Ölbeat 332 (BC17 #19): Sonnisaari Juomahammas II

Brewery: Sonnisaari (in Finnish)
Country: Finland
Style: Imperial Porter
Abv: 11 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small beige head. Aroma has milk chocolate, vanilla, sweet roast and oak. Taste starts with bitter chocolate roast. Sweet milk chocolate and bitter roasted malts take over with hints of vanilla and oak. Towards the end sweet roasted malts, dark chocolate and spicy oak flavour get on top with soft boozy warmth. Aftertaste has bitter dark chocolate, sweetish roasted malts and oaky-spicy whisky bite - and it lasts.

Warming and delicious Imperial Porter. Chocolate, oak, roast, spices, booze - complex and layered rich flavours. Finish is phenomenal. Hard to tell whether I loved this one more than the sherry version. Absolutely beautiful brew.

Ölbeat

Searching for great Finnish craft beer can sometimes seem to be "hunting high and low and even in between", if high is considered to be the Northern Finland and low the Southern Finland. This time we caught an excellent brew from one of the breweries up north.

Stratovarius: Hunting High And Low (YouTube)

From the 2000 album Infinite, the song was written by Timo Tolkki and Timo Kotipelto.

Ölbeat 172: Mallaskosken Black Imperial Rye

Brewery: Mallaskosken Panimo
Country: Finland
Style: Specialty Grain
Abv: 11,4 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small cream white head. Aroma has berries, dark fruits and sweet malts. Taste begins with thick and sweet caramel malts. Sweet caramel malts and rich dark fruits with slight bitterness and bite of alcohol take over. Towards the end deep fruity and warming alcohol flavours get on top. Aftertaste has malty fruits, sweet bitterness and alcohol warmth.

Strong and rich-flavoured dark Rye Wine. Thick malty liquid is filled with taste of fruits and caramel, which makes a complex and rich beer. Superb brew from Seinäjoki.

Ölbeat

Beautifully rich dark beer needs to be accompanied with a melodic dark-toned music. Well, band fronted by guitar wizard Timo Tolkki and high pitch vocalist Timo Kotipelto seem to have just right song for the occasion.

Stratovarius: Black Diamond (YouTube)

From the 1997 album Visions, the song was written by Timo Tolkki and Timo Kotipelto.

Ölbeat 148: Malmgård American Pale Ale

Brewery: Malmgård
Country: Finland
Style: American Pale Ale
Abv: 5,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is dark orange with a medium-sized natural white head. Aroma has mango, orange and grapefruit with some malts and pine. Taste begins with fruits and gentle piny bitterness. Piny spiciness and bitter grapefruit take over with some malty, sweet and herbal flavours. Pine and a menthol-like herb take the upper hand near the finish. Aftertaste has piny dryness, bitter grapefruit and a menthol note.

Tasty and surprising American Pale Ale. Strongly piny and herbal bitterness in the end left me wondering whether I like it or not. Probably not very APA'ish but it gives the beer more character, and the taste turns more pleasant the nearer finishing the bottle is. Quality brewing once again by Malmgård.

Ölbeat

Malmgård Brewery is in many ways a special Finnish brewery. They have chosen their own path which includes using their own spring water and grain (spelt and emmer wheat) in brewing and avoiding releasing anything else than high quality products. This APA has the great uniqueness that can be expected from them always.

Stratovarius: I Walk to My Own Song (YouTube)

From the 2003 album Elements Pt. 2, the song was written by Timo Tolkki.