Fat Lizard

Fat Lizard is a Finnish microbrewery founded in Espoo in 2014. The CEO of the brewery is Eero Kukko. From 2014 to 2020 the CEO of the brewery was Heikki Ylinen.[1][3]

Fat Lizard Brewing Company Oy
TypeOsakeyhtiö
IndustryBeverage
Founded10 December 2013 (2013-12-10)
Headquarters
Espoo
,
Finland
Area served
Finland
Key people
Eero Kukko, Heikki Ylinen, Tuomas Koskipää, Topi Kairenius, Eelis Seppänen[1]
Revenue €1.8 million (2018)
€213,100 (2018)
Number of employees
18[2]
Websitefatlizard.beer

The brewery started operating in Kivenlahti with an annual production of 30,000 litres. Nowadays the premises of the brewery are in Otaniemi.[4] In 2020, the brewery estimated its annual production to exceed 500,000 litres.[5]

History

The company founders Heikki Ylinen and Tuomas Koskipää started brewing beer in 2013 in Koskipää's garage in Kattilalaakso, Espoo using a 20 litre vat. After having reached a repeatable process, the brewery moved to Kivenlahti in late 2014. In Kivenlahti, the founders built a 300 litre brewing machine from old industrial kitchen parts, which could brew 30,000 litres of beer per year. The first beer to be sold in restaurants was brewed in 2015.[3][4]

In 2017, the brewery moved to its current premises in Otaniemi. There the company acquired a 6000 litre brewing machine, which reached a yearly production of 300,000 litres.[4][6] The Otaniemi premises allowed the company to expand to canned beer sold in retail in addition to tap beer sold in restaurants.[2]

Brand
The company's first beer was 101 California Pale Ale.[7] A signature feature of the company's beer cans is that the entire top of the can can be torn off.
Fat Lizard Ankle Slapper

Fat Lizard has been built consciously as a recognisable brand. According to founder Ylinen "the first beer is bought because of the brand, the next ones because of the taste". The company puts effort to be visible in social media, where it tries to evoke a laid-back feeling.[6]

The company sponsors two beach volley playing sisters from the Helsinki University of Technology, Team Fat Lizard Metsäkoivu/Metsäkoivu.[8]

Products

The company started focusing on American-style beers "because American-style beers should be consumed fresh. Shipped here they are never fresh".[7] According to Fat Lizard, the brewery brews beers its employees themselves want to drink. The company focuses on technical skill and knowledge of the equipment and process in brewing beer.[3][9] Some of the beers are seasonal products and some are available all year round.[9] The company produces an annual batch of Glims beer made from hops from Espoo, which is typically sold out in a flash.[10][11]

Awards

Suomen Paras Olut

Fat Lizard Track Day IPA 5.5% won the "Suomen Paras Olut" ("Finland's Best Beer") award in the category "American-style light and middle-dark ale" in 2016.[12] Fat Lizard Ankle Slapper Surf Ale 5.2% won the same category in 2019.[13]

Functions

Brewery shop

Since 2018, the brewery has upheld a brewery shop for buying beer to take away. After exceeding an annual production of 500,000 litres, the Finnish alcohol law prohibits the company from selling beers over 5.5% to take away.[2][14]

Taproom

The company has announced that it will open a taproom adjacent to its brewery by the end of 2020 to allow for consuming stronger products.[1] After the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays to the initial founding schedule of the taproom, the company held a Biergarten beer terrace on its courtyard in summer 2020.[15]

The company plans on focusing on selling its own beers in the taproom. The company also plans on importing such special beers from the United States that its employees themselves are interested in tasting.[1]

Partner restaurants

The company has three partner restaurants, one in Espoo and two smaller ones in Helsinki. Since 2018, restaurant Fat Lizard Otaniemi has been functioning a short walk away from the brewery. In 2020, the company opened a second restaurant in Herttoniemi. The company opened a third restaurant in central Helsinki in December 2020.[16][17]

Van theft

In summer 2020, a van full of beer was stolen from the company courtyard. The chairman of the board Tuomas Koskipää stopped the theft by driving his 1977 Chevrolet Corvette in front of the van. The incident attracted considerable media attention.[18] Later the company honoured the incident with a new beer named Vigilante Mission New England IPA as a playful reference to popular culture. The name is probably an allusion to the Grand Theft Auto missions where the player plays a law enforcement officer chasing criminals.[19][20][21]

References
  1. Tammenheimo, Peter: Vauhdilla kasvava Fat Lizard Brewing Co. vaihtaa kapteenia, shakerlehti.fi 8 October 2020. Mediatalo Keskisuomalainen, Omnipress Oy. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  2. Panimo, Fat Lizard Brewing Company Oy. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  3. Salminen, Esa: Heikki Ylinen vaihtoi menestyvän koodarin uran olueen – kohtaaminen lapsuudenystävän kanssa oli käänteentekevä, duunitori.fi 18 April 2020. Duunitori Oy. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  4. Insinööritaitoa ja intohimoa, steveco.fi 28 June 2019. Steveco. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  5. Sanna: Panimovisiitti: Fat Lizard, nemanniset.fi 12 February 2020. NeManniset. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  6. Fat Lizard Brewing Company on brändi, joka on luotu somessa, elomedia.elo.fi 19 October 2017. Keskinäinen Työeläkevakuutusyhtiö Elo. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  7. Espoossakin pannaan nyt lähiolutta – ensi-ilta perjantaina, HS.fi 5 February 2015. Sanoma Media Finland. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  8. Teekkarisiskot tähtäävät huipulle, lehti.tek.fi 26 September 2019. Tekniikan akateemiset TEK. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  9. Oluemme, Fat Lizard Brewing Company Oy. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  10. Romahtaneiden talojen raunioilla piileksii vuosisataisia humalalajeja – pienpanimo Fat Lizard löysi omansa espoolaisen talomuseon pihasta, HS.fi 10 August 2019. Sanoma Media Finland. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  11. Glims Wet Hop Ale -olutpullot myytiin 2 minuutissa – Glimsin humalat maustavat olutta, Länsiväylä 10 August 2019. Mediatalo Keskisuomalainen. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  12. Suomen Paras Olut 2016 tulokset, suomenparasolut.fi. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  13. Suomen Paras Olut 2019 tulokset, suomenparasolut.fi. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  14. Beer Shop, Fat Lizard Brewing Company Oy. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  15. Biergarten - Luvassa aina aurinkoa!, Fat Lizard Brewing Company Oy. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  16. Ravintola Fat Lizard, ravintolafatlizard.fi. Accessed on 7 January 2021.
  17. Ylva uudistaa Kaivopihan, Ylva. Accessed on 7 January 2021.
  18. Räty, Hanna: Varas vei täydessä lastissa olleen panimon pakettiauton – yrittäjä pysäytti varkaan toimintaelokuvatyyliin, HS.fi 16 July 2020. Sanoma Media Finland. Accessed on 8 October 2020.
  19. @fatlizardbeer (A comment by user @mikaelamkil), 17 July 2020. Instagram by Facebook. "Nyt joku GTA Espoo olut keittoon jatkamaan tarinaa...." Accessed on 13 October 2020.
  20. Fat Lizard Brewing Co., 3 September 2020. Facebook. "Haavi auki – kelmit kiinni! 🕵️‍♂️🚙" Accessed on 13 October 2020.
  21. VIGILANTE MISSION NEW ENGLAND IPA, Fat Lizard Brewing Company Oy. Accessed on 13 October 2020.
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