As you may have already noticed, we’ve been working hard to build a platform where you guys can offer local experiences to savvy travellers. From hosting delicious dinners to teaching playful AcroYoga classes to offering offbeat city tours – this is your chance to do what you love and earn some extra cash… Or who knows, maybe even kick-start a new career!

To give you an idea of the possibilities, we’d like to introduce you to Martin, a craft beer enthusiast and passionate home brewer who hosts fun and informative craft beer tastings in Tallinn.

In the beginning…

Martin first transformed his love affair with beer into a career when he began working as a beer spy for one of the big breweries, secretly checking if their beers were being served in the right glasses and at the correct temperatures. After doing this for a year and dabbling in the start-up scene, he somehow ended up owning and running a Malaysian restaurant in Tallinn together with a Malaysian chef. Working in the restaurant industry allowed him to gain insight into what foods work well with beer and what types of beers people enjoy experimenting with.

Sharing his passion

For the past few years, Martin has been home brewing and hosting private beer tastings for friends and friend of friends. He’s been through the same hell that every home brewer experiences when they first start out – the cleaning, the washing, the bottling – so he can really appreciate every drop of handcrafted beer that microbreweries produce.

He even started a YouTube channel called Pruuli TV with some friends to introduce Estonians to new beers and brewers. They attended festivals and filmed their experiences, and this was Martin’s stepping stone into the brewers circle. By now, he knows most of them. He also decided to submit his craft beer tasting experience to Like A Local to see if anybody would actually be interested in sampling Estonian crafts beers with him and paying for the service.

Turning his passion into income

Martin always emphasises that beer is not wine and that you can never go wrong when describing how a beer tastes. It’s not a Master Sommelier class and you don’t have to worry about anyone judging you for not using the correct jargon. If it tastes like leather, grass or wood, or smells like a flower bouquet – you’re right. After all, each person has a different palate. According to Martin, sampling different beers and just knowing the basics of how a beer gets its dark colour or smoky flavour is as good as tasting hundreds of beers to find your favourite.

He has introduced people younger than himself and older than his parents to the wonderful world of Estonian craft beer. He’s even converted a true wine lover into a craft beer fan via a cherry beer. Many beer enthusiasts have attended his tastings only to discover that there are so many exceptional beers that they’ve never tasted.

Martin’s beer tastings

These days Martin’s on a mission to introduce Estonia’s best craft beers to the world through his cosy little beer tastings.

Estonian Craft Beer Tasting & History Lesson in Tallinn

• Duration: 2 hours
• Price: From €19 per person
• What’s included: A lecture with a slideshow, 6–8 Estonian craft beers and good vibes
• Who can book: Private groups

Trappist Beer Tasting & History Lesson in Tallinn

• Duration: 2.5 hours
• Price: From €39 per person
• What’s included: A short lesson about the history and styles of Trappist beer, at least 8 different Trappist beers, good vibes and a Belgian snack after the tasting
• Who can book: Private groups

Turn your passion into income

If you see yourself in Martin’s story, please get in touch with any thoughts and ideas! Whether it’s teaching travellers how to make local specialities, hosting a friendly soccer match or hiking in the woods – we can help make it happen. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Submit your local experience >

All photos by Ann Vaida