Kukko Pils by Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas

This beer takes me, certainly in my reminiscences, way back down to 1995. That was the year when Rami Aarikka exuberantly marched into my craft brewing class in Mustiala; his cooool entrance and sparkling personality certainly caught my, and, everybody else's eye, right on the spot.

In those days Rami ran a tiny but comfortable home brewing shop "Bouquet" in the heart of "The old Rauma", he supplied, among the first ones, Wyeast dry yeasts to home brewers. Furthermore, he also fostered, as he undoubtedly told me on the loft of the Mustiala sauna, his determination to commence The Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas...

When Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas had successfully taken off and reached a safe cruising altitude, Rami sent another outstanding personality to my craft brewing class, Jani Vilpas...

Kukko Pils has 4,5% ABV. It is dry and crispily fresh. The Laitila house flavor is distinctively present, and definitely should be!, since I love that thing. Hop bitterness is quite all right, but, I'm begging for, at least, a pinch more of aroma hops. On the whole, a nice one, and distinctive!, down in its class of beers.

The one below may well illustrate the early vigor of the first wave of craft brewing in the backwoods of Finland; good old days, some notes!