Tag Archives: sahti

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October 3, 2012

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Dogfish Head Sahtea

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Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Milton, DE

Sah’tea Sahti

9.5% ABV

I haven’t had too much experience with the sahti style, but what I have had, I’ve liked. Samuel Adams‘ Norse Legend was certainly a solid offering, but the first sahti I remember having – and the one I’ve enjoyed the most – is Dogfish Head‘s Sah’tea.

As you’d expect, Dogfish doesn’t approach this beer in the normal fashion. When the style was prevalent, metal brewing equipment didn’t exist, so wooden barrels had to be used for brewing. But heating those barrels wasn’t easy – wood + fire = bad – so hot stones were used to heat the wort. True to the style, DFH did the same thing, rounding out the beer with the traditional juniper, but also black chai tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and cloves. Quite a slate of ingredients, and it all makes one good beer.

The beer has a very slight hazy straw-yellow color. Topped with two fingers of a really foamy bubbly head. There was some nice carbonation coming up from the bottom of the glass due to the nucleation site. Very strong lacing and nice alcohol legs as well.

There’s a big chai tea quality on the nose backed with the cardamom, as well a definite bite from the rye and a bit of tart sweetness from the juniper. A slight wood note is noticeable as well. All the spices used for flavoring are there as well, giving it a very herbal and spicy note, but there’s nothing that really stands out.

The mouthfeel is full and smooth, coupled with good carbonation throughout. Just a bit of a rye bite to go along with the carbonation. The juniper sweetness really shines on the back. The lingering taste comes from the chai. It’s that rich, sweet taste you’d get from drinking a cup of chai tea. The alcohol become a little more prevalent as it warms, but just enough.

I really enjoy Sah’tea, as I do with the majority of Dogfish’s beers. The use of chai is really nice and gives the beer a very creamy and rich quality that makes it very drinkable. The plethora of spices used in flavoring add a nice bouquet to the beer and work well together. This is one I’ll keep coming back to and enjoy time and time again.

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June 20, 2012

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Samuel Adams Norse Legends

Botson Beer Co.

Boston, MA

Norse Legend Sahti

7% ABV

I was sadly underwhelmed with the latest offering in Sam Adams’ Batch No. 1 series of beers and approached Norse Legend – the Boston-based brewery’s attempt at a sahti – with a little more trepidation. Like gose, sahti is a really unique and new (at least to American palates) style of beer, and seeing as how SA’s attempt at the former turned out, I was hesitant about the latter.

But no worries here. With Norse Legend, SA’s unique small batch brews are back on track.

A quick history lesson: Sahti dates back to 9th century Finland. It’s traditionally brewed with rye and juniper berries. Before metal brewing equipment was created, sahtis were brewed in wooden barrels with hot stones dropped in to heat the mash. (It’s not recommended to put an open flame a wooden barrel.) While Dogfish Head brewed their Sah’tea using that method, I think Sam Adams just went for the modern brewing route.

Norse Legend pours a deep amber color. It’s fairly clear but hard to see through. It’s topped with two fingers of a fluffy head that takes a while to settle. Nice lacing and alcohol legs as well.

Sahtis are usually very bready and yeasty beers, and that’s very prevelant on the nose. There’s a sweet bready malt note that hits you first. It’s kind of a dark caramel note, which traditionally comes from the caramelization from the hot stones. Juniper berries are very present as well, as are other notes of dark, sweet fruits.

The beer has a surprisingly full mouthfeel. There’s a big malt backbone to it that’s covered with hints of plums, dark fruits, brown sugar and juniper. There’s a good bit of carbonation throughout the mouth, which does a nice job of cleansing the palate and making the beer more drinkable. I got kind of an oakiness on the back, which might come from the malt profile. It’s not overly sweet or heavy, and that makes it very easy drinking.

Sahti is a style I’m totally new to. Aside from Sah’tea, Norse Legend is only the second beer of the style I’ve tried, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with both. They’re big sweet, chewy beers. The rich maltiness blends really well with the sweeter dark fruit notes and make Norse Legend and overall really enjoyable beer.