The Beer List -From The Abyss
It wasn't too long ago when you'd walk the city streets of Tallinn and see the infamous golden Hammer and Sickle of the Soviet Union on the flags peppered throughout the capital. Before that, Estonia was occupied by Nazi forces during the second World War, after, it was a part of the Russian Empire. Going back further, it was once a part of Swedish Empire. So over the centuries, Estonia, like much of the rest of Eastern Europe, has been treated as the town bicycle. Its people treated horribly, subject to countless and endless wars resulting in routine devastation and blight. Fortunately, Estonia is a strong country, made up of strong people who always get back up when they've been down. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Estonia has rocketed from the status of a broken, tired, depressed, Soviet Republic into a highly developed, innovative, and socially diverse free market economy with the highest economic growth rate of any former Soviet Republic. Today, it is ranked as one of the most "free" countries in the world by measures of freedom of speech, privacy, economic freedom, and freedom of the press. And though the country's politics and economics have changed, there are some aspects of life that have stayed the same.Interestingly enough, one of these sources of tradition lies within the small, but growing brewing industry of Estonia. Over two hundred years ago, A. Le Coq was founded by yes... Albert Le Coq fo London. That is Estonia's oldest continuously running brewery. Today it is also Estonia's largest beer and beverage maker, and the maker of Estonia's most popular beers. Being deep within the embrace of Eastern Europe, the preferred style is the traditional European style Pale Lager, and its variants. And beer we can say, is a testiment to the resilience of the Estonian people. Vodka is a preferred drink in many neighboring countries, especially Russia. Vodka is sometimes preferred over water for its warming abilities in the cold Northern Eurasian winters, and yet the Soviets weren't able to spread their influence over the Estonians on that front, even after assuming state control over A. Le Coq's brewery in Estonia's second largest city, Tartu. It just goes to show how much the Estonians, have always loved their beer, regardless of what's happening in the world around them. In fact, they drink more per capita than any other country on Earth aside from the Czechs, the Germans, the Austrians, and the Irish.
Teie terviseks.
Rated Estonian Beers
9-14-12 - A. Le Coq VIRU Oled See Mida Jood - 2.38, Euro Pale Lager, 5.00%
