Sahti

This week's release is one I've been wanting to make for a long time, since before we even opened. It's an old recipe - the oldest we've done - it's possibly over 1,000 years old. A Viking ale called Sahti (pronounced with an "ah" like in "father" and the "ti" is like the "tea" you drink).

I found a craft maltster in Indiana that malts grain the way the Vikings would have - in a stone and alder wood smokehouse. I strained the mash through boughs - using a branch from the pine tree in my backyard, a fir branch from my father's yard, and a juniper branch and berries from Finland (you can buy anything on Etsy). I added just enough hops to legally call it a beer and it's then fermented hot with Norwegian yeast.

The result is an Amber colored intensely smoky and malty ale with some faint piney resin and wood from the branches, topped with a little gin from the juniper berries. Traditionally, these were brewed strong and meant to be drank quickly, at a holiday celebration or wedding. They would typically pass around a giant goblet or bucket everyone would drink out of (let's not do that though :)