Even in Europe, the average Joe would struggle to place Estonia on a map. But if you’re a craft beer fan, it’s worth digging out your atlas, because tucked up there on the snowy northern edge of Europe, a quiet revolution is taking place. The Estonians are coming. But don’t worry, they’re bringing beer.

Põhjala – Fathers of the Revolution

Leading the charge are Põhjala. The brewery, in a leafy suburb of the capital, Tallinn, reflects the ambitious team’s growth story perfectly. One of the first purpose-built craft breweries in Estonia, the facility has only been online for two years. Despite being expanded three times already, it will soon be a casualty of Põhjala’s explosive growth, with a new brewery in the works with an initial capacity four to five times that of their current, fully extended operation. For now, the team of twelve are embracing the clutter of the creative process.

From the comfort of their well-worn sofa, surrounded by towering piles of ingredients, co-founder and M.D., Enn Parel, and Head Brewer, Chris Pilkington, tell me their story.

Enn Parel, co-founder of Põhjala, was an “early adopter” of craft brews when exports began to trickle into Estonia in the mid-2000s.

“As a consumer I have a long history with beer,” says Enn, with characteristically deadpan Estonian humour – but in the Estonia that emerged in the early 90s, dazed and bruised from decades of Soviet occupation, choices for “beer guys” like Enn were limited. Despite a proud tradition of brewing, the early years of independent statehood saw a segment dominated by cookie-cutter conglomerates producing mediocre lager. Their only competition was a handful of microbreweries trying to compete with the big boys on price and product, or Estonia’s traditional farm beers – brewed with unboiled wort, baker’s yeast, and often flavoured with juniper. Even for a patriotic Estonian, these are, Enn says, “an acquired taste.”

Enn never did learn to love farm beers, and so traveling outside of Estonia become an exercise in beer exploration, before becoming an “early adopter” when exports of craft beer finally reached Estonia in the mid-2000s. Drinking turned to experiments in brewing, and by the end of 2011, with some homebrewing experience under their collective belts, Enn and co-founders Peeter Keek and Gren Noormets had resolved to launch their own brewery. Põhjala (pronounced ‘puh-ya-la’, and meaning ‘Nordic’ in Estonian) was born.

The quick leap from small-scale homebrewer to commercial craft brewery founder may seem extreme – but since independence, Estonia has embraced and applauded entrepreneurial spirit with an enthusiasm the rest of Europe rarely musters. “Leap before you look” could be a national motto. But when Estonians hustle, they do it well. Having founded the company with limited brewing knowledge but lots of enthusiasm, the team took themselves to Fraserburgh to see how Brewdog ran a commercial operation. Having spotted Brewdog founder James Watt in a bar in Aberdeen, the guys got talking and hustled their way to a short internship.

The experience resulted in an alarming discovery. “That’s when we realized,” Enn says, “that we were shit brewers, and we needed to bring in someone who knew what they were doing.” Luckily for craft beer fans in the Baltics and beyond, fortune favors the brave -– and instead of this revelation putting paid to their dreams, it became key to their success. The founders started to look for a savior, and found one in the form of talented brewer Chris Pilkington, who was working with Brewdog at the time. Having tempted Chris over to Estonia as a partner in the endeavor, the rest, as they say, is history.

Põhjala’s head brewer Chris Pilkington joined the team after the founders realized their brewing skills were subpar.

Nordic by Nature

Three passionate co-founders grew to include brewing and design talent, before an angel investor – and coincidentally the ex-CEO of Estonia’s most famous company, Skype – provided the additional means needed to found the brewery. Since then, Põhjala have evolved, swelling in numbers and taking on a part stake in one of Tallinn’s finest craft beer bars, before opening their own brewery tap, “Speakeasy.” But throughout, they have stayed close to their roots as a brewery that takes inspiration from the beer trends and styles that grace the world stage, before transforming them into something uniquely Nordic.

And it’s not such a surprise that Estonia’s Nordic heart should produce some great beers. Aside from being the tenth biggest per-capita consumers of beer on the planet, Estonia has clean air, expansive forests and picturesque coastlines. It is also home to the best “cheers” of all European languages, “Terviseks!” (Or “pervy sex” if you struggle with the original phrase).

One of the first purpose-built craft breweries in Estonia, Põhjala has been online for two years and has already been expanded three times.

Sidestepping the titillating language, Põhjala take their inspiration from local nature and cuisine – the simple and clean flavors of the region. ‘We don’t design beer for a market segment – we brew the beers that we like and that we want to brew. We are the guys who make Baltic porter in the Baltics, beers with a Nordic flavor for the world stage,” Enn explains. With a relatively young market, customers warm easily to new ideas, turning to Põhjala for quality beers with some local heritage.

Head Brewer Chris goes on, “The innovation we do, the beer concepts and recipes, are inspired by Estonian nature and food.” And the Nordic influence is often clear, with brews like rye ale Rukkirääk, a mainstay of the core range. Translated as “Corn Crake,” an elusive bird which inhabits the many rye fields of Estonia, this beer showcases caramel tones of rye malt set off by punchy hops. Picture swooping barn swallows, sparkling seas and the twinkle of cornflower among swaying grain fields – an Estonian summer’s day in a bottle.

A seasonal favorite is Pesakond, described as a “Black Forest IPA,” and first brewed to celebrate a favorite local comic strip of that name. This Black IPA takes flavors of the Estonian forest – fresh spruce tips and blueberries, to give the drinker an evocative taste of the best of Nordic nature, all packaged in an eminently drinkable brew. Põhjala’s dark beers stand out especially, and more than hold their own on the world stage – their global recognition hinting at the ability and ambition of Chris and the whole team to produce brews that punch well beyond their weight.

Pohjãla have brewed prolifically, brewing over 75 different styles since being founded as gypsies in 2011. They’re beers worth seeking out – Pohjãla is generally considered the best brewery in Estonia, with most beers garnering high ratings. Pohjãla’s collaboration with Danish To Øl, ‘Taanilinn,’ has received near-universal praise.

Pohjãla is generally considered the best brewery in Estonia, with most beers garnering high ratings.

In fact, it’s their delight for collaborating that might hint at Põhjala’s insatiable desire to experiment, learn and expand – 12 of the 75 beers are collaborations with Brewers from the region and across Europe and the US. Enn explains why. “We love doing something with the guys we like, learning from each other, networking – it’s not unusual to wake up at a festival with a sore head and a handshake on a collab with a new friend.” An early collaboration with Oregon’s iconic Boneyard Beer produced the exquisite Baltic Notorious IPA3, a Baltic take on the Boneyard classic triple IPA brewed in Tallinn with brewmaster Tony Lawrence in attendance. An awesome beer, and a great way of reaching new drinkers – collaborate and conquer, if you like.

The Estonians Are Coming

Even if you can’t come to Estonia to get a taste of Põhjala’s unique take on Nordic flavour, the chances are, they’ll be coming to you soon.

Two years since their brewery doors burst open, Põhjala are now the largest and most commercially successful craft Brewer in Estonia. In Ratebeer’s 2015 Awards, Põhjala scored not only the award for best brewery in Estonia, but also saw two of their brews in the top 15 in the world by style – Must Kuld (Black Gold) coming in at 14 in the Porter category, and their first ever commercial brew, Baltic Porter Öö (Night) hitting the 12th spot. Endearingly, the team had not even scanned the ‘Best in the World’ listings until a friend called with the news. Having only 18 months of commercial production under their belts, they were pleased at the ‘Best in Estonia’ moniker – but the crew are certainly not lacking ambition on a global scale.

With tentative partnerships in place for export to the US, Põhjala look likely to be the first Estonian brewery to make it big across the pond.

In fact, Põhjala’s whole strategy is to compete on the world stage – producing best-in-class beers, and developing a worldwide reach. “We are ambitious guys, from a business background. The hunger for growth is in the DNA of the business,” Enn explains.

With close to twenty export markets open already, Põhjala’s main challenge is in meeting the demand of their fan base at home and abroad. “It might sound flattering,” Enn says, “but we really don’t want to piss off our customers.” Already, export demand has swelled so that between 50 and 70 percent of current production capacity is shipped overseas, resulting in Estonian fans taking extreme measures – like skipping over the Baltic to neighbouring Finland – to track down their favourite limited-run brews when local supplies dry up.

As specially invited guests to Cigar City’s Hunahpu’s Day in March 2016, and with tentative partnerships in place for export to the US, Põhjala look likely to be the first Estonian brewery to make it big across the pond, meaning the increased capacity of the planned new brewery is crucial. Hopping over to Helsinki to buy a beer is something a dedicated Estonian fan will tolerate, but having to track down their favorite brew in a US liquor store is going to make even the most laid-back Estonian pretty cranky. So, if you find Põhjala pouring near you, snap it up, and join the Estonian ‘beer guys’ in a toast. Terviseks!

(All photos courtesy Põhjala)