finnish supermarkets.

50 Average

Beer review: Sandels III (4.7% Finland: Olvi)

Sandels III, named after the famous Field Marshal Johan August Sandels, is the premium brand of Olvi, one of the major beer manufactures in Finland. It is a lager, more specifically a Pale Lager and it falls in the category of mid-priced beers, just a bit above the 'basic beers' of Finland. It's produced in bulk quantities so one can't expect a mind-blowing flavor festival. However, in my opinion, in the category of basic lagers, it is the best one in Finland.

Taste: Similar to all of the Finnish 'basic beers', Sandels offers a malt-dominant flavor which is quite mild. What sets it above the others is its smoothness and lack of unpleasant extra flavors. The beer ends with a hint of hop and leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth

Overall, Sandels III is the best choice (at least price-value-wise) if you ever end up in a Finnish supermarket. If you enjoy a stronger tasting beer, then maybe Karhu III is your choice but if you prefer smoothness, then choose Sandels.

55 Above average

Beer review: Sandels Vehnäolut (4.7% Finland: Olvi)

Olvi is one of the largest and oldest breweries in Finland. It was founded in 1878 and is currently the only large Finnish brewery that is not part of the big beer corporations of the world. (I consider this a good thing) Sandels is one of Olvi's traditional brands and now they have published a wheat beer under the brand. Sandels belongs to the mid-priced beers of Finland and therefore, one can expect at least medium quality from the wheat version of it. The beer delivers what is expected and, in my opinion, even succeeds in exceeding the expectations.

Taste: First tasting of the beer delivers a nice wheat flavor reminiscent of German wheat beers. However, more than its German brothers, Sandels Vehnäolut starts with a notable fruity, bananaesque aroma. Furthermore, it offers the distinct flavors of the traditional Sandels beer, that is a soft combination of grain (in this case wheat) and a hint of hop. In my opinion, this beer nicely combines the flavors of a decent wheat beer, and the good qualities of the basic lager version of Sandels. The only downside of this beer is its slight watery feel.

Not the most flavor-rich of wheat beers, but definitely a nice welcome to the quite boring beer scene of Finnish supermarkets. Great for drinking as a refreshment.

50 Average