Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

has a long history of

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

() dating back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. The oldest still-existing commercial brewery in Finland and the other

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

Sinebrychoff The Sinebrychoff Brewery (, ) is a Finnish brewery and soft drink company. It was founded in 1819 in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, by the Russian businessman Nikolai Sinebrychoff who lived in Finland, and it is the largest brewery in Finland ...

, founded in 1819. The Finnish Beer Day () is celebrated on 13 October to commemorate the founding of the Sinebrychoff brewery and the birth of Finnish beer. The largest Finnish brewers are

Hartwall Hartwall Ltd is a beverage company based in Helsinki, Finland. It was founded in 1836. Its drinks range includes Jaffa (soft drink)#Hartwall Jaffa, Jaffa, Pommac and Novelle waters. The company also owns the licence for manufacturing and sellin ...

Olvi Olvi plc (, ) is a Finland, Finnish brewery and soft drinks company founded in 1878 by the brewer Williams Gideon Åberg and his wife Onni. It currently holds 18.7% of Finland's market share in beverages, making it the third-largest producer of b ...

and Sinebrychoff. Most of the beers brewed in Finland are

pale lager Pale lager is a pale-to- golden lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. In the mid-19th century, Gabriel Sedlmayr took British pale ale brewing and malt making techniques back to the Spaten Bre ...

s. , Finland's standing is 23rd in ''per capita'' consumption of beer: Finnish people consume of beer annually ''per capita'', while the total annual consumption is .

is a traditional Finnish farmhouse ale, made mostly with

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

and

barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

malts, but sometimes also

oat The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural). Oats appear to have been domesticated as a secondary crop, as their seeds ...

s, and filtered through

straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry wikt:stalk, stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the crop yield, yield by weight of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, ry ...

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

twigs. The modern version has a distinct banana flavor from the bread yeast used to ferment it. It was often praised in the writings of the beer connoisseur

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

. Although less common today, it is still served at

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

s and other special occasions. There are also a few commercial producers.

Finnish beer tax-classes

Beer was classified into tax classes by law in Finland until the year 1995 when Finland joined the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. After joining the EU the law was reformed so that the tax is set directly by the percentage of

alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of Alcohol (drug), alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest ...

contained in the product: with 0.5–2.8% beers €0.02/ cl of alcohol, with beers over 2.8% €0.0214/cl. However, the old classifications are still voluntarily used widely and the old tax classes are still often marked on the products and advertisements. Until June 2024, beer with an alcohol content of 5.6% or higher could only be sold in state-owned

Alko Alko Inc is the national alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly in Finland. It is the only store in the country which retails beer over 8% ABV, wine (except in vineyards) and spirits. Alcoholic beverages are also sold in licensed restaurants an ...

liquor stores or bars and restaurants with the appropriate license. It is also sold in

tax free Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

shops on

Baltic Sea cruiseferries The Baltic Sea is crossed by several cruiseferry lines. Some important shipping companies are Viking Line, Silja Line, Tallink, St. Peter Line and Eckerö Line. Eastern Baltic Tallink and Viking Line operate competing cruiseferries on the routes ...

. Because of tax regulations, the tax free shops may only be open when the ships are either on international waters or visiting

Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

(which has special exempt status in the EU). In June 2024, the alcohol law changed to allow for beer with an alcohol content up to 8.0% to be sold in stores. Beer with an alcohol content of 8.1% or higher may still only be sold in Alko stores, bars and restaurants, or at tax-free shops on cruiseferries.

Finnish beer market

Finland's beer market has been described as international rather than local. The market leader is Denmark's

Carlsberg Group Carlsberg A/S (; ) is a Danish multinational brewer. Founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen, the company's headquarters is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since Jacobsen's death in 1887, the majority owner of the company has been the Carlsberg Foundation. Th ...

, owner of the Finnish brewery

, with a market share of 46.9%. Its beer brands include Koff and

Karhu Karhu (Finnish for 'bear') may refer to: * Karhu (beer), a Finnish beer brand * ''Karhu'' (ship), name of the 1876 barque ''Lalla Rookh (1876 ship), Lalla Rookh'' while under the Finnish flag, 1923/4 to 1926 * Karhu (sports brand), a Finnish sport ...

. Carlsberg is followed by

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...

International, which controls - through its

brewery - a 29.5% share of the national market and produces the Lapin Kulta and

Karjala Karjala may refer to: * Karjala (beer), a Finnish lager-type beer manufactured by the Hartwall brewery. * Karelia (''Karjala'' in Finnish and Karelian), an area in Northern Europe ** Karjala (historical province of Finland), partly ceded to Russia ...

brands.

is the largest Finnish-owned brewery, holding approximately a further 20% of the Finnish market. The rest of the Finnish breweries are smallish regionals or

microbreweries 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 ...

, all founded post-1985. , there are 85 microbreweries in the country. Craft breweries are allowed to sell their products directly to consumers.

Prohibition

Prohibition started in Finland on 1 June 1919 and lasted nearly 13 years, during which the production, import, sales, transportation and storage of alcohol products was only allowed for medicinal, scientific, and technical purposes. A referendum on the continuation of prohibition was held starting on the 29th and closing on 30 December 1931. The referendum closed with a 70% majority against the law and resulted in the end of prohibition on 5 April 1932 at 10:00 when the new state-owned alcohol retail stores opened their doors to customers.

Finnish breweries

* Auran panimo * Bock (brewery) * Bock's Corner Brewery (brewery) * Brewcats * C. A. Robsahmin Portteripanimo (sold in 1895) * CoolHead Brew * Fat Lizard * Finlandia Sahti * Fiskarsin Panimo * Haapala Brewery * Hailuodon panimo *

(

) ** Lapin Kulta (owned by Hartwall) * Hiisi * Honkavuori * Hopping Brewsters Beer Company * Iso-Kallan Panimo * Kahakka * Kakola Brewing Company * Kaleva Brewing Company * Keudan panimo * Kiiski * Koskipanimo * Kotkan Höyrypanimo * Kvarken *

Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas is a Finnish brewery and a soft drinks company based in Laitila. It was founded in 1995 and now the company owns several brands, such as: Kukko beers, OIVA ciders, Kievari beers and Wanhanajan Limonaadi lemonades. ...

(

Kukko Kukko is a Finland, Finnish beer brand which has been manufactured and owned by Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas Oy since 2001. Most of the beers are sold both in cans as well as bottles. These beers are set apart from the competition by their envi ...

) * Lammin Sahti * Lapin Voima * Linden Brewery * Mad Finn Brewing Co * Maistila * Maku Brewing * Mallaskoski (

Kuohu Kuohu () is a village, urban areas in Finland, urban area and districts of Jyväskylä, district of Jyväskylä, Finland, located in the western part of the city near the border with Petäjävesi. Before 2009, it was part of Jyväskylän maalaisku ...

Häjy (, translated to English language, English as knife-fighter; ) or () was a term used of troublemakers who were active in the Southern Ostrobothnia region of Finland in the 19th century. Fights among puukkojunkkaris were common, and often resul ...

, Komia, Makia) * Mallaskuun panimo * Malmgårdin Panimo * Narvan kyläpanimo *

Nokian Panimo Nokian Panimo Oy (known as Pirkanmaan Uusi Panimo / PUP Oy until 2004) is a brewery in Nokia, Finland, founded in 1991. The brewery produces beer, cider, mineral water and soft drink A soft drink (see #Terminology, § Terminology for other ...

( Keisari,

Året Runt ''Året Runt'' (Swedish language, Swedish: ''All Year Around'') is a weekly women's and family magazine published in Malmö, Sweden. Founded in 1946 it is one of the longest-running magazines in the country. History and profile ''Året Runt'' wa ...

) * Olaf * Olarin Panimo * Olutpaja *

(Olvi,

Sandels Count Johan August Sandels (31 August 1764 – 22 January 1831) was a Swedish soldier and politician, being appointed Governor-general of Norway (''Riksståthållare'' in Swedish, ''Rigsstatholder'' in Dano-Norwegian) 1818 and Field Marshal ...

) * Palvasalmi (bankrupt) * Panimo Honkavuori * Pyynikin käsityöläispanimo * (Amerikan Serkku, Metsän Henki, Munkintie) * Ruosniemen panimo * Saimaan Olut (Saimaa), Marsalkka, Rokrammi, Luostari * Simpeleen Panimo ja Tislaamo Oy *

(

, Koff) ** Porin panimo (owned by Sinebrychoff) * Sonnisaaren panimo *

Stadin Panimo Stadin Panimo is a craft brewery based in Suvilahti in Helsinki, Finland, founded in 1998. The brewery produces over 100 thousand litres of beverages per year.Juvonen, AnnaPienpanimobuumi poikii olutravintoloita ''Kauppalehti'' 31 March 2015. Acce ...

* Suomenlinnan Panimo * Taiwalkosken panimo * Takatalo & Tompuri Brewery * Tampere Brewing & Distilling Co *

Teerenpeli Teerenpeli is a Finnish family company founded in 1994 operating in the restaurant, brewery and distillery business as well as franchising. Name The name "Teerenpeli" means the courtship of the black grouse in Finnish, and the term is also used ...

* Tuju * Ylikylä Olut * Ålands Bryggeri (Stallhagen)

Finnish brewery restaurants

* Bock's Corner Brewery (Vaasa) * Haapala Panimoravintola (Sotkamo) * Hollolan Hirvi (Hollola) *

Panimoravintola Beer Hunter's Panimoravintola Beer Hunter's is a Finnish brewery, distillery and a restaurant. Founded in 1998 and located in the city of Pori, the brewery restaurant started distilling malt whisky in 2001. The brewed beers are sold under the brand of "Muflon ...

(Pori) * Panimoravintola Bruuveri (Helsinki) * Panimoravintola Huvila (Savonlinna) * Panimoravintola Koulu (Turku) * Panimoravintola Plevna (Tampere) * Perho (Helsinki) * Ravintola Herman (no longer brewing) * Teerenpeli Panimo & Tislaamo (Lahti)

Most important Finnish beers

* *

* Koff *

* Lapin Kulta *

Annual Finnish beer events

* Helsinki Beer Festival (held since 1997) * Isojano-tapahtuma (held since 1993) * Kaljakellunta (held since 1997) * Olutfestivaalit (held since 1990) * Sahdinvalmistuksen SM-kisat (Finnish

sahti Sahti is a Finnish type of farmhouse ale made from malted and unmalted grains including barley and rye. Traditionally the beer is flavored with juniper in addition to, or instead of, hops;

brewing championships, held since 1992) * Suomalaiset sahtipäivät (held since 1995) * Suuret oluet – pienet panimot (held since 2003)

References

External links

* {{Beers of the world Finnish cuisine