Põhjala Brewery Is Founded in Tallinn

In late 2011, Enn Parel, Peeter Keek, Gren Noormets, and Tiit Paananen founded Põhjala Brewery in Tallinn, Estonia. The four friends shared an interest in food, beer, and homebrewing and wanted to create beers that offered greater variety than the pale lagers that dominated the Estonian market. Soon afterward, Scottish brewer Chris Pilkington joined the project and brought professional brewing experience to the young company. Põhjala released its first beer, Öö Imperial Baltic Porter, in early 2013, initially producing its beers at rented brewing facilities. The company opened its first brewery in Tallinn's Nõmme district in April 2014. Põhjala subsequently became known internationally for strong dark beers, barrel aging, hop-forward beers, and recipes inspired by Estonian ingredients and cuisine, helping establish Estonia as a visible part of the modern European craft-beer movement.