BREWERY TOUR OF ESPOO
Espoo is nowadays a versatile beer and brewery city with plenty to see and experience. You can explore micro-breweries one area at a time or even spend a whole day on a beer tour in Espoo travelling either on public transport or by bike.
OUR FOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR A BEER OUTING IN ESPOO:
1. OTANIEMI – FAT LIZARD BREWING
One of Espoo’s most dynamic areas is the red-brick campus of Otaniemi with its large amphitheatre and parks which provide pleasant places to enjoys a few beers as you watch the buzzing student life around you.
The Fat Lizard Brewing Co. located there is Espoo’s first commercial brewery and was founded in 2015. The brewery produces American-style, easy-to-drink and refreshing beers.
Fat Lizard is located in the old Kattilahalli designed by Alvar Aalto, which used to house the heat production research building. The proud history of the building includes the invention of dual-flush toilets.
Fat Lizard has its own shop and a bar with a summer terrace where you can enjoy the brewery’s beers. The brewery also organises tours and tasting sessions. Just a stone’s throw away, you can also find the Fat Lizard restaurant which serves American-style food and boasts a wide variety of beers from Fat Lizard and other, mostly Finnish, micro-breweries. The restaurant also serves insects as a crispy starter snack.
2. KERAN HALLIT - TIRED UNCLE BREWING CO. AND MASIS BREWERY
Keran Hallit event hall is home to a relatively new brewery scene with as many as two Finnish micro-breweries: Masis Brewery and Tired Uncle Brewing Co., which has opened its own taproom too. Keran Hallit is also a good spot to take a coffee break and to enjoy art, in addition to beer, of course.
Masis Brewery is an Espoo-based brewery which opened at Keran Hallit in summer 2021. The brewery got its name from the late “brewmaster” Masi the dog, which is also featured in the brewery’s logo. Masis’ beers are modern interpretations of IPAs and the currently very trendy sours. The Masis shop, where you can buy beers to take away, is in connection to the brewery. You access the brewery shop through the courtyard of Keran Hallit.
The name of Tired Uncle Brewing is older than the brewery itself; it is a name coined in 1998 for a group of friends. The brewery opened in 2018 and found its home in Kera a year later. The brewery is known for its cloudy NEIPA-style beers whose names are also largely based on the family theme. You can also buy beer to take away from the brewery shop.
Tired Uncle Taproom, whose more than a dozen taps include beers from all three breweries at Keran Hallit, is also located in the building. The restaurant serves pub grub to enjoy with your beer.
3. BEMBÖLE - SALAMA BREWING
Salama Brewing close to Espoo Ikea is known for its flavoursome beers and its distinctive, metallic and psychedelic labels. Salama is a firm favourite among beer enthusiasts, and the brewery often produces interesting new creations with imaginative flavours. The brewery is located slightly off the beaten track, so it is a good idea to check the shop’s opening hours before making your way there.
4. KIVENLAHTI - ESPOON OMA PANIMO
The beers of Espoon Oma Panimo brewery are local down to their names as the majority of the brewery’s products are named after different Espoo districts. The brewery wants to be part of the Espoo scene and as local as possible. The brewery, located in Kivenlahti, has its own shop where you can buy Westend as well as Kauklahti beers among others.
+ Get to know all 10 breweries in Espoo
There are currently 10 small breweries operating in Espoo:
1) Alberga Brewing Company,
2) Espoo Oma Panimo,
3) Fat Lizard Brewing co,
4) Gallows Bird,
5) Masis Brewery,
6) Olutkulkurit,
7) Oy Panimolaboratorio - Bryggerilaboratorium Ab,
8) Pitkäjärven Panimo,
9) Salama Brewing Company
10) Tired Uncle Brewing co.
Author: Anikó Lehtinen
Food and Beverage Journalist, Beer Specialist, Presenter