Põhjala
Põhjala
Põhjala – meaning "Northern Realm" in Estonian, a reference to the mysterious and mythical place from Estonia's national epic Kalevipoeg – was founded in late 2011 in Tallinn by four Estonian friends who shared a deep passion for food, travel, and homebrewing: Enn Parel, Peeter Keek, Gren Noormets and Tiit Paananen, the latter of whom happened to be the former CEO of Skype. Realising early on that their homebrewing skills alone would not suffice, they recruited Scottish brewer Chris Pilkington, fresh from BrewDog's original brewery in Fraserburgh, who brought the technical expertise and creative ambition that matched their own vision. The first Põhjala beer, the Öö Imperial Baltic Porter, was released in early 2013 and contract-brewed at partner facilities while the team prepared their own brewery, which opened in Tallinn's Nõmme district in April 2014.
Since then, Põhjala has grown into the largest craft brewery in the Baltic states and the only one ever to have been included in the RateBeer Top 100 list of the world's best breweries, with their beers now available in over 30 countries across Europe, Asia, North America and beyond. In 2018, the brewery moved to its current home at Port Noblessner, a historic former Soviet naval shipyard on the waterfront of Tallinn where submarines were once built, transforming this remarkable industrial space into a world-class brewing facility, tap room and beer restaurant. Today, Head Brewer Martin Vahtra, who joined in 2018 and took over the role in 2023, leads the brewing team with a focus on technical precision and local Estonian ingredients.
Põhjala's philosophy has always centred on the connection between beer, food and the natural world, drawing inspiration from Estonian forests, local heritage and the country's culinary traditions. The brewery takes well-known styles – from crisp lagers and hoppy IPAs to fruited sours and world-class Baltic porters and Imperial stouts – and adds its own unmistakable twist through surprising local ingredients, long barrel ageing and unrelenting experimentation. With a particular mastery of dark and barrel-aged beers that has earned global recognition, Põhjala stands today as one of the most exciting, creative and internationally respected craft breweries in all of Europe.