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Iceland was recently hit by a national crisis when more than 7,000 American sailors on their way to participate in a huge NATO exercise in Norway, decimated Reykjavík’s beer supply. And that’s when a Finnish craft brewery sprang into action…
To come to Norway’s aid and ensure that their own country didn’t suffer from a similar shortage, Finnish craft brewer Tornion Panimo deployed Peacemaker Arctic Pilsner, a special limited release brewed to stem a potential crisis and generate a little buzz at the same time
Kaj Kostiander, the managing director of Tornion Panimo, which is located in the country’s northern region of Lapland, explains the brewery’s directive this way…
“We noticed that the situation was dire. We were worried that if the soldiers run out of beer again, they might get into some serious trouble…
We are on the side of peace, and that is why we quickly decided to deploy our Peacemaker Arctic Pilsner. In the Nordic countries, we believe in camaraderie and helping one another.
“Peace is important to Finns. Finland is a member of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and we also have Martti Ahtisaari (Finland’s former president and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate). So, we are a very peace-loving nation,” Kostiander added.
What he didn’t add was that due to strict alcohol import regulations Peacemaker Arctic Pilsner never made it beyond Finland’s own border, but it was shipped to a Finnish military headquarters, Lapland Air Command, which like Iceland hosted some international guests during the NATO exercise.
Tornion Panimo made an initial 1000 bottle batch of the limited release with a whimsically designed label featuring a dove of peace and the slogan ‘if you want peace, drink beer’.
And they’ve got an extra 12,000 more liters of Peacemaker Arctic Pilsner ready to deploy if further shortages arise.
This is not the first time Finnish brewers have attempted to solve pressing global issues…
Earlier this year another Finnish brewery made a beer to mark the Trump-Putin Summit in Helsinki, called Let’s Settle This Like Adults.
