Further explorations of the Estonian capital as we explore a variety of drinking establishments and try to avoid getting carried away with Baltic porters again.
The cobbled streets and rooftops of the Old Town look lovely with a covering of snow, but with a daytime high temperature of -5℃, it doesn't take us long to covet the comforts of a cosy bar.
First stop, the lunchtime opener...
The cobbled streets and rooftops of the Old Town look lovely with a covering of snow, but with a daytime high temperature of -5℃, it doesn't take us long to covet the comforts of a cosy bar.
First stop, the lunchtime opener...
The problem with visiting just gone noon, on a weekday, in low tourist season, is that we had the place entirely to ourselves. Which really isn't very exciting, even with the ice hockey on TV.
I only pick these places because I'm a sucker for brewpubs and it turns out that this time I've been fiddled.
Brewery Õlleklubi is apparently neither a brewery or a beer club.
The four beers purporting to be their own (pilsner, honey, wheat and dark) are sourced from other breweries and re-badged. And if those don't take your fancy the other exotic choices include Stowford Press cider, Pilsner Urquel and Stella.
I ordered the 'Dark' a 6% Munich dunkel, the Stella tulip seeming to be bad choice of glassware, the €5.50 price tag for 0.3l striking me as mighty expensive.
I'm trying to find something positive to say about Õlleklubi... hey, the toilets were nice. And the soundtrack was interesting and varied, including Chuck Berry, the Blues Mobile Band and - personal highlight - Don French's 'Lonely Saturday Night'.
I'm trying to find something positive to say about Õlleklubi... hey, the toilets were nice. And the soundtrack was interesting and varied, including Chuck Berry, the Blues Mobile Band and - personal highlight - Don French's 'Lonely Saturday Night'.
Moving on from the fake brewpub, I took a quick snap of the very quiet Old Town square...
And the latest smash hits on display in the record store...
Before we went on the hunt for a real brew pub.
To find this, we walked away from the Old Town, north-west past the shiny modern shopping malls and over scary pedestrian crossings on big roads towards the passenger port.
On this side of town you'll find Kochi Aidad...
To find this, we walked away from the Old Town, north-west past the shiny modern shopping malls and over scary pedestrian crossings on big roads towards the passenger port.
On this side of town you'll find Kochi Aidad...
These grand old buildings on Lootsi Street are what remains of a once-thriving port, previously called the Girard and Koch Storehouses, named after their original owners.
There's a great picture on the wall in the porch of the brewery showing the warehouse in ruins and making the refurbishment of them all the more impressive.
On approach we'd spotted a white A4 paper sign taped to the front door and feared the worst. We'd discovered in other bars in Tallinn that A4 paper signs usually meant unwelcome opening hour diversions.
But this one was just an apology that there was no table service - please come to the bar - sorry for the inconvenience. No problem at all!
But this one was just an apology that there was no table service - please come to the bar - sorry for the inconvenience. No problem at all!
I picked the homebrew American IPA - Koch 'Kipper', with other options being a honey beer, pale ale, wheat beer and dunkel.
It's a sizeable beer hall, with lots of wood, big tables, a stage midway along one side, more seating on the balcony above, and brew kit on view through a window next to the bar.
The WC signage in Estonia is worth a quick mention...
It seemed tricky at the time, but kinda looks obvious now...
It's a sizeable beer hall, with lots of wood, big tables, a stage midway along one side, more seating on the balcony above, and brew kit on view through a window next to the bar.
The WC signage in Estonia is worth a quick mention...
It seemed tricky at the time, but kinda looks obvious now...
There's a Mikkeller beer bar a few strides from Tallinn's old town square, which is possibly a more appealing option. Because - let's face it - drinking in a shopping centre isn't really that great.
Due to a bit of confusion with the blackboards being slightly different on either side of the island bar, I missed a great looking imperial stout.
And instead picked a 6.3% IPA from Copenhagen's Warpigs, 'Obsolete Format'.
€11 for 0.4l of this murky ale from Copenhagen. Cripes!
"How was the beer?" asked the nice young man behind the bar when I'd finished.
"Hmmm...I think I picked the most expensive one on the tap list, didn't I?"
"You did. But was it worth it?"
"No"
Honesty is the best policy.
Back in the cobbled streets of the Old Town, we had one more place that we wanted to visit: the RateBeer top-scorer in town, dominating the local Untappd check-ins.
With no obvious signage and an unmarked door at the back of a passageway next to a bottle shop, this place is pretty well hidden.
It's an intriguing little bar in cellar-like rooms with low doorways on which to bang your head, dim lighting and ramshackle furniture.
Not a fancy electronic screen to be seen - here's your tap list on A4 print out's stuck on the wall...
I picked the easy-going 4.5% 'AleHop', a session ale brewed by Kabliku Pruulikoda, making myself at home in an armchair at the side of the room.
There was a remarkably chilled out atmosphere; 50:50 locals and beer tickers; staff taking it in turns to have sneaky roll-ups perched next to the giant fireplace and blowing smoke up the chimney.
There was a remarkably chilled out atmosphere; 50:50 locals and beer tickers; staff taking it in turns to have sneaky roll-ups perched next to the giant fireplace and blowing smoke up the chimney.
The music, playing quietly in the background was hair-metal ballad centric - the most Aerosmith I've listened to in one evening since 1989.
After a very mixed bag of bars 'n' beers throughout the day, this is where we felt we'd found a winner. We settled in for a couple more beers and another Aerosmith track...
After a very mixed bag of bars 'n' beers throughout the day, this is where we felt we'd found a winner. We settled in for a couple more beers and another Aerosmith track...
Before wrapping up warm against the cold evening and getting thoroughly lost in the side streets trying to find a short cut to our hotel.
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