The legendary rye beer of southern and central Finland is by tradition a home-brew like no other. Impossible to export for its absence of hops, specifically excluded from Finnish Prohibition in the early 20th century, avoiding extinction as often and deftly as the Giant Panda, no beer is more regional and more special than this one.
Sahti
This ancient Finnish style of home-brewed beer (6.0-8.5% ABV), usually made from a mash with a high proportion of rye, was saved from obscurity when first brewed on a small scale commercially, by Pekka Kääriäinen of Lammin brewery in 1985. Typically it has little or no carbonation, is somewhat turbid and contains few if any hops. It varies in colour between yellow and dark brown and includes banana, juniper and clove flavours, due to a combination of yeast effects and being filtered through juniper branches. Light tartness is acceptable, sourness not. It is distantly related to the other folk beers of the Baltic rim, but lacks their indisciplined yeast notes. The most obvious link is to Estonian Koduõlu, made on the island of Saaremaa.
EBCU workshop “All About… Sahti” on Youtube
