How things have changed.....

It's been a while since I last posted a blog. You see, I normally write when I am listening to football on the internet, and seeing as today is the start of the football season again, then it seems only natural that I pen something while in front of the laptop with a beer in hand.

Loads has happened since I last wrote. I'm delighted to say that Estonia has totally embraced the craft beer scene. More and more craft beers from Denmark, America and the UK are on sale, and more importantly, locally produced micro brewed beers are available and are selling out nearly as fast as they are made.

Pudel bar, which I'm part owner of, has grown from strength to strength, and it's not unusual to struggle to find an available table both inside and outside on a weekend. And this is a bar that got famous for being a "Saku free zone". Finally, drinkers in Estonia have a choice of some great beers, without being bombarded with 2=3 offers and free t-shirts. It also is good to see, that Tallinn's drinkers are happy to pay a little bit extra for quality, rather than look for the quantity of beer they can get for the money in their pocket.

And what can I say about Põhjala Brewery? They dared to challenge the current local market with some premium, niche craft beer. Starting out with just a few cases of bottles, they've now progressed to producing kegs of beer, being served in some of the main beer outlets in Tallinn. They are struggling to keep up with demand, and it's this demand that is driving more bars to stock their beers, and more "home" brewers to add foundation to their dream of starting their own brewery.  This year alone, I've been given about fifty different samples from home brewers, who are looking to expand their current production from friends to customers.

I import Mikkeller, Brewdog and several others to Estonia. Since I started two years ago, my orders have gone from two or three brands from each brewer, to two or three pallets (that's 72 cases) every couple of weeks. Just yesterday, I had a delivery of 15 pallets and I'm already looking to place my order next week, as I don't think that 1080 cases of beer will satisfy the demand of the 50 plus bars and restaurants that stock my beer.

What's driving this demand? I think it's the Estonian desire to be individual that is the main moving force. The Kalamaja distict, where Pudel Bar is located is getting more and more fashionable - it's an industrial setting which a couple of years ago was pretty much a "no go area". As prices have risen in the old and new parts of Tallinn, people have decided that they need to move away from the centre and into an area which is different, has attitude and potential. It's these same people who make decisions based away from the norm, who want to drink a beer that shares the same values as their lifestyle. They don't want a commercially produced beer which is for the masses, they want something that is alternative and with taste. It's no secret that we opened Pudel Bar up in this area, because we knew that there was a demographic who would visit the bar and keep it crowded week in week out. The knock on effect, is that the other bars in this area and around, are also stocking craft beers. These bars don't have the old attitude of "we won't sell the same beer as other bars", but rather "we want to be a select group of bars that serve beers that our customers want".

So what's up next for the Estonian beer scene? I can see a few more local micro breweries opening up, I can see a lot more restaurants realising the potential for matching good, quality beer with food, and I can see a lot more demand from customers. We've raised the bar to the highest level its been - and the only way is up. I can now start to import styles of beer that I didn't think were possible a year or so ago. Sours, barrel aged, smoked and high strength beers are now on my shopping list. Limited edition beers sell out within a few hours. Põhjala beers are being asked about in many bars. Supermarkets are ringing me up saying that they need to stock craft beer.

It's a nice business to be in at the moment, and the biggest reward is seeing the satisfied faces on the customer when they drink the beer. It's almost as good, as seeing the dis-satisfied faces of customers when they visit a bar that doesn't stock craft beer, and they move onto another that does.

Let's keep that bar raised high, and together we can work to make the beer drinking experience an excellent one.

James