Leo Andelin: The Finnish icon of beer
By Malin Norman | Photos: Tornion Panimo
This is not a story about a beer, but rather the man behind a beer. Brew master Leo Andelin has recently been named Brand Ambassador of the Year in the World Beer Awards’ special category Icons of Beer. Read on to discover more about the legend who has developed one of the world’s best lagers.
Last year, a Finnish beer won the prestigious title World’s Best International Lager at the World Beer Awards. The beer was Lapland Original Lager, brewed by Tornion Panimo, a small craft brewery located in Finnish Lapland. Described as “a very drinkable, refreshing beer,” it wowed the judges.
Finding out the story behind the beer, it is not surprising in the least that it has received praise, both in Finland and internationally. Talking to Kaj Kostiander, co-founder and CEO of Tornion Panimo, we learn that Leo Andelin, a true pioneer of Finnish beer culture, has been closely involved in the development of the award-winning recipe.
The story about the master brewer
Graduating as a brew master in Berlin in 1962, Andelin returned to his hometown Tornio shortly thereafter and worked as head brewer at the city’s brewery from 1962 to 1999, when he retired. Here, Andelin developed the most famous beer from Finland: Lapin Kulta – meaning Lapland’s Gold. The beer was released in 1963 and won the prestigious Monde Selection in 1964. In some 30 years, production increased from 1.5 million litres per year to a whopping 200 million per year.
The documentary Panimomestari (The Master Brewer) by Antti Haase gives an in-depth portrait of Andelin. It is a heartfelt story that covers the history of the Lapin Kulta brewery, which was originally founded in 1873, as well as the development of the classic beer, the acquisition by Heineken and eventually the closure of the brewery’s operations in Tornio in 2010, with 110 people losing their job. The Lapin Kulta brand is now owned by Hartwall, which in turn is owned by Royal Unibrew, and the beer with the name meaning Lapland’s Gold is brewed in the southern Finnish town of Lahti, nowhere near Lapland.
Leo Andelin comes by the brewery every week to take samples of the beer.
Filmed in 2020, the documentary describes Andelin’s strife to preserve and honour Tornio’s brewing traditions, in an era when global market economy rules. But this is by no means the end of the story… As shown in The Master Brewer, it is just the beginning for another successful brewery: Tornion Panimo. And, of course, the unexpected comeback of Andelin, in his golden years, is also in focus.
The new brewery at the old site wins world’s best
In an effort to revive the abandoned brewing premises, with 140 years of brewing history housed in a 12,000 square metre space in the middle of Tornio, Kaj Kostiander contacted the former brew master, who was more than happy to be involved in the new brewery.
Tornion Panimo was set up by a group of co-founders in 2016 and a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign followed, which raised an impressive one million euros in just six months. “This is where it all started, at the old Lapin Kulta site,” says Kostiander. “Other people might start a brewery simply out of the love of beer, but we wanted to bring back the heritage of the fantastic old brewery in Tornio.”
After a number of trial batches, carefully overseen by Andelin, Tornion Panimo released Lapland Original Lager in the summer of 2017. “We looked into how Leo’s recipe was originally created and tried to brew a similar beer, but via the ingredients and processes of today, of course,” says the CEO. “We submitted it to Monde Selection and we were stunned when it received gold at the 2018 awards. What an achievement, and amazing for Leo to receive this award at the gala ceremony in Valencia. It carries a huge symbolic meaning for us and is amongst the proudest moments we’ve experienced in the brewery.”
Last year, Lapland Original Lager was named World’s Best International Lager at the World Beer Awards; another prize that changed the future for Tornion Panimo. “This was a huge win commercially,” reveals Kostiander. “We realised that this award resonates well with consumers, and our sales doubled immediately. It would probably have tripled, if the brewery had the capacity!”
A true icon of Finnish beer culture
Leo Andelin has received further international recognition; most recently at the 2025 World Beer Awards, where he was named Brand Ambassador of the Year in the category Icons of Beer. Andelin was praised for his outstanding contribution to the beer industry and his help in promoting the craft brewery Tornion Panimo, as well as his long-term support to the Finnish beer culture.
Kaj Kostiander, co founder and CEO of Tornion Panimo.
Tornion Panimo continues to develop, with the help of Andelin, and is now ranked as the sixth-most known Finnish beer brand. The brewery is investing in a packaging machine and new fermentation tanks, and for further growth is considering moving to a bigger location within the premises. “Even though Leo is 88 years old now, he comes by every week to take samples of the beer,” smiles Kostiander. “How fantastic that is, to still be able to draw on his experience!”
To read more about the legendary brewer Leo Andelin, and to check out the award-winning beers, you can take a look at : tornionpanimo.fi
SHARE
Requests to commercially license our content for republishing are now being processed through PLSclear. Please visit www.plsclear.com to complete your permission request. You can search PLSclear by title, ISBN/ISSN, author, or keyword.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Receive our monthly newsletter by email
