Arctic Circle Ale - Malmgårdin Panimo

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a half-litre bottle into a Koningshoeven chalice.

A: Clearish, with no head. Red-orange.

S: It smells...like spicy dirt? Herbal, grassy(?), gentian root, pine bark, fruit (pears and strawberry), and perhaps...yeast? It's complicated and strange, but pleasant. I imagine this is mostly the juniper?

T: Huh. It's okay, I guess. The history makes it more interesting than it is. It's a flattish, blandish beer, with a definite herbal note that is pleasant but not overpowering. The finish has a surprising amount of bitterness, but the yeast tastes stale and dead.

M: Unremarkable.

O: I'm definitely glad I tried this, and would suggest you do the same, but I will probably not be seeking it out in the future. Still pretty cool!

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 06:16:12 | More by AgentMunky

kylehay2004

Florida

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

No head on a murky brown with golden hues body. Aroma of dark fruit, mostly fig, red apple, raisin and plum with some caramel and candy sugar as well. Flavors are a little bittersweet with more dark fruit initially including sour cherry, fig and raisin with a toffee, chocolate and caramel finish which is more bitter and sharp/tart than sweet. The base is bready throughout. Light to moderate carbonation with a relatively thick body that coats the mouth. Nice to try one of this genre from the area for which it is known. Well balanced and becomes more drinkable as its enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 23:20:46 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

3.86/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours with a small head of white foam on top of a lightly hazy, amber-brown body. The head settles quickly and leaves only traces of lace.

S - Fruity notes of cherries and juniper with a bit of bready malt.

T - A very brown, bready malt profile up front with some juniper in the middle. Finishes with a distinct, rye bread flavor and lots of lingering juniper mustiness.

M - A fairly thick body, moderately low carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - A big, heavy, malty beer that is bready and rustic in the way that you would expect a sahti to be. Not something I would drink every day, but well worth trying if you come across it.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 23:20:32 | More by nickfl

Resuin

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 50 cl bottle into a Chimay Chalice.

Appearance: Pours a muddy-copper color and doesn't leave a head. Not a particularly "attractive" beer, but let's see how it smells.

Smell: Caramel and malts up front, also has a smoky characteristic to it.

Taste: Caramel and malts again, a bit of juniper in there as an afterthought that actually helps lift this one up a bit. As it warmed up in my glass, the flavors became more pronounced and this definitely improved it.

Mouth-feel: A little watery, but not too dramatic. Not very carbonated for a beer with a body this light for the style and ABV.

Overall: Although this is different than I expected after reading the description on the bottle, I now see what they meant. The juniper was extremely subtle, but I definitely see why this a "winter ale". A malty brew with a fairly light body, this beer delivers what it promises, I just wish the juniper was a bit more pronounced.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 00:59:04 | More by Resuin

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours dark brown with about a half inch tan head that sticks around a little while. There's also a good amount of lacing. Aroma is rich and malty, the brew smells like caramel malt, dark bread, herbs, and some dark fruit. The herbal and caramel flavors are strong in this brew. It also tastes like nuts, dark bread, and some dark fruit. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's syrupy and slick with low/moderate carbonation. I think this is a good brew, I liked it! $8.99 a bottle, I think it's worth trying at that price.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 01:12:40 | More by bluejacket74

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From: Wally's Wines, Los Angeles, CA
Date: None
Glass: Tulip

This was a sampling of my first sahti, had little in the way of expectation as I've never had the style before. Very rich and malty, quite caramel-laden, very little hop presence and the juniper (at least in this bottle) is subdued and in the background. Overall, I suppose I would have appreciated the juniper being a bit more noticeable in both taste and smell, as this would have differentiated the beer and the style from a bock or imperial brown ale. This is highly drinkable, but perhaps not something I'd spend $7 for a bottle of again, given that no dating is present and little reference to work with.

Pours a 1.5cm head of light tan foam, composed of small to medium bubbles, with average retention. Fades to a thick ring around the glass with modest lacing (a few large spots here and there). Body is a dark brown with reddish hues, opaque, with light bringing out lighter orange-red tints amidst the general brown backdrop.

Aroma of caramel, syrupy malts, richly roasted nuts. Seems to be missing the juniper, or it has dissipated with age (of course, I'm not sure how old this bottle actualy is). Rather doppelbock-like, when considering the caramel, malt intensity, and vague nuttiness of it all. This smells just fine, but I'm not sure if it's indicative of a quality, fresh sahti or not.

Overall, flavors are rich, malty, with slight hints of juniper and woodsy resin. Tasting opens with caramel sweetness that features slight chocolate as well. Mid-palate experiences rich caramel malts with modest juniper-like pine flavors. Back of palate continues the hearty caramel malts, but also some tanginess and bitterness, possibly from the juniper or ethanol, which can also be lightly detected. Aftertaste of caramel malts mixed with light juniper berry/twig flavors and subtle bitterness.

Beer's body is medium-heavy to heavy bodied, with medium-low carbonation, the result being a mouthfeel that is exceptionally smooth and full. Does not close dry, but there is a bit of stickiness across the palate and lips.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 05:58:26 | More by falloutsnow

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.43/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a crimson head mahogany with a sliver of tan head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Figs, cinnamon, & peppery notes

T: Dark fruit, some medicinal notes, & dryness up front. Leafy hops, raisins & more dryness as this warms. Finishes with woody hops, figs & dryness, just a bit of medicinal twang...

MF: Medium bodied, near zero carbonation

This is alright, the juniper is fairly muted. Had way better & (fresher?) American versions for much cheaper

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 03:49:08 | More by russpowell

RuckusDu

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - crazy bubble action. Only about a half finger of head. Large light beige bubbles. Body is rootbeer brown.

S - nice caramel, some other sweetness, and a hint of chocolate.

T - not quite as sweet as the aroma. Some good light hops beaks it up. Chocolate and caramel dominate.

M - god carbonation and body. Only slightly buttery.

O - pretty good but nothing to fly to Finland for. It is refreshing and simple.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 01:09:54 | More by RuckusDu

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer is dark brown with small, off-white head that dissipates to a film quickly.

Scent consist of floral and herbal notes. Juniper, something that I cannot place that is somewhat minty?

Taste is malt, caramel, herbs of some sort, juniper. Very 'natural' flavours. Not bad but not really my thing.

Medium bodied, moderate carbonation. Light for the ABV.

Overall? I have zero experience with the style. My first Sahti. I think it is OK as a beer, no real idea how it rates as a sahti.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 20:26:28 | More by jrenihan

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My first Sahti. Nearly clear mahogany body with a small head that dissipates quickly. Nice lacing remains. Big time juniper and gin aroma and taste; noticeably but nicely boozy, not too hot. Lots of caramel, toffee, spice, almost reminds of a dopplebock or weizenbock. Sweet and malty with brown sugar, oak, peppery spices, and gin flavors.

Medium bodied with medium carbonation but also very smooth. Lingering finish is a little bit sweet and boozy and also a little bitter. Nice beer, very complex, different, and interesting.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 17:19:47 | More by tobelerone

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a semi-opaque (because of the darkness of color) mahogany in color with a finger tall beige head. The head reduces to some extremely thin patches and a much thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate lacing is observed.

S: Aromas of malty sweetness with hints of caramel and toffee in addition to juniper.

T: The flavor is dominated by the juniper with other woody hints and there is some definite malt sweetness as well (with more caramel than toffee).

M: Medium to full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with some dryness in the finish.

O: Very interesting flavor profile and aroma with so much of the juniper presence. The beer was easy to drink but not really something I would call sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 00:44:42 | More by dbrauneis

allforbetterbeer

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Swiss wine snifter.

After a pour of average intensity, this beer forms a small 1/2 finger light tan head over a beautifully clear radiant ruby body. This one is a looker.

The nose isn't distinct. What is here is nice but isn't what I expected. Notes of rich medium-toast malt, caramel, and toffee are evident. The aroma has a very low hop profile. This smells to me like an English winter warmer or even a doppelbock.

The flavor is akin to a big beer, such as a low-hop English barleywine, doppelbock, or maybe a big winter warmer. There is almost no trace of hops in the flavor, but there is a resiny bitterness that lingers, and I imagine that this is from the juniper. There is a slightly tannic-feeling medicinal note in this beer, and I think it is the juniper. I do not taste juniper itself, but I think that this little element is its result. Almost as if one added a small dash of turpentine to the glass. I also taste a touch of rye.

The mouthfeel is heavy and almost syrupy, but not overly sweet or unmanageable.

Conclusion: This is a pretty awesome beer. Almost all the way through the first glass I wasn't that impressed, but then the unique qualities of it began to shine out. There are flavors and feels in this beer that are seldom found. I recommend this if you are the type that is always searching for new forms and manifestations of beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 01:52:03 | More by allforbetterbeer

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nearly no head, but it does leave some streaky, but limited, lace. The beer is a solid brown color where light passes through easily. Very cloudy, looks muddy.

Plentiful sweet caramel. Smells like a rich duppelbock or a barley wine. No notable juniper berry aroma.

Drier than the smell lets on, but still very sweet. There's some nice balancing toastiness to the swallow. The aftertaste is surprisingly astringent like Gin with a mild kick of alcohol kicked in. Wonderfully different and remarkably drinkable. Full bodied with a low level of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 18:35:42 | More by smcolw

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.23/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Stone Brewery flute glass. Pours a medium to dark ruddy orange amber, a half finger off-white head the slowly dissipates into a thick ring around the glass, leaving lacing. Nice aroma of caramel malt and dark fruit, reminiscent of a barleywine. Interesting mellow flavor of caramel malt, a light sharp sourness from the rye and a earthy, piney flavor from the juniper. Finishes with resiny juniper bitterness and residual caramel malt. Somewhat subdued flavor, but very pleasant and interesting. Medium to full bodied. A very nice sahti and one I hope to try again.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 02:27:02 | More by LiquidAmber

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

4.7/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes.

Pours out a dark brown color with reddish highlights, and a light tan two finger head that has fairly nice retention and lacing. Smells of a dark fruit mixture on top of a spicy rye malt and some aroma of dry campfire wood. Flavor is gin-like from the juniper twigs at first and morphs into an earthy noble hop-spiced rye note that sweetens up in the finish to more of a standard caramel malt profile (the rye falls away from the barley), albeit with tannic and gin accents throughout. Luscious smooth and heavy mouthfeel, lightly carbonated. Truly an excellent Sahti, remarkable for being so dark and rich compared to other Sahtis I've had. This one is a must-try if you can locate a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 20:32:58 | More by WastingFreetime

SLeffler27

New York

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Suddenly builds a big, light-beige, frothy head that drops to a creamy half inch. The ale is a dark maroon with light cloudiness and a dense, almost syrupy film. Modest lacing.

Interesting range of aromas from gin to mint. There is a slight maltiness which is difficult to describe, but appealing.

Overly sweet with malts displaying molasses and some earthiness. Pine or spruce is light and there is barely any distinguishable finish. Fig flavors come out as this one warms.

Arctic Circle has a full to medium body with a smooth, almost velvety texture, light alcohol and light carbonation.

Easy to consume from a pint glass. This worked well as a sipper and equally well with a steak.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 22:07:18 | More by SLeffler27

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A solid Sahti beer right here. Out of the bottle the pour is cola-like, but in the glass it's more of a dark caramel or leather. Murky with an off-white head that settles to a relatively thick collar.

Whaff of caramel and cocoa at first sniff. Some vanilla and oak. Deeper nose-ful detects herbal spice and juniper, of course. Subtle and not in yo face. The malt is more pronounced.

The caramel and cocoa shift a bit in the flavor with more of a sharpness from the juniper. Almost reaches and anise or licorice taste, but backs down. Dark bread and rye come and go.

Finish is a bit hot and pepperminty, but not really. Has that herbal spice to it. The juniper cannot be ignored

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 08:06:17 | More by Mebuzzard

mdfb79

New York

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

from 01/15/12 notes.

Blind beer #11 from Tmoney. Poured from a 16.9 oz. bottle into a tulip.

a - Pours a hazy reddish brown color with one inch of off white head and low to moderate carbonation evident. 4

s - Smells of dark fruits, caramel malts, toffee, fruity malts, and light spices. Smell is nice but a bit faded. I'm thinking this one is a barleywine, maybe with some age on it due to the fading. 3.5

t - Tastes of caramel malts, dark fruits, toffee, spices, vanilla, and light wood or oak. Not as faded as the nose, but definitely a little bit, so still thinking a barleywine that is a few years old. A step up from the nose. 4

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Smooth and pretty easy to drink. Thinking around 8-9% ABV. 4

o - Overall I liked this one quite a bit, though the nose seemed a little faded. Lots of caramel and toffee, and no strong alcohol to it. I'll guess an 8% American Barleywine that is a few years old. 4

And the reveal is....Arctic Circle Ale by Malmgårdin Panimo. Style is actually a Sahti, not a barleywine...whoops! Very nice beer, and a Want. Definitely reminded me of a barleywine as I got a lot of caramel and toffee, and I didn't get any juniper berries at all (which is a good thing as I normally don't like that in a beer too much). Very cool, thanks Kyle!

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 01:13:29 | More by mdfb79

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a one finger white head that vanishes quickly to a trace leaving no lace. Deep brown color. Light-medium carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Sweet juniper nose and flavor has malty sweetness with light, dry juniper finish. $9.00 for a 500ml bottle from Tully's Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 23:27:05 | More by jdhilt

TheGrunt

Finland

3.45/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Nice Sahti-type beer. Dark muddy colour, almost nil foam and light carbonation. For some reason I can't get anything special out of the smell. Nice, but somehow bland taste: it's without any special kick.

I think this is a nice Sahti-type beer. I'm no huge fan of sahti, so I don't get specially excited from this either. Sahti fans like this probably very much, that I can say.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 16:57:13 | More by TheGrunt

Bendurgin

Maine

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This one is a Christmas gift from Andy. Poured into a pint glass. This one pours a dark muddy brown color with about a finger of rocky beige head.

Pleasant to smell with sweet toffee and molasses aromas. Caramelized sugars in the aroma with a dark bready character to round it out. A pungent dark fruit aroma lingers in the background. Malty here with a dark German bread character to it. Juniper flavors with other berries and the likes of plumbs come through. The flavor losses the sweetness that the aroma has.

Medium body here and this is a mostly still beer. Very light carbonation is noticeable on the finish. A lot going on here. This is also my first of the style. This is enjoyable but I don't see how often I would want to drink something to this nature. Good for a change of pace, and I wouldn't mind sampling some other Sahtis.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 04:02:35 | More by Bendurgin

Ralphs66

New York

3.53/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pouring out like a still beer....hmmmm, wondering if there's a problem. No head at all. Got some molasses on the nose, and of all things, Brennivin (the black death national drink of Iceland). yeah, go figure. I like the flavor, but it seems muted. My second Sahti; DFH being the first and that beer was friggin over the top. I'm going to let it warm a bit and see what happens. Well, not alot of change after waiting 10 minutes or so. It's decent, and I'm enjoying it, but if I find yet another Sahti to try, I'll move on. No need to come back to this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 00:37:10 | More by Ralphs66

Gmann

New York

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy dark amber color with a small tight off white head that settles into a frothy ring.

The aroma is sweet with dark fruit. Lots of prune and raisin, reminds me of an old ale. Some toffee and caramel. Very sweet.

The taste is sweet, though not as sweet as the aroma. Lots of raisins and grapes, sweet toffee malt. I don't get a lot of twiggy juniper. Not sure if this is an old sample but the juniper faded, its not there. Perhaps a light sour berry from the juniper. Reminds me more of a lightly spiced old ale.

The feel is light to moderate with fizzy carbonation. Sweet on the palate but enough juniper to give a slight bitter balance. Drinks light and easy.

Definitely not as herbal and raw as the other that I have had. Seems more like a wheat old ale. Needs more juniper at a minimum.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 02:30:03 | More by Gmann

TheBeerCarl

Idaho

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: The head is a very thin head when I first poured but when i emptied the rest of the bottle into the glass I got a nice rich and thick head that was light yellowish brown in color. The head lingers for quite a bit which is nice. The body of the beer is kind of hard to describe but it has a dark opaque rosy brown color to it.

Smell: Plum and raisin are the major characters I smell at first with hints of lingering earthiness and a little bit of heat.

Taste: The juniper twigs are very pronounced on the palette with earthiness and bitterness up front and a nice lingering malty sweetness with a hint of juniper. A well balanced flavor profile for the ingredients.

Mouthfeel: A very smooth mouthfeel with hardly any palpable carbonation except for a last minute bite to the tip of the tongue.

This is my first Sahti style ale but it was quite enjoyable. The flavor profiles described in the style guidelines seem to be all present in this ale. I would have like the juniper to come out a little more but other than that this beer was really good.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 00:42:21 | More by TheBeerCarl

drabmuh

Maryland

3.78/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

At the time of this review, this is the #1!!! Sahti on the beeradvocate best of list, decent little beer. My quest is asymptotically approaching completion.

Beer is darker than expected but clear with a thin off white head of small bubbles, some lacing, low carbonation, low retention.

Aroma is mildly sweet with some interesting spice.

Beer is nice overall. Interesting, sweet up front, a little dry on the back, almost a peat quality to it, earthiness, mild spice. A good little beer, I'd like to try it again some day.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 04:43:55 | More by drabmuh