craft brewery
Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...
in
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
, Estonia. Its name is
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
for "northern realm".Heraldscotland.com. ''Scot leading Estonia's beer revolution.'' /ref> It is the largest craft brewery in the
Baltic states
The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
Goodbeerhunting.com. ''The Baltic Exchange...'' /ref> and the only one to have been included in the Ratebeer "top 100" list of world breweries. In 2023 the company had a turnover of 4.69 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 series), '' ...
, barrel ageing, and ingredients from the forests of Estonia.Pohjalabeer.com. (Official website). /ref>
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 district in April 2014.
In 2015, the company opened its first bar "Speakeasy" near Tallinn's main railway station.
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 liquid product, often a beverage, into bottles on a large scale. Many prepared foods are also bottled, such as sauces, syrups, marinades, oils and vinegars.
Bottling lines usually include label ap ...
.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.
In 2022, Põhjala opened ''Põhja Konn'' bar in the Telliskivi area of Tallinn. It serves only Estonian craft beer from Põhjala and other local craft breweries.
On 15 March 2023, Estonian president
Alar Karis
Alar Karis (; born 26 March 1958) is an Estonian molecular geneticist, developmental biologist, civil servant and politician who, since 11 October 2021, has served as the sixth president of Estonia.
Prior to presidency
Karis was born in Tar ...
visited Põhjala Brewery together with German president
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (; born 5 January 1956) is a German politician who has served as President of Germany since 2017. He was previously Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), federal minister for foreign affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again f ...
.
In April 2024, Põhjala's former head brewer Chris Pilkington and his wife Kristina opened Tuletorn Brewing, a brewpub in Tallinn's
Kopli
Kopli (Estonian for ''"Paddock"'') is a subdistrict of the district of Põhja-Tallinn (Northern Tallinn) in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It is located on the Kopli Peninsula and is bordered by parts of the Tallinn Bay, the Kopli Bay to the ...
district.
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, 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 in the early 18th century. It is well- hopped and dark in appearance owing to the use of brown malt.Dornbusch, Horst, and Garrett Oliver. "Porter." ''The Oxford Companion to Beer''. Ed. ...
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.'' /ref>
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
File:Noblessner.jpg, Noblessner Harbour (Põhjala is to the bottom right)
Barrel-aged beer
A barrel-aged beer is a beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel. Typically, these barrels once housed bourbon, whisky, wine, or, to a lesser extent, brandy, sherry, or port.Seaplane Harbour Museum - also located in Noblessner Harbour