Well, Estonia when you're trying to be so good

It must be a hard life for Põhjala, out there in the world of craft beer, representing Estonia almost single-handedly. Still, even though they're about the only Estonian brewery one sees around the place, they generally make good beers and I was pleased to see them arriving into Ireland with a handful of new-to-me offerings.

The set begins with Prenzlauer Berg, described merely as "raspberry sour" but which I assume is their take on a Berliner weisse mit Schuss. I'm guessing they weren't thinking beyond the mass-market Berliner Kindl version because this is very plain fare. It's thin bodied even for a 4.5% ABV sour ale, and the raspberry syrup absolutely dominates the flavour, sweet and soft, covering almost all of the beer beneath. A faint dry graininess, just like Berliner Kindl Weisse has, is the only indication of beeriness, arriving very late in the process and I honestly can't detect anything I'd describe as sour. Full marks for stylistic accuracy, I guess, but few for making an enjoyable beer.

Staying (theoretically) sour, Orange Gose is next. I wouldn't have thought that the tall head is typical of gose, but then neither is orange. The label is one of those annoying ones with lots of languages but the full ingredients only in German. At least we get to know that there is salt and coriander in here, plus rye and orange. It's a pale shade of orange under the foam and the aroma is a strange sort of plasticky sweetness, meaning the fruit extract may not have been a great idea. But the flavour is clean nonetheless, and actually quite jolly. There's a decent poke of sourness all the way through, a little seasoning from the salt, and although it's dry there's nothing I would assign to the rye or coriander. And then there's a subtle note of orangeade right on the finish for a sunny, Aperol Spritz kind of vibe. 5.5% ABV is maybe a little on the high side for something so simple and easy-going, but that's a minor quibble. My faith in Põhjala's souring abilities is restored. So how about their hopping?

A New England IPA follows, by the name of Kosmos. 5.5% ABV again, which is weak for this sort of thing, and it's not really fully hazy, showing more of a witbier mistiness. Banging fresh hops in the aroma though, right? Right? Sorry princess, it smells quite savoury: an earthy mushroom funkiness with a splash of sesame oil. The flavour is a little sweeter but it never makes it as far as fleshy tropical fruit. Instead there's mild fruit candy up front before a garlicky finish and aftertaste which coats the palate unpleasantly. It's frustratingly close to the bouncy juicebomb I'm certain it was intended to be, but the magic is missing.

Would there be any magic in their double IPA? That's Albini, 8% ABV and brewed with Simcoe, Citra and HBC 630, an experimental variety that seems to be doing well on the hazy scene. And this one has "hazy" on the label but once again the beer is only just. There's a mix of summer berries in the aroma: strawberry and both black and maraschino cherry. That sweet red-cherry skin effect is central in the flavour, set on quite a hot base that gives it a cough medicine air -- not unpleasant but not what one expects from a hazy DIPA. The finish is all pink bubblegum for a different sort of intense stickiness. It's definitely unusual and my next question was whether or not I liked it. In the end I came down in favour. It's a sipper; its heat is more intense than even 8% ABV suggests, but if its treated more like a barley wine it works. Savour it slowly and let the flavours unfold. There's plenty to enjoy here once you've let go of any style-based expectations.

Põhjala is not a brewery for drinkers with style-based expectations. I feel they got lucky with both of their wins here. It was certainly an interesting set to work through, but I also think their imperial stouts are a safer bet, in general.