Takatalo & Tompuri Brewery’s KASKI Mustakaura wins Finland’s Best Beer 2023

By admin On Sep 14, 2023

The winner of the “Finland’s Best Beer 2023” competition has been announced, and the title goes to Takatalo & Tompuri Brewery’s KASKI Mustakaura with an alcohol content of 5.0%. This rich and smooth beer impressed both Finnish and international judges in the final round of the competition.

Out of 450 beers from 53 breweries that entered the competition, a panel of over fifty judges meticulously evaluated each entry to determine the winners in various categories.

The grand prize of “Finland’s Best Beer 2023” was selected with the assistance of an international final judging panel. Additionally, the competition’s main partner, Viking Malt, awarded separate rankings for the dark and medium-dark ale, stout, and porter categories.

The competition featured a total of 15 categories, with the largest participant groups in the light lager, IPA, and sour beer categories. The competition evolves each year to meet the needs of both breweries and consumers. In recent years, there has been a separate category for alcohol-free and low-alcohol beers, and this year, the light lager category was divided into two. The award for the best gluten-free beer is now being presented for the third time.

Takatalo & Tompuri Brewery, the creators of Finland’s Best Beer 2023, is a family-owned farm brewery located in Virolahti, Kymenlaakso. The malted barley and oats used in their beer come from their own fields, making it a truly local product. The judging panel described the winning beer as follows: “The winning beer had an inviting foam and appearance. The aroma had subtle toasting and complex coffee notes. The winning beer is full of flavors, yet easy to drink. It’s a perfect companion for venison stew and Gouda cheese.”

In addition to Takatalo & Tompuri Brewery, breweries from around Finland claimed victories in various categories. Etko Brewing from Helsinki, Olarin Panimo, Salama Brewing, and Fat Lizard Brewing Co. from Espoo, Vanhan Porvoon Panimo, Tornion Panimo, Panimoyhtiö TuJu from Lappeenranta, Kakola Brewing from Turku, Lammin Sahti, Hailuodon Panimo, Mallaskuun Panimo from Lapua, and Sinebrychoff from Kerava were among the category winners. Special mention also goes to the highest-scoring gluten-free beer, which this year is Tired Uncle Brewing’s Prost! For Uncles from Espoo, selected from among the beers breweries entered as gluten-free in the competition.

The “Finland’s Best Beer” competition aims for objectivity: “In this competition, all beers are evaluated blindly to ensure a level playing field,” explained competition director Anikó Lehtinen of Olutliitto (Finnish Beer Association). “We do not disclose the names of participating breweries during the competition to prevent judges from having preconceptions about the competition beers. Only the taste of the beer matters. Our judging panel represents a wide spectrum of Finnish beer tastes, including hobbyists, professionals in the restaurant and retail industry, beer media, and beer enthusiasts. We have a rigorous training program for judges before the competition.”

The “Finland’s Best Beer” competition took place at Perho Business School in early June, with Jussi Rokka, an experienced beer journalist and judge, serving as the head judge, and Veera Savolainen, a long-time restaurant professional, as the competition master. André Brunnsberg, the chairman of the European Beer Consumers’ Union, headed the final judging panel, which included Viking Malt’s brewmaster Raimo Koljonen, Milja Seppälä, vice-chair of the Finnish Beer Association, beer writer and BJCP-certified beer judge Jouni Koskinen, Johanna Siik, vice-chair of the Finnish Beer Society, journalist Mariaana Nelimarkka, and international judges Thorsten Sander, Artur Napiórkowski, Marek Kamiński, and Michael Schmitt. They evaluated all 15 category winners and selected the “Finland’s Best Beer 2023.”

“The judging panel performed their duties with great care and professionalism, just like in previous years. The high level of competition is reflected in the fact that the discussion at the judging tables when selecting the category winners was very thorough. The high standard made the task of the final judging panel demanding; we had to consider the strengths of the category winners from various perspectives before determining Finland’s Best Beer 2023,” commented head judge Jussi Rokka on the competition’s progress.

The competition winners were announced on Viking Line’s Beer Gala Cruise on September 8th, and the category winners (maximum 5.5%) are available at selected S Group points across Finland.

“Finland’s Best Beer” is the only competition that exclusively judges Finnish beers, with participation from both large and small breweries. It is open to all regularly available beers produced in Finland. The competition’s goals are to guide consumers in choosing and tasting different beers, improve the status of Finnish beer, and give breweries the opportunity to showcase their beers to a wide audience.

The competition is organized by the Finnish Beer Association, whose members include the Finnish Brewery Association and the Small Brewers Association. The practical arrangements for the competition are managed by the Finnish Beer Society. Viking Malt is the main partner of the competition, in collaboration with S Group, Viking Line, Rastal, Suuret Oluet Pienet Panimot, the Finnish Brewery Association, the Small Brewers Association, and Perho Business School. Olutposti serves as the media partner. The “Finland’s Best Beer” competition is one of the seven competitions approved by the European Beer Consumers’ Union (EBCU), the umbrella organization of Olutliitto, the Finnish Beer Association.

Finland’s Best Beer 2023 Winners:

Finland’s Best Beer 2023: KASKI Mustakaura 5.0%, Takatalo & Tompuri Brewery

Category Winners:

International Light Lager:

Pumpattava barbaari 5.0%, Munich Helles, Panimoyhtiö TuJu

Pils:

Barley Grind 5.3%, German Pils, Olarin Panimo

Other Light Lager:

1873 Hunaja-bock 7.3%, Helles Bock, Tornion Panimo

Dark or Coloured Lager:

KASKI Mustakaura 5.0%, Schwarzbier, Takatalo & Tompuri Brewery

Light or Medium-Dark Ale (Supported by Viking Malt):

Lammin Sahti 7.5%, Sahti, Lammin Sahti

APA and Session IPA:

Borgå Hazy Session IPA 4.3%, Session IPA, Vanhan Porvoon Panimo

NEIPA:

Neon Beast 6.0%, Hazy IPA, Salama Brewing

IPA:

Splitty Westy West Coast DIPA 8.0%, American IPA, Fat Lizard Brewing Company

Stout and Porter (Supported by Viking Malt):

Lauha 9.0%, Imperial Stout, Kakola Brewing Company

Wheat Beer:

Vehnä 4.7%, Wheat Beer, Hailuodon Panimo

Unflavoured and Flavoured Sour Beers:

Vanilla Ducks 5.0%, Flavoured Sour Beer, Etko Brewing

Flavoured Beers:

Pumpkin Ale 8.0%, Autumn Beer, Mallaskuun Panimo

Aged Beers:

DBA Big Mommam 10.4%, Barrel-Aged Beer, Olarin Panimo

Alcohol-Free and Low-Alcohol Beers:

Crisp Lager 0.0%, Alcohol-Free Beer, Sinebrychoff

Other Beers:

KASKI Mustasavu 4.6%, Smoked Beer, Takatalo & Tompuri Brewery

SPECIAL MENTION: Finland’s Best Gluten-Free Beer 2023: Prost! For Uncles 5.5%, German Export Beer, Tired Uncle Brewing

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi