Tornion Panimo’s lager named world’s best international lager

Tornion Panimo’s lager has been awarded the title of the world’s best international lager. The recipe was created in the 1960s by master brewer Leo Andelin, who expressed his delight in a company statement. “Oh wow, this is fantastic! We started small and have achieved greatness,” said the 87-year-old Andelin.

Kaj Kostiander, CEO and master brewer at Tornion Panimo, shared his excitement: “It’s an unbelievable feeling to brew beer using the classic recipe by brewing legend Leo Andelin, which won its first international gold medal exactly 60 years ago and has now been recognized as the best in the world.”

The World Beer Awards is an annual global competition held for the sixteenth consecutive year, selecting the best internationally recognized beer styles. To qualify, beers must be commercially available either nationally or internationally. An international jury tastes the beers blindly by style and selects national winners. In the second round, these national winners compete against one another, from which one is crowned as the World’s Best.

Tornion Panimo boasts a brewing tradition spanning over 150 years. The story of Lapland Original Lager and its creator, master brewer Leo Andelin, has even been made into a documentary film. The brewery revived the original recipe for the gold medal lager in 2017, and it has since garnered popularity among consumers who prefer light, gently hopped craft lagers.

Founded in 1873, Tornion Panimo was relaunched as a microbrewery in 2016. The brewery, once known as Lapin Kulta, faced the brink of closure when Hartwall shifted beer production to Lahti in 2010.