Hartwall’s specialty beer brewery brings new exciting flavours

The new brewery enables the production of different sized batches of products and brings flexibility to production. The brewery develops new beverages without preconceptions and diversely prepares different beer styles. The brewery also co-operates with international brew masters.

The specialty beer brewery was built during the summer in connection with Hartwall’s production site in Lahti. The reason behind this significant investment is the change in Finnish beer culture. The beer culture is evolving, and demand for specialty beers is constantly growing. The state-of-the-art Hartwall Lahti brewery and carbonated soft drink factory was completed in 2003.

Mattsson

The specialty beer brewery was named after a beer influencer from Lahti. The name was chosen as the result of a naming competition that was organized for the staff of Hartwall. The founder of the brewery Mallasjuoma, Henrik Mattsson (1838-1922) was a pioneer of beer and beer culture in his time.

The name represents the work culture and spirit of the new brewery. At Mattsson brewery, the tradition of apprenticeship is still alive: those with the know-how pass it on to new employees. The name is a tribute to all the brewery’s workers.

Unfiltered lager and APA

The first beers produced at Mattsson were made for Hartwall’s Polar Monkeys brand. Polar Monkeys Handyman Pale Lager 4.5 % and Polar Monkeys Coordinator APA 4.5 % will be on the market at the end of September.

Polar Monkeys Handyman is a straw-coloured and slightly cloudy unfiltered pale all-malt lager. This medium-hopped pale lager is fresh and fruity, and has gentle citrus notes. Part of its malt body is wheat malt, which makes for a smooth taste.

Polar Monkeys Coordinator is an unfiltered American Pale Ale -style all-malt ale, that is golden-yellow and slightly cloudy. Its medium full-bodied and medium malted. It has a tropical taste with hints of melon and Cape gooseberry, among others. The taste is bitter, but the union of ripe tropical fruits and malts take centre stage.

“These two new products are our response to the consumers’ wish of finding new flavours and brands. Polar Monkeys Handyman is an unfiltered pale lager with a round taste from wheat malt. This makes it interesting and different. Interest in ales continues to grow and in response, we are bringing the Polar Monkeys Coordinator to the markets. It is an all-malt ale straight from Lahti,” says Marketing Manager Turkka Hirvonen.

Best possible beer

In addition to brewing high-quality lager, with the new brewery, Hartwall will be able to fulfill the wishes of Finnish consumers better. The Mattsson brewery continues to brew a versatile range of products for beer lovers and, most importantly, beers of the highest quality.

“The sky’s the limit when it comes to what we will be able to experiment on in the future. Altogether, my team has decades of experience and we are very passionate about our work. In the future, amazing new experiences in flavour can be expected,” says Hannele Alakarhu.

Down the line, consumers can expect to see Hartwall team up with international brew masters, such as the Danish craft beer master Anders Kissmeyer.

In June, Bill Brinkmann took on the title of Operational Brew Master at the Mattsson brewery. He has previously worked in different positions at Teerenpeli’s brewery and at the Hartwall brewery. Brinkmann will work alongside Hartwall’s Brew Master Hannele Alakarhu.