Style: International style lager
Brewery: Tornio Panimo
Origin: Finland
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 5.2%
Price: 33kr
Systembolaget: 33150
Award won: World’s Best International Lager – 2024 World Beer Awards.
Tornio Panimo was established in 1873 and became famous for its Lapin Kulta beer, which at one point had 40% market share in Finland. The company merged with Hartwell in 1980, who then closed the brewery in 2009 and moved production down south. After a crowdfunding effort from 1900 people, the brewery reopened in 2015 and now use the original ingredients of Lapin Kulta to continue their brewing legacy. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this beer had won such a prestigious award, so I thought it would be the perfect way to start the tasting.
This was pale golden with a hint of haze, medium to high carbonation and a fair head that held quite well. The aroma was to be expected for the style, with some light grain, cracker, honey and white bread forming a clean and pleasant smell. The honey came through more in the taste, with the crisp body balanced with a growing earthy bitterness in the aftertaste.
This was a clean and fresh lager that ticked all the boxes. This was also surprisingly gluten-free, which can sometimes be tricky for some breweries, but not in this case. I enjoyed this and even though slightly expensive for what it is, I could see myself coming back to this again.