Pihtla Ölleköök, on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia, brews both traditional koduõlu and more modern beer styles. (photo: André Brunnsberg)
Small production, traditional farmhouse-style beers have been preserved better in the Nordic countries and Baltic states than elsewhere in Europe, though none has yet reached the iconic status of Finland’s Sahti .
On the Estonian island of Saaremaa, some farmers still make light, blond, hazy, rustic and spicy Koduõlu, with two brewers in the village of Pihtla, selling commercial examples direct to the public and sometimes to bars on the island and in the capital, Tallinn.
From the Swedish island of Gotland comes smoky, bittersweet, juniper-infused Gotlandsdricka.
Lithuania has different types of earthy Kaimiškas, made with a fast-fermented mash to which a hop tea is added – some breweries using yeast that has not been refreshed for a century or so.
Norway has a tradition of farmhouse beers, or Gardsøl, with local names like Heimabrygg, Kornøl and Stjørdalsøl, tracing their origins to the time when the Gulating law obliged all grain farmers to brew ale. Such beers are typically fermented by strains of much-recycled yeast called kveik. A cleaned up version of his yeast is being tested by some brewers for making regular beers of the same name.
