The worst has come true for Russia, as Finland is formally welcomed into NATO, a global alliance designed just to fight Russians. Of course, NATO doesn't just outright say that, but it is officially a "collective security" organization founded at the beginning of the Cold War, and Russia is very specifically not a member. You do the math.
Finns appear to be excited about finally joining the alliance. One Finnish brewery, based in the town of Savonlinna near the country's Russian border, has launched a new beer to mark the occasion. Olaf Brewing's OTAN, from the French abbreviation for NATO, is also a clever play on the Finnish expression Otan olutta, meaning, "I'll have a beer."
For the craft beer fans reading this, OTAN is an Indian Pale Ale (IPA) with 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). It has a light, crisp feel with what the company describes as "a taste of security, with a hint of freedom." The company also offers a Gold Edition, a 4.5% pale ale (with 11 times more security!), as well as a gin-based grapefruit-flavored OTAN beverage.
"An independent nation is making an independent decision about its security. Here in Savonlinna, we have lived on the border between East and West for a long time," the company said on Twitter. "even though our city and Olavinlinna have been the target of bombings and battlegrounds several times. We hope that this will never happen again."
Olaf Brewing was founded in 2015 and has since made a number of beers unrelated to the country's relationship with Russia, including its award-winning imperial stout, Northern Comfort. Meanwhile, it has been supporting Ukraine's fight against Russia by donating to groups like Ukraine Aid Ops and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's United24.
Olaf also released a 5% IPA called Leopard Beer as part of a push to get Germany's Leopard tanks to Ukraine. It even allowed people to print the Leopard Beer label and add it to their own cans as part of the #FreetheLeopards social media campaign. And yes, they have a swag shop.
Finland is a great addition to the alliance because historically, no one kills Russians the way Finns can. It was part of the Russian Empire until the end of World War I, but during World War II, Finland fought two wars with the USSR, losing more than 89,000 troops while inflicting more than 305,000 on the Soviet Red Army.
Ever since, Finland has tried to maintain a neutral position between East and West. It was sympathetic to the West, but Finland shares an 830-mile-long border with Russia, and preventing a Soviet invasion was at the top of its Cold War foreign policy goals.
Russia repeatedly warned Finland against seeking membership in NATO, threatening severe consequences, but the invasion of Ukraine doubled Finnish support for joining the alliance. A little more than a year later, Brussels welcomed Finland into NATO.
"Olaf is always there when it's time to raise a toast to cooperation and new, good friends!" the company said on Twitter.
If you happen to be in Finland, Olaf's OTAN IPA can be found at "well-stocked stores" around the country. Olaf also ships anywhere in the European Union. For those outside the EU, contact sales@olafbrewing.com, to see whether you can get that taste of security and freedom wherever you are.
-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on LinkedIn.
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