A visit to Põhjala Brewery (Tallinn, Estonia)
Põhjala taps in Estonia
Back in January of this year (2025) I was visited at our former location by Peeter Keek, co-owner of Põhjala Brewery out of Tallinn, Estonia. He was doing a tour of the region and stopped by Carolina Beer Temple since we almost always carry his brews.
Põhjala is known in the United States for their big, bold, high ABV Imperial Stouts and Baltic Porters which are usually barrel aged. At Carolina Beer Temple we currently have a few in stock, including: Moonlit Nights Strong Ale, Tallinn at Dawn Baltic Porter and Jatku Lieba Imperial Porter, amongst others.
Peeter seemed impressed with our humble operation on Trade St., and I informed him we’d be moving to a bigger, better location in a few months and that he definitely needs to make a return visit. He, in turn, offered us a handful of cool merch and told me that if I ever visit Estonia, that I should reach out to him for a tour of the brewery.
“Yeah sure! Next time I’m in Estonia, I’ll look you up!” I thought to myself wryly. But I sincerely appreciated his offer.
I wound up saving Peeter’s business card and the little pamphlet about the brewery he gave me.
About four weeks later, my wife asked me if I wanted to go to Estonia.
“Visit Estonia? Sure, I know a guy!”
Her niece had been training for a marathon, and she wanted her first one to be in Tallinn. My wife, and other members of our family, all wanted to go to show our support (and great excuse to visit a country we’ve never been to).
Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia
In September we made our way to Estonia. About a month in advance, I reached out to Peeter. I explained that it was probably a surprise, but I was on my way and wanted to take him up on his offer.
Peeter was a great host!
We stayed in Old Town Tallinn, which is an old Viking Medieval city populated with buildings and old stone walls that date back to the 1200s. Põhjala Brewery is about a 30 minute walk from where we stayed.
Town Square Old Town, Tallinn
Our gracious host, Peeter, greeted us as soon as we arrived and we made our way to the taproom, which was upstairs (downstairs was mostly the brewery itself, the company store and another area for tastings). He offered us our first round from their extensive tap list which had 24 brews on it - all brewed at Põhjala, except for one guest tap featuring a Mikkeller brew.
The tap list was far more extensive than I expected. In the USA we are familiar primarily with Põhjala ’s strong stouts and Baltic porters, however, this tap list featured west coast IPAs, session IPAs, sour ales, lagers, pale ales, juicy IPAs and more, along with the expected seven or eight dark brews over 10% ABV!
Põhjala Tap List - September, 2025
I was immediately drawn to the Rukkdrääk Rye Ale, brewed with Estonian Rye and American Hops. I’m a sucker for brews brewed with rye and this ale did not disappoint - one of the best rye ales I’ve ever had.
Rukkdrääk Rye Ale
We took a tour of the brewery where I learned the brewery is housed in an old warehouse where the Soviets built submarines, back when Estonia was part of the former Soviet Union. Peeter informed me he grew up under Soviet rule until he was a young teenager. When they built the brewery, they kept some relics from the Soviet era, including some stairs that had several words written in Russian etched into them.
Metal Staircase featuring Soviet era etchings
Peeter shared with me that the name Põhjala is derived from a mythical place known as the Northlands - north of Finland. Põhjala symbolizes the challenges of living in a hostile environment where heroes encounter perils to test their strength.
Põhjala Brewery is the largest amongst the Baltic states, producing 1,200 hectoliters of beer per month.
Põhjala Brewery
The brewery may also be the only brewery in the world to feature a sauna! Saunas are common throughout the Northern European states and at Põhjala you can rent their sauna by the hour.
Põhjala has an extensive cellar series, featuring their strongest stouts, porters and ales aged in whiskey barrels. He acknowledged that they would love to age more beer in American Bourbon barrels, but unfortunately, due to the time it takes for the barrels to arrive in Tallinn, they are no longer optimal for aging beers by time they arrive. Therefore, most of their beers are aged in whiskey barrels from distilleries in Scandinavia and other parts of Europe - but no less delightful.
Põhjala Barrel Room
After a tour of the brewery, I enjoyed their most popular beer, the 6.5% ABV Virmalised west coast IPA, brewed with American hops, as we ate Texas style brisket that was so tender you could cut it with a spoon! Brisket is another specialty of theirs and it was phenomenal - I also highly recommend the Kimchi Coleslaw when you pay them a visit.
Lunch at Põhjala Brewery
Thankfully, Põhjala brews were common at most bars we visited in the Old Town, so we always had something we knew we would like. In addition to the IPA and Rye Ale mentioned above, we were also big fans of their Kask Forest Lager and the Põhjala Laager as we toured about Tallinn. Overall, their beers across the board are some of the best around and I would likely rank this brewery in my Top 10 favorites worldwide.
Peeter shared with me that, “Switzerland is known for chocolates, Scotland is known for Scotch Whiskey…we want Estonia to be known for its strong, dark beers!” As a beer connoisseur I’d say, “so far so good” on their mission.
Rob and Peeter at Põhjala Brewery
Cheers,
Rob Jacik (Owner Carolina Beer Temple)