Beer in Finland

Finland has a long history of beer (Finnish: olut) dating back to the Middle Ages.

[1] Sahti is a traditional Finnish farmhouse ale, made mostly with rye and barley malts, but sometimes also oats, and filtered through straw or juniper twigs.

Until June 2024, beer with an alcohol content of 5.6% or higher could only be sold in state-owned Alko liquor stores or bars and restaurants with the appropriate license.

[4] Beer with an alcohol content of 8.1% or higher may still only be sold in Alko stores, bars and restaurants, or at tax-free shops on cruiseferries.

Carlsberg is followed by Heineken International, which controls - through its Hartwall brewery - a 29.5% share of the national market and produces the Lapin Kulta and Karjala brands.

The referendum closed with a 70% majority against the law and resulted in the end of prohibition on 5 April 1932 at 10:00 when the new state-owned alcohol retail stores opened their doors to customers.