Põhjala Brewery ( Estonian: ''Põhjala pruulikoda'') is a

craft brewery Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

.Pohjalabeer.com. (Official website).
/ref> Its name is Estonian for "northern realm".Heraldscotland.com. ''Scot leading Estonia's beer revolution.''
/ref> It is the largest craft brewery in the Baltic statesGoodbeerhunting.com. ''The Baltic Exchange...''
/ref> and the only one to have been included in the

Ratebeer Beer rating is assessing and evaluating beer using a point system. The process is similar to that used in beer judging competitions, such as those organised by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) in America, though the participants are cons ...

"top 100" list of world breweries. In 2021 the company had a turnover of 4.61 million euros. Põhjala has a particular focus on

porters Porters may refer to: * Porters, Virginia, an unincorporated community in Virginia, United States * Porters, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community in Wisconsin, United States * Porters Ski Area, a ski resort in New Zealand * ''Porters'' (TV ser ...

barrel ageing A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...

, and ingredients from the forests of Estonia.

History

The brewery was founded in 2011 by four Estonian beer enthusiasts, who were soon joined by head brewer Chris Pilkington. The first Põhjala beer, ''Öö Imperial Baltic Porter'', was contract-brewed before the company's original brewery opened in Tallinn's

Nõmme Nõmme (Estonian for ''"Heath"'') is one of the 8 administrative districts ( et, linnaosa) of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 39,422 () and covers an area of , population density is . The district is largely a middle-clas ...

district in April 2014. In 2015 the company opened its first bar "Speakeasy" near Tallinn's

main railway station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

. In 2018 nearly 4.9 million euros were invested in moving production to a new brewery in the Noblessner area of Tallinn.Noblessner.ee. ''Põhjala Brewery moves to Noblessner.''
(in Estonian) The average capacity of the brewery is 1,200 hectolitres per month, and 6,000 bottles an hour can be filled on a new

bottling line Bottling lines are production lines that fill a product, generally a beverage, into bottles on a large scale. Many prepared foods are also bottled, such as sauces, syrups, marinades, oils and vinegars. Beer bottling process Packaging of bottle ...

.ERR Uudised. ''Põhjala väikepruulikoda alustas õlle villimist uues tootmishoones.''
(in Estonian) The facility also houses a laboratory, shop, sauna and taproom with 24 taps. In 2019 Põhjala opened a pop-up bar in the Chinese capital, Beijing. In 2021 the brewery sponsored the Põhjala disc golf marathon, with 300 competitors in Jõulumäe, Estonia.

Põhjala beers

Põhjala's best-selling beer is ''Virmalised'', an India pale ale which accounts for over a quarter of total production. In addition to a core range of beers, the brewery produces numerous specials and has collaborated with craft brewers such as

To Øl __NOTOC__ To Øl (Danish for "Two Beers") is an international craft brewery based in Denmark. History To Øl was founded by Tore Gynther and Tobias Emil Jensen in 2010 as a gypsy brewer, with brewing primarily taking place at De Proefbrouwerij in ...

, Lervig, De Struise, Jester King and Jing-A Brewing Co. The ''Cellar Series'' is a range of dark, barrel-aged beers while the ''Forest Series'' uses rare botanicals and forest ingredients. Põhjala exported 65 percent of its production in 2021. The main foreign markets were the Netherlands, Finland, France, China, the United Kingdom and the United States. The brewery has been criticised for producing its

Baltic porter Porter is a style of beer that was developed in London, England in the early 18th century. It was well- hopped and dark in appearance owing to the use of brown malt.Dornbusch, Horst, and Garrett Oliver. "Porter." The Oxford Companion to Beer ...

s using

top fermentation Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

, rather than the bottom- or cold fermentation often used for the

beer style Beer styles differentiate and categorise beers by colour, flavour, strength, ingredients, production method, recipe, history, or origin. The modern concept of beer styles is largely based on the work of writer Michael Jackson in his 1977 book ...

. In 2020 Põhjala collaborated with Polish brewers Pinta to produce ''Baltic Pride.'' It is an imperial Baltic porter, featuring a blend of fresh bottom-fermented Baltic porter and barrel aged top-fermented Baltic porter.

Tallinn Craft Beer Weekend

''Tallinn Craft Beer Weekend'' is an annual craft beer festival organised by Põhjala Brewery, which first took place in 2015. It features over 40 Estonian and international breweries, showcasing over 200 of their beers.Culture.ee. ''Tallinn Craft Beer Weekend 2015.''
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Images of Põhjala Brewery

File:Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room 5 - Renee Altrov.jpg, Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room File:EU-EE-TLN-PT-Kalamaja-Speakeasy (cropped).JPG, Põhjala's first bar, "Speakeasy" File:Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room 2 - Renee Altrov.jpg, The Tap Room in 2019 File:Noblessner.jpg, Noblessner Harbour
(Põhjala is to the bottom right)

References

External links