Huvila Arctic Circle Ale

Brewed by Malmgårdin Panimo
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Malmgård, Finland

THOUGHTS: It reminded me a little of and ale version of Samichlaus. Very nice. A little like Mad Elf, too. It was one of those great beers that I can’t fully explain the reasons why I like it. It was like fruit juice, liquor and beer mixed together. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, light to medium reddish cola with an average to large, tan head that mostly diminished, but kept a nice sheet and left good lacing. The aroma was moderate, dark bread, caramel and wood, some spicy yeast; berries, cola, a little vanilla, hint of smoke, and a fruitiness that must have been the juniper. The initial flavor was rather sweet; while the finish was sweet and bitter with a long duration. There was fruit, malty caramel, dark bread, toasted malt, a little smoke, slight whiskey and port, a little cola, hints of chocolate, toffee and a hint of hops. It almost seemed like with was barrel-aged. The medium body was sort of creamy yet oily, too; and it got a little syrupy sticky by the end with soft carbonation and a lightly dry and slightly alcoholic finish.

Keg 0.25L glass. Pale head. Reddish coppery colour. Soft slightly thin junipery taste. At the end hoppy bite. Soft slightly berrylike taste. Some grassiness in the nose. Something is missing...

Bottle. Pours a mahogany body with an off white head. Very hoppy pine and grapefruit with juniper twigs light bark and a salty barley wine esk finish. Medium etoh warming with a hoppy piney bite, almost like an American style barleywine. Nice ale.

Murky chestnut pour reveals some sticky lacing left by a 1/2 inch eggshell head. Aroma of raisin, brown sugar, and spice. Flavor is buttermilk biscuit, honey, roasted malt and only the slightest inclusion of juniper. Medium mouthfeel. Tasty.

Draught (Villi Wäinö, Helsinki) - Brown with a slight haze and some red tinges. Fruity aroma with juniper, raisins, marzipan and malt. Fruity and slightly hoppy taste with juniper, strawberries, malt and pepper.

Pours a dark but not opaque red-brown with a fizzy head. The aroma is of sweet malt, and the flavor follows suit. Sweet and slightly bitter. The juniper twigs appeared to contribute some bitterness, but not much else. Nice, but not sufficiently different from some other malty, strong European ales to merit the very high price. Listening to some Finnish metal or sitting in a snowy forest would enhance my enjoyment of this.

Pours reddish bronze with a sudsy tan head. The aroma has creamy toasted malt, light doughiness and a slick woodiness. Medium slick body with light carbonation. The flavor begins with dry caramel with some woodiness, dry spiciness and some oxidation that doesn’t really detract too much and fits in okay. The finish has a dry pininess (not hops) and toasted malt with an odd flavor that is probably the juniper twigs. An interesting beer that’s worth giving a shot.