Keskiolut

Most of the Finnish keskiolut beers have been light lagers, and some of the most common brands include Karhu, Koff, Lapin Kulta, Karjala, Olvi and Sandels.

In early 1969, the so-called "keskiolutlaki" (Finnish for "middle beer law") allowed grocery stores to sell keskiolut.

From 1988 to 1994 the strength of beer in tax class III was a minimum of 3.8% but a maximum of 4.7% alcohol by volume.

[6][7] According to research, returning keskiolut to Alko stores only would decrease premature deaths caused by alcohol by 350 people annually.

[8] Sweden brought beer of type IIB, called mellanöl, to grocery stores before Finland on 1 October 1965, and removed it from there on 1 July 1977 because of adverse effects of alcohol.

Beverages of the same strength were taken into use in restaurants and liquor stores on 1 July 1992 with the tax class III and was called "öl av mellanölstyp" (middle-strength type of beer").

Mellanöl originally referred to a Swedish tax class of beer of 3.6% alcohol by weight.

Selling mellanöl in grocery stores was still not allowed on Sundays or after 8 PM, the beer was covered with white plastic sheets during that time.

Cases of keskiolut at a Finnish supermarket.
There was a national movement to bring keskiolut to R-kioski convenience stores in December 1980. This image shows a demonstration at the Rautatientori square in central Helsinki .
Beer cans of several mellanöl beers. In the late 1970s it was popular to collect all forms of beer cans of the old type of can, some of which were available with various different labels.