Rob (of Athlone Beer Club fame) went to Finland last month and he brought me back a pair of beers. I think it’s fair to say he was slightly disappointed to see the hotel bar had Carlsberg and Guinness on draught. Hopefully the Northern Lights made up for it. Anyway I was asked for a ‘full review’ so here goes! The first one I opened was Lapin Kulta which apparently means Lapp Gold and it is indeed a pleasant golden colour. It barely had any head though. I’m sure any of you who regularly read this blog will know that I don’t go looking for flaws, for one thing I get it hard to differentiate between off flavours, I just know that it doesn’t taste right. This time though the sweetcorn flavour stood out, it’s known as DMS or Dimethyl Sulphite. According to Belgian Smaak it can be even considered desirable in this type of Pale Lager.
http://www.belgiansmaak.com/off-flavours-in-beer-off-flavours/
But I’m not a fan of sweetcorn at the best of times, so it wasn’t for me. Sorry Rob!
Next up was Karhu A, which is actually owned by the Carlsberg group. This one had a better, foamy white head and tasted quite clean and refreshing. It’s more what I’d want from a cold Lager. A decent beer. I thought they’d all be drinking Russian Imperial Stouts in the frozen north but I was sadly mistaken. If I ever get up that far I’ll have to bring my own. Let me know what you think of my ‘proper’ review. Sláinte!
I like how this review is more detailed than usual. Keep it up.