Põhjala Kalana

Named after a beautiful quaint village on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa (aka Dagö), this brown ale is brewed with hand picked pine needles from the village and some fresh vanilla pods.

3.7

185 reviews

Tallinn, Estonia

Community reviews

4.3 Dark brown color, tan head, aroma of chocolate, vanilla, coffeee, medium sweetness, lightly bitter, medium body, soft carbonation, excellent, like the other beers from Pohjala.

4.0 Deep brown body with a tan head, spotted lacing. Sweet and strong aroma of chocolate sauce, milk chocolate, subdued vanilla, and hints of forest floor. Strong flavour of milk chocolate, gentle vanilla, and a very interesting, foresty, and slightly fruity background. I find it hard to pinpoint the pine needles, except for a layer of resinous bitterness in the finish on top of the light hoppy bitterness. Moderate sweetness. Smooth texture, close to full body, soft carbonation. Perfectly integrated alcohol. A complex and exciting brew! As expected, of course, when having a beer from Põhjala. [33 cl bottle, enjoyed 3 months months before BB date, from Vinmonopolet Online]

3.2 330 ml bottle. Thanks Timo M! Enjoyed on July 28 2018. Dark reddish brown color with a small light tan head. Roasted malt, herbs and sweetness in the aroma. The flavor is herbs, hops, mild bitterness, dryness, roasted malt and some sweetness. Quite alright for a Brown Ale but not a mind blower.

3.7 Brown to dark brown colored, medium frothy off white head, nice lacing. Aroma is of malts mostly and vanilla, some toasted notes, light caramel and chocolate. Taste is medium sweet malt, toasted and some caramel, bit chocolate,plenty of vanilla, some pine, medium bitterness, dryish. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, bit creamy.

4.2 (malté rôti-choco, > onctueuse, douce-amère (vanille sucrée-pin), > forest (forcé !), last café, µ-h2o, très bien faite, but)

4.0 33 cl bottle @ Armonkallio. Aroma has vanilla, cocoa and chocolate. Also pot coffee. Flavour has pot coffee, vanilla, ash, tobacco and dark chocolate. Delicious.

3.4 Pivo u flaši. Popijeno u Stella Beer2Go dućanu i kušaoni piva u Medulinu. Aroma lagano na čokoladu i alkohol. Okus , opet gorka čokolada i vrlo malo slatkoće.. Tijelo je srednje punoće...pitko.. Možda ovo pivo ima zbilja taj nekakav okus kakav bi trebao imati Engleski Brown Ale..

3.9 Bottle. Pours clear, medium brown with minimal head. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar,molasses. Flavour is chocolate,vanilla, pine. Low to medium bitterness. Low carbonation. Very good.

3.5 Bottle. Dark brown with no head to speak of. Pine, chocolate and mocha. Sweet with vanilla, a touch of char and chocolate. Quite light and smooth palate.

2.8 Too syrupy/unbalanced/cloying to be excellent, it's nevertheless interesting and distinctive, though not a beer I'd return to deliberately (11.2 oz bottle, Tallinn)

3.7 Nice warming sip. Its summer but it feels like autumn, rainy evening is just right for Kalana.

3.7 (Bottle) (with msbernac) clear, bright, very dark reddish brown colour with a medium tall brown head; aroma of jam, roast; balanced flavour with a, light bitter finish, slightly creamy palate; UCB more interesting than an average brown ale

3.6 To sosnowe igliwie dodało goryczki chiba; mocne, ostre, wytrawne, ciekawe, ale zarazEm męczące .

3.9 Nutty, biscuity, some chocolate, vanilla is bit milder. Hazy brown color with small sized tan head. Chocolate, some sweetness, vanilla bean, nuts, chocolate hazelnut cake. Medium body, smooth as hell.

3.8 Bottle. Cloudy brown. Aroma: toasted, toffee, vanilla, chocolate cake. Medium body. Taste: medium dry. Chocolate, vanilla, some pine, light bitterness. Good

3.7 Flaske fra Vinmonopolet Tromsø - Langnes. Svart. Høyt mokkafarget skum. Lett kaffearoma. Myk munnfølelse. Smaken lettrøstet malt. Sjokolade. Behagelig øl.

3.5 On tap at Cafe Sara, march 18th 2017. Brown body with a medium ofwhite head. Aroma is spicy and sweet, malt, caramel, chocolate, vanilla. Taste is sweet and toasted with a light pine note, caramel, burned. Rich fullbodied finish. Quite nice!

4.5 Een byzondere ale van pohjala! Verrassend vol van smaak, licht vanille zoetje en waarachtig de dennennaalden ruik je en proef je in de afdronk

3.9 Rich, pine, vanilla, toasty, warming - good palate a touch too much vanilla for me but otherise great.

3.6 Полнотелый brown ale, с прекрасным ванильным объемом и долгоиграющим послевкусием, весьма питкий.

3.6 Draught at Restaurant Barr. High creamy and long lasting white hed. Pitch black body. Roasted malt coffee aroma. Sweet cocoa cream vanilla flavor with just a hint of pine. Low carbonation, little hops bitterness, long sweet finish.

4.5 Named after a beautiful quaint village on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa (aka Dagö), this brown ale is brewed with hand picked pine needles from the village and some fresh vanilla pods.

3.4 On tap at Speakeasy at Põhjala, pours a cloudy dark amber brown with a small beige head. Aroma brings out medium toasted malt and a bit of toasted malt. Flavour is along the same lines, with caramel and dry toasted bready malt. Robust and nicely structured, with a fairly dry, yet fat and malty finish. Solid.

3.6 [0,4 l z kranu w Speakeasy by Pöhjala, Tallin] Barwa ciemnobrązowa, piany mało. Pachnie wanilią i właściwie niczym więcej, bardzo delikatnie. W smaku wanilia, czekolada mleczna, nieco kawy. Słodkawe, wodnite. Mało ciała. Żywicy z mitycznej estońskiej wyspiarskiej wioski ni hu hu. Not the best from Pöhjala.

3.7 At a tasting, thanks, medium bubbly creamy mocha head, hazy light brown to red color, aroma of dark bread, caramel, hay and cake, flavor of chocolate vanila and coffee, lighti sweetness and bitterness, very nicely balanced. Highly enjoyable.

3.6 Bottle st a tasting, thanks troubles. Amber brown with a beige head. Caramel candy vanilla aromas.Flavor are better than aromas, sweet, vanilla, caramel, toffee, chocolate, cookies, dried fruits molasses. Medium bodied, sticky, smooth. Very nice.

4.0 330ml bottle at a private tasting at За разБИРАчи, Ruse. Pours thickly cloudy with a fine foamy beige head, very heavy lacing, no visible rising carbonation. Deep dark brown in colour. On the nose, intense vanilla, coffee, cream, and milk chocolate. In the mouth, smooth and creamy with fine carbonation, mild bitterness, some sweetness and rich flavours consistent with the aromas. No noticeable presence of the pine needles. Overall, I'm not sure if this is on style (it probably is, as Brown Ale is one of the "catch-all" styles); it's like a Porter crossed with a Belgian Strong Ale, but who cares when it's this good!

4.2 Aroma malty slight vanilla no pine. Flavour is roasty, vanilla very noticeable. Smooth, thick body, sweetish. Bitter in the end but not too much. Notes of vanilla in the finish. Shame the pine didnt shine more.

4.3 Bottle, 0.33l. Murky red/brown pour, one finger off-white head, short lasting. Good lacing, though. Nice on the nose - caramel and cocoa, mild roasty, some coffee notes. Medium body, average carbonation. Moderately creamy mouthfeel and texture. Roasty bittersweet taste, nicely balanced. Aroma, well.... This thing is loaded with chocolate. Huge chocolate notes, coffee, vanilla. Roasted malts, caramel and toffee. Mild herbal notes. Medium finish, slightly dry and boozy. Nicely warming, ending with subtle alcohol bitterness. Overall, this one is tasty. Feels like I'm drinking some sort of chocolate stout. To be honest, I didn't pick up much of a pine presence but no matter - great beer.

3.9 Bottle. Color: Reddish brown, thin off-white head. Taste: Light roasted malt, notes of vanilla,and caramel, hints of cocoa, light hints of dark red fruit. Moderate sweet and lightly bitter. Bit bittery palate at finish, with subtle hints of the pine needles and hints of coffee with milk. Slightly above medium body, soft carbonation. Nice and well balanced smooth brown ale.