Sea salt gives flavour to new Viking Line IPA – Viking Line’s own beer produced at award-winning Finnish brewery
Viking Line is launching its own beer on the company’s vessels. The beer was developed in partnership with the award-winning Rock Paper Scissors Brewing Company, based in Kuopio, Finland. Viking Line IPA is a craft beer that features a blend of sea salt and caramel malt. The beer is easy drinking but still meets the demands of beer enthusiasts.
Viking Line Indian Pale Ale or IPA was developed in partnership with the microbrewery Rock Paper Scissors Brewing Company in Kuopio, Finland. RPS Brewing has won a number of awards for its quality in recent years both in Finland and abroad.
“Viking Line wanted a beer that is easy drinking but also a credible option for beer enthusiasts and one that works as a drink both for socialising and with meals. Another request was that it have a marine touch. After a number of experiments, we chose to make Viking Line IPA with mineral water flavoured with a little sea salt. The beer’s light malt base allows the flavour of the Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin hops to come through. The mineral water enhances the bitterness of the hops, and the tones of caramel malt guarantee a balanced flavour,” says master brewer Aki Railanmaa at RPS Brewing.
The beer preferences of Finns have changed and developed, which is clearly apparent in Viking Line’s duty-free shops, where an assortment of some one hundred varieties of beer is available for purchase. Many still prefer traditional domestic lager, but international brands and so-called craft beers have become increasingly popular. Demand has grown in particular for IPA beer.
“The popularity of craft beers is also apparent in our restaurants, and they are now also totally acceptable in our à la carte venues. The new Viking Line IPA pairs well with gravadlax (marinated salmon) or smoked salmon, for example, and also goes well with burgers or pepper steak,” says Ossi Ruusunen, product group manager at Viking Line.
Viking Line IPA will be part of the company’s private-label range, which also includes wines and the company’s very own champagne.
“Our own-brand wines on the vessels have lowered our customers’ threshold for trying quality wines chosen by professionals, and in that way they have developed their knowledge about wine. We hope Viking Line IPA will do the same thing for craft beers. By offering our own beer, we also meet the demand for lower-alcohol drinks. These are especially appreciated by our younger passengers,” says Janne Lindholm, restaurant manager at Viking Line.
“We chose Finnish-based Rock Paper Scissors Brewing Company to be our partner because they make excellent beer and because part of our sustainability work involves supporting small local producers. Our restaurant and marketing departments were actively involved and influenced the flavour and appearance of our beer, as well as the design of the label.”
The new beer is sold in all the restaurants on Viking Line’s vessels and this winter will soon also be available for sale in the duty-free and on-board shops.
For further information:
Janne Lindholm, Manager Viking Line Restaurants
janne.lindholm@vikingline.com, tel. +358 400 744 806
Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
johanna.boijer@vikingline.com, tel. +358 18 270 00
Christa Grönlund, Communication Manager
christa.gronlund@vikingline.com, tel. +358 9 123 5242
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