Finland: Käki beer joins Sinebrychoff’s House of Beer selection

Käki beer, manufactured by a Finnish microbrewery, will be joining Sinebrychoff’s House of Beer selection, according to Sinebrychoff’s news room, March 19.

In March it will become available in grocery stores and restaurants. Developed by Lammin Sahti, Käki is a top-fermented beer brewed and bottled at the Saimaa Panimo brewery in Lappeenranta.

Käki’s malt blend consists of barley and rye. The mash is filtered through a bed of juniper twigs that impart a juniper-like aroma to the beer. Juniper has been used for centuries, particularly in sahti to balance sweetness and improve preservability. The juniper twigs required for Käki are collected from Lammi with the local landowners’ permission.

In early 2006 Sinebrychoff assembled its high-quality imported beers under the House of Beer concept. Subsequently the selection has been augmented on several occasions, most recently in January with the Czech Budějovický Budvar beers.

The initiative to take Käki into the House of Beer selection came from Sinebrychoff.

“Our selection has many types of special beers. We also wanted a domestic beer from a small brewery that would help us strengthen Finnish beer culture and stimulate consumer interest,” says Sinebrychoff’s CEO Mikael Aro.

Thanks to Sinebrychoff’s distribution, Käki is now receiving considerably wider visibility in grocery stores and restaurants than previously. Aro points out that Käki is not competing with Sinebrychoff’s own products, but provides value added for both parties.

“The entire Käki concept is appealing; the beer itself, the label, its hand-made production, and the Lammi Sahti story. It is a modestly-scaled, yet uniquely Finnish phenomenon,” Aro sums up.

The artist Jarmo “Kätsy” Koivunen, well known as a cartoonist for the Ilta-Sanomat afternoon newspaper, designed the delightful label. Sirpa Kääriäinen coined the name when a cuckoo (“käki” in Finnish) cuckooed in a nearby forest during the first wort cooking.

Lammin Sahti’s CEO Pekka Kääriäinen is satisfied. “Käki’s production will triple as a result of this co-operation,” Kääriäinen states. “Now we’re on an equal footing with the import beers. For many small breweries, organising distribution channels is an overwhelming task, even if it is in principle possible. It’s highly gratifying that the market leader has been a trailblazer in these matters.”

Käki Beer is also an example of co-operation between small breweries; the Saimaa Panimo’s Brewmaster Pirkko Näätänen is also closely involved with its production.

The microbreweries’ special beers are playing a key role in activating consumers’ interest and increasing their awareness.

“In the future Finnish special beers and microbreweries may become increasingly popular because consumers will want to enjoy beers that are more challenging in terms of their flavour,” Kääriäinen predicts.

In 1985 Pekka and Sirpa Kääriäinen founded Lammin Sahti at their farm; in 1987 they obtained their manufacturing license after receiving the green light from Alko. Pekka Kääriäinen’s diploma work at the Helsinki School of Economics treated the commercial production of sahti; as a demonstration project he constructed small-scale brewery equipment.

The Kääriäinen’s history also includes a period at the Lappeenrannan Panimo brewery, where approximately 3 million litres of Rakuuna lager and Husaari top-fermented ale were brewed annually between the years 1993 and 1996.

Nowadays the company includes restaurants in Kanta-Häme and Päijät-Häme. Besides the production at Lammi and Lappeenranta there is also production and distribution at the Tuulos shopping centre. Besides sahti, the company’s other products include Käki and Puhti juniper beers, as well as dry Kottarainen apple cider, made from fresh juices at a separate juicing station, and sweet Pulu strawberry cider.

Pekka Kääriäinen participates actively in beer associations. He is the Chairman of the Pienpanimoliitto (“Association of Finnish Microbreweries”) and the Finnish Society for Sahti. In recognition of his achievements, he was the first Finn to be awarded the Finnish Beer Union’s Hyvä Tuomas (“Good Thomas”) prize.

Käki juniper beer, characteristics

Alcohol content 4.5 %
Original gravity 11% Plato
Bitterness 20 EBU
Colour 35 EBC

Ingredients: water, barley and rye malt, juniper, hops and top yeast.

Manufacturing location: Saimaan Panimo, Lappeenranta, by agreement with Lammin Sahti Oy.

Oy Sinebrychoff Ab is Finland’s leading manufacturer of beers, ciders, soft drinks and energy drinks. The company’s annual production is approximately 400 million litres. Sinebrychoff is part of the international Carlsberg Breweries A/S.

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