If you are anything like me, then the first thing you search for before arriving in a new city is its craft beer scene. This is not about finding the best places to go crazy, but exactly the opposite: to sit down and enjoy a good tasting beer and support local breweries. Coming from the West Coast of the U.S., I am used to using the moniker of “beer” to denote craft beer. This is something that is rare in almost any other country, save for perhaps Belgium, but others are catching up. A side note is that, in general, outside of the Baltic porter, most “craft beer” that is mentioned is of the ale variety and not lager, which people typically think of when they picture a beer. While a cold lager is fantastic on a warm summer day, ales can be served warmer and are more varied in flavor and could be fruity, flowery, and have notes of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and so on.
Estonia is renowned for its Baltic porters, a robust dark lager that features various roasted malt (sugars) such as coffee or chocolate. These typically have a higher ABV (alcohol by volume) or percent of alcohol. While a lager typically varies from 4%-6%, Baltic porters tend to be anywhere from 7% on the low end, to around 12% on the high end, though at this point, we are getting into imperial stout territory. A perfect drink for a cold wintery night, of which there are many in Estonia.
While Estonia doesn’t typically have a varied craft beer scene, outside of the Telliskivi neighborhood in Tallinn, let’s explore where you can go out and find yourself a delicious libation to wet your whistle.
Tartu
Since you will be studying at UT, let’s start off by looking at where to find a craft beer in Tartu.
Taprooms:
To be fair, most of the bars that students congregate at will serve a craft beer or two, however, there are only a few taprooms in Tartu, and more specifically, only one. What makes a taproom different from a regular bar is that they have a variety of craft beer on tap. While they also sell bottled beer, draught beer is their specialty. We start with Moku, which is known as the student hangout in town. You’ll probably intimately get to know this bar during your stay at UT. NAIIV is a bar that is on a boat on the river just outside the center of town and features a good taplist as well. Who wouldn’t want to have a good beer while moored to the river? On the south side of town, in the old factory, there is Peninuki which also makes its own beers and is a gin distillery to boot. This is one of the go-to spots for food as well as there are some great cafes and restaurants in the same plaza. But my favorite taphouse, and perhaps the only true one, is Pühaste Kelder, which as the name suggests, is a basement bar in the center of town. Not only does it have the largest selection, with about 20 taps, it is also the cheapest of the taphouses and they specialize in strong dark brews such as the aforementioned Baltic porter as well as imperial stouts. Almost every beer is locally brewed within Tartu and is 4.50 euro per .33l. I recommend the Beans and Biscuits which is a pastry stout. It may be a little too sweet to have more than one, but it’s my go-to beer.
Bars:
This section is what I call a “bottle” bar in that while they may have some beer on taps, as one of them definitely does, they are primarily a place to come in and order a bottle of craft beer. The most interesting bar is De Tolly bar which is located in the basement of a park in the center of the city. If you are interested in cramped spaces and idiosyncratic barmen, then this place is for you. Honestly, it is an excellent place with lots of choices, so please do not allow my pinpoint description to dissuade you. Barlova is another, dare say, hipster paradise that specializes in bottles in the Karlova area of town. While I have personally never been there myself, I have been recommended to go to Hops as well which is in Raekoja plats, or town square. Another great hangout is Kivi bar which is in the center as well and is perhaps a cheaper option than the others listed. Finally, if you are looking for traditional Estonian fare to go with your craft beer, then check out the Gunpowder Cellar, or Püssirohukelder, which is located inside Pirogovi park. It is more of a restaurant with beer than a bar, but it behooves the list to include it.
Barlova
Bottleshops:
There are three bottleshops in Tartu, though I am including the bottleshop inside Anderson’s brewery even though they only sell their own beer, as opposed to the other 2, which sell a variety of beers from different breweries and countries. Anderson’s bottleshop sells beer directly from its brewery at unbeatable prices. Personally, I believe that they have the best deal on any imperial stout in the city with their Hannibal stout being sold for a cool 2.28 euro on-site. That is essentially at least a euro cheaper than any other imperial stout in the city. On top of that, any beer that is close to or slightly past its expiration date is only 1 euro. Unopened beer tends not to “go bad” so fill up on these during your visits.
The other 2 bottleshops in town are Gambrinus which is located in the center and whose owner is incredibly knowledgeable about craft beer. Perhaps even knows more than your dear writer. On top of that, every Friday, he does a 12 beer for 15 euro mixer which you can come in and pick out. These tend to pale ales and sours, but at those prices, still a better deal than a Saku. Finally, SIP is located on the south side of town, right next to Hektor and the formerly mentioned Peninuki.
Supermarkets:
You are likely to find some craft beer inside every supermarket, but I prefer the selection in either Coop, Kaubmaja, or Selver. Make sure to get the KlientKaard and look out for weekly deals on different beers. The cheapest beers will always be at the brewery themselves, but if you aren’t able to make it to one of them, then the supermarkets sometimes sell the beers at cost during their weekly specials.
Selver beer selection
Tallinn
Taprooms:
The majority of the taprooms in Tallinn are located either in Balti Jaam or in the Telliskivi neighborhood which is adjacent to Balti Jaam. This is approximately a 10-minute walk northwest of the center of town. Some taprooms to note are Vaat Brewery, Purtse Brewery, and Pudel. All 3 of these are located in the same area and are perfect for a bar-hopping night. Special mention also needs to go out to Humalakoda brewery which is directly in Balti Jaam as yours truly had a great night out there and even got the server to sit down and have a beer and a shot with the group. Exceptional customer service.
Purtse Tap Room
Another mention here is Uba ja Humal which is both a taproom as well as a bottleshop and has some great coffee as well. It is perhaps the closest to the ferry so a great place to stopover if you’d like to walk along the sea or before taking the ferry into Finland.
Finally, no jaunt in Tallinn is complete without stopping by the Põhjala brewery which is located a bit out of the center but is worth the experience. One of the most well-known breweries from Estonia, if not the most famous, it is an experience unto itself. Great beers and their weekend brunch are not to be missed. I would recommend their Cocobanger which is a coconut-infused imperial stout.
Põhjala (Credits: laimipress)
Bars:
Most of the craft beer bars are located directly in the center of town, and in fact, most of the places to grab a craft beer are located relatively close to the center. The most well-known bars in this area are Hell Hunt, Porgu, which means Hell, and Koht, which is a tiny bar but perhaps the best choice of beer directly in the center. Ask any local and they will probably recommend you to try Koht as well.
Bottleshops:
The two bottleshops in Tallinn are SIP and TapTap. The former is just a bigger version of the one in Tartu, which means you definitely want to put away some time for when you visit. TapTap is located in a swanky district and is down a nicely decorated alley and is close to the Scottish Brewdog Brewery. TapTap is also known for its hotdogs and making sure to stay satiated is an important part of any night out.
Perhaps the best aspect of the craft beer scene in Tartu and Tallinn is that the vast majority of these taprooms, bars, and bottleshops are within close proximity to one another. Outside Barlova and Andersons in Tartu and Pohjala in Tallinn, they are all located, at maximum a 15-minute walk from one another. As craft beer becomes more popular in the coming years, I expect this list to expand, but for the time being, there is still enough variety to spend a few weekends perusing the different breweries. Plus, these beers are quite strong so you definitely will not get through all of them in one night, unless you are quite adamant, but this is not recommended. If you don’t particularly like strong dark beer, then now is a great chance to get accustomed to the taste. It’ll be worth it in the long run. Enjoy your beer-cation in Estonia and Terviseks!
All pictures either belong to the author or are free-use. Credits to the original creators are mentioned where applicable.
