Estonian beers in Tallinn

I was recently asked to write a short piece about Estonian beers for the speakers of an international conference called GeekOut our company organizes. It is not about my own brewing, but as this info might be relevant to some others visiting Tallinn and wanting to have a small (really subjective) view about the beer here, so I am adding it to my blog (unmodified).

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The Estonian beer market is one of the few in Europe to be showing healthy annual growth. Unfortunately, this hasn't been reflected in a microbrewery boom. The three largest Estonian breweries account for 90%+ of beer consumption. Most of the mass production beers are Lager type beers with the colour and taste varying just a little. Most of them have a little less hops and more body, if compared to the Czech Lager classics like Pilsner Urquell and Staropramen. The most widespread are Originaal from Saku (blue label with white letters) and Premium from A le Coq (white and red label) factory. These are the signs that hang before most of the local pubs.

All the biggest breweries have their Porter, Bock and a try on the wheat beer (they have not mastered the fine art of wheat beers yet). But one can not say they differ from each other in any specific way. So we will point you towards something else.

In Tallinn old town there are two pubs, that brew their own beer on the premises. Oldest of them is Beer House, who have now grown their beer assortment to seven beers. Brewery offers 5 different house-brews and some more good foreign beers on tap. Third tavern, that brews inhouse is located in the Port area - Tavern Kochi Ait.

First official modern microbrewery called Põhjala started just last year. In Tallinn Old Town their beer can be occasionally found in Drink Bar and Põrgu and also in a bar called Pudel (transl. Bottle). Occasionally - because the beers are good and popular and the small brewery can’t keep up with the orders. Põhjala beers Rukkirääk (rye-infused ale), Öö (porter) and Double Nelson (double IPA) are definitely worth tasting.

Drink Bar is a small cozy place with good choice of beers, ciders and quick pubfood. Does not fit too many, but you always fit. As the owner is a brit who settled down, this is where other local foreigners like to hang out after work. Their motto - no crap on tap explains what this pub is about.

Põrgu has one of the widest choices of beers in Tallinn. Additionally to the most common Belgian, German, Czech and local bigger producers beers, here is one of the two places where you can find the traditional West-Estonian (Saaremaa) homebrew. This is something you can not find abroad. So far all the foreign visitors who have tasted this with me have only said good things about it. But be warned - it is a sneaky one - the sweet taste is a good coverup, it hits harder, than the label would suggest. The pub is in a cellar - for extremely hot days, a good place to cool down - but the pub background noise gets amplified by the arched ceiling and it is not easy to have a chat there in the late evenings.

Pudel is a real new hip beer lounge just next to the GeekOut party venue F-Hoone. The choice of beers is small, but almost all are from Ratebeer.com top 100 (except the local Põhjala beers). Only small snacks - no pub food.

These are just a few places we occasionally visit ourselves. There are lots of nice small pubs with good choices of beer. There are also lots of bigger pubs with have only the local mainstream lagers on tap. Just poke someone with a ZT shirt and they can hopefully give some directions or at least point you to someone who can help out, if you are looking for something special.