Murky, deep dark brown Sahti, almost black, is the highlight of Easter 2021. The color deviates somewhat from our previous Sahtis as we replaced 5 % of the normal malt bill with Viking Black Malt. The Real Ale type of brew produces a mere gossamer tawny lace ring on the top. Soon it's completely still, no dots can be found on the wall of the glass either. I raise the glass up to my nose. Sweet dark malt with a faint dark cookie-like aroma is what I receive first. Banana is fairly restrained but can still be captured. And of course it gains strength when the drink warms up. The taste profile is mellow. Sweet dark malt and dark, faintly chocolatey cookie join the ranks of moderate roast and licorice. The malty sphere creates an impression of grainy rye although the proportion of rye is truly limited — the Black Malt is roasted barley. Banana lies on a fermented side rather than ripe or overripe. Even juniper can be picked as its bitter woody nuance lingers nicely on the tongue. Juniper is not very easy to find, if at all, in our Sahtis because the amount is so modest but this time it's surely there. Maybe the black malt intensifies its nuance as they both portray a moderately sharp twist. As the last point on the taste, alcohol is totally hidden, and that's fantastic since this is the highest-ABV Sahti so far we have brewed. 🖤🤎🖤 The body is medium-full. A tad strong malt with a sweetish but medium-powerful punch, some rye-like flavors, a moderate amount of juniper twig and a distinct roasty touch constitute the finish. Banana almost gets camouflaged although a distant fermented proposal is left behind. Intriguing raw licorice root carries over to the end. The aftertaste tells the tastebuds stories about a great-great-grandmother who used to malt the grains herself in sauna in the 19th century and that process took long. The mouthfeel is rather full, relatively thick and strong as well as brings in a suppressed roasty slam. It's still soft and smooth, as well as appealingly lip-glueing. I'm really happy about this Sahti. It's tasty, strong and takes a bit new direction. Alcohol is present nowhere. A good amount of residual sugars guarantee sweetness. Black Malt is the secret. Next time something different. 😉

Here’s another piece that I received as a gift. This time from the Finnish homebrew project, Teva Brew, known also for the mastermind behind it: WexiLahti. BEER: Kärsimyssahti BREWERY: Teva Brew BEER STYLE: Sahti COUNTRY: Finland ABV.: 8.4% COLOUR (EBC): Deep Dark Brown (88.0) BITTERS (EBU/IBU): - AROMA: Strong one and really lovely. Natural with soft juniper berry jelly and deep feel of ancient times. HEAD: Just a fragile veil over the liquid. GREY’S VIEW First sip. And it’s marvellous! Taste includes the purest feel of primeval forest, some shy tryings from juniper needles and of course those lovely juniper berries. There’s also some raw brownsugary kind of sweetness to it and semi distantly bitter-ish goings too. The alcohol is entirely absent, it’s nowhere to be found. Tasteprofile progresses exceptionally, giving dark dry breadiness, pure feel of minerals and easygoing, lightly mossy hints with liquorice touch in the end. This one takes me to Finnish National Park, to that beautiful silence and peace, so lovely. So lovely. Mouthfeel is light and easy and the enjoyability keeps its form way longer then I can ever hope. OTHER NOTES: Absolutely top Sahti here! Pure and convincing in flavours and zero feel of alcohol. I wouldn’t change anything in this one. Beautiful work! Thank you Wexi for letting me try this 🎩 BOTTLED 8/3/2021 TASTED 3/4/2021