Ölbeat 212: Stadin American Imperial Porter

Brewery: Stadin Panimo
Country: Finland
Style: Imperial Porter
Abv: 9,5 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is black with a medium-sized foamy beige head. Aroma has roasted malts, sweet citrus, chocolate and liquorice. Taste starts with fruity and roasted bitter bite. Sweet roasted malts and strong grapefruit bitterness take over with liquorice on the background. Near the finish fruity bitterness gets on top with a sweet orange tone. Aftertaste has sweet citrus bitterness and gentle boozy roast.

Pretty fresh and funky Imperial Porter. The American side dominates here in the form of sweet citrus-packed hops, while the roast plays the rhythm guitar. Somehow this brew reminds me of fresh Siperia, but the flavours are definitely deeper and softer. Excellent and delicious beer.

Ölbeat

First time with Stadin Panimo (it's been a while) I chose another song from the same band. By incident? Well, no. I think that the brewery will forever be stuck with the first real ambassadeurs of rock made in Finland. If the people in Stadin Panimo aren't ok with that, I'll give them some time to change their minds.

Hanoi Rocks: Tragedy (YouTube)

From the 1981 album Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks, the song was written by Andy McCoy.

Ölbeat 009: Stadin Panimo American Lager

Brewery: Stadin Panimo
Country: Finland
Style: Premium Lager
Abv: 4,5 %
@RateBeer

Born American in Finland

Stadin Panimo (StaPa), founded in 1998 for sahti brewing and started in 2000 with beer, is a Finnish microbrewery in Helsinki. The brewery was shut down in 2007 but restarted only one year later - for the joy of Finnish beer lovers. As the top of the success story the brewery opened its own bar in 2015. StaPa has been awarded for many of its brews, both sahti and beer. American Lager has been selected Finland's best "grocery store" (max 4,7 % abv) light lager in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and Finland's best beer in 2014, so it was a natural choice for the first StaPa beer with an Ölbeat.

What about the beer?
Colour is cloudy light yellow with bubbles and a two-finger-thick lasting white head. Aroma is fresh, filled with grapefruit and behind it there's more grapefruit. The first impression of taste is biting dry hops. Then you get distinctive lemon and grapefruit. High level carbonation is present the whole experience. Bitter aftertaste lasts long.

Let's cut it short. One of the first craftbeeroholic rules is: "Don't drink lager. Never. Only in and after sauna, if you can't obey the rule." After having this beer the rule says: "If you want to drink lager, drink this lager. Inside or outside the sauna. Everywhere. There are no other lagers." Now, let's wait for the rule to change again. 

Ölbeat
There actually were no other options. The perfect matching song is an American song by a Finnish band:

Hanoi Rocks: Up Around the Bend (YouTube)

From the 1984 album, Two Steps from the Move, the song is a cover song, originally performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival and written by John Fogerty - as we all know. The original was one of the band's rhythm guitarist Nasty Suicide's favourite songs, and it was first jammed in band rehearsals. The record label needed an international hit for the album, so they chose this one to the album. Rest is history: Hanoi Rocks turned the original swamp rock tune into an unforgettable piece of 80's glam rock. Unfortunately, the band's success story was cut short after drummer Razzle died in a car accident in 1984. Nevertheless, the most known lineup with singer Michael Monroe, guitarists Andy McCoy and Nasty Suicide, bassist Sam Yaffa and drummer Razzle had enough time to draw their mark in the rock'n'roll history. Anyway this song by this band was the only possible choice by the side of American Lager.