Now a homebrew! Our first ever cider! An interesting fact here is that this has been fermented with wild yeasts only. No commercial yeast at all. We picked the apples in September at our summer cottage. The varieties are relatively sour. In October, we crushed the apples and put them in a fermenting bucket. The fermentation started slowly as it is normally the case with uncontrollable wild yeast fermentation. Then we juiced the slowly fermenting apples. The apple juice still continued to ferment for two months. Finally, the bottling took place in late December. Now the cider has rested in bottles for nine weeks. Another interesting fact is that one could think that the apples would grow mold. Well, they don't. For some reason, the wild yeasts and related organisms overpower molds and other harmful organisms and prevent them from growing. I'm sure there is a microbiological explanation to it. Now the cider. The appearance is deep and full: Mandarin orange with a remote milky hue. Naturally hazy. Totally. The carbonation is, first, impatient but calms quickly down and produces a clean white, spritzy head that fails to reach one finger and shrinks fast to a thin lace ring. Powerful Finnish apples in the scent. Mash and peel. Malic acid can't be missed. Wild yeast is really modest, barely traceable. Lovely, all in all! The same sour Finnish apples prevail also on the tongue. Flesh and mash and peel. Like it actually contains. Malic acid gives a true punch. Distant farmhousey wild yeast seasons the juice. The cocktail ends with sour apple, what else? Feels extraordinarily juicy, tart, puckering, acidic and drying. Natural but only faintly funky. Autumnal, I would say. Tastewise, this is really successful but I would have welcomed a bolder wild yeast nuance. Nevertheless, this is something that I will later return to in order to see how it develops.

It's now time for the third herb-flavored small beer. This is a bit scary. The flavoring is goutweed. Why is it scary then? Well, the "natural food" fanatics praise the qualifications of the goutweed, both for food and medicinal purposes. Some people say it tastes like spinach. I have tried to eat goutweed and, in my mind, it tastes... well... like weed. Far from spinach. Quite unattractive actually. I'm afraid that the goutweed flavored beer might also taste rubbish. There's only one way to find out. A man's got to do what a man's got to do. Dive to the deep end. Here we go. Yes, I have a goutweed beer. Looks lucid, deep gold, even amber. Moderate carbonation produces a thin lacing that dwindles rushedly to an even thinner lace ring and eventually zero. At least, the appearance isn't unapproachable. Goutweed smells in the beer. Amen. Weedy. Not dank like the weed that some of you smoke but the weed that grows everywhere in the garden, especially where it's not supposed to. The fragrance is fairly copious, a tad like herb tea. A faint malty reflection may be observed in the shadows but otherwise the goutweed truly dominates the olfactory universe. Let me sip. Alright. I'm not going to puke. This is not revolting. The taste is, admittedly, herbal and weedy. And vegetal. But manageable. It's a combination of malt and goutweed, accompanied by grated dry lemon peel. Indeed, herb tea is what comes to my mind. I don't necessarily fancy this but, at least, I get what I have wanted. I put goutweed in the beer, and my beer tastes like goutweed. Simple as that. The body is light minus. The end is goutweedy. A nice word, right? (I made it up myself.) The same pungent tea-imitating cocktail prevails now in the mouth as before. The mouthfeel is light, floral, herbal, tea-like and slightly pungent. And vegetal. Definitely not a masterpiece but delivers what it's supposed to. No flaws. I appreciate it. Still, I can't say that I enjoy this beer.

Another version of a herb-flavored Small Beer: now meadowsweet. This is actually the 23rd different version of the series. The beer is lucid, deep gold. No difference from the previous willowherb version. The carbonation is moderate. A pure white, minuscule-bubbled head covers the surface up to the level of half a finger. The foam doesn't survive long but the subsequent lace ring is longer-lived. The scent is astonishingly impotent: I can only pick a herbal vibe, faint malt and distant tea. They all are very minimal. The gustatory profile is refreshing and fairly pleasant. A distinct floral hint lingers on the tastebuds, also after swallowing. Grapefruit peel, modest pale malt and a suggestion of tea accompany the key flavor. The floral note is definitely meadowsweet. The body is light minus. The end is unchanged, meadowsweet dominates. Feels floral, herbal, light and refreshing in the mouth. Balanced. Summery. Better than the willowherb edition. Will surely work in the sauna. Pity I only have a few bottles of this left.

The Small Beer series continues: this is the series that we have brewed out of the second runnings of the Sahti wort and seasoned with one natural herb or flower or uncommon berry each time. We have brewed already 19 flavored versions plus two unflavored ones, so all the pleasant tasting herbs and flowers start to be exhausted. There are still a lot of edible plants available, of course, but they tend to taste like weed and are not particularly inviting. Can't help, the show must go on. This version was infused with willowherb. Okay, here we go. The beer looks lucid, deep gold. The carbonation is a bit limited but sufficient. A fluffy, clean white head remains below one finger and dies fast away. The scent offers barley malt, slightly worty, a bit of bread, a wisp of dry grass and a weedy note. It has the element that I was afraid it may portray but the weedy side is still not disturbing. The taste is pretty similar to the olfactory supply: barley malt but not actually worty, which is good because wortiness gives an unfinished impression. Bread can also be spotted, dry grass and faint citrus. Not bad if not too appealing either. The basic undertone is grassy, I can't associate the taste with willowherb, it could be basically any plant in the garden with no particular character though. Or maybe I just don't know all the plants thoroughly enough. The body is light minus. Sufficient for the moderate ABV. Ends like it starts. The mouthfeel is light minus, refreshing, marginally herbal, slightly crisp as well as balanced. Simple. Maybe I should characterize this product as "not as bad as it could be". It's actually relatively okay. The willowherb is not known to be an extraordinarily tasty plant, which is reflected in the taste profile. Therefore, the taste is somewhat generic with an unrecognizable herbal twist only.

Another homebrewed Sahti. This is a flavored version of our baseline Christmas Sahti. We have traditionally taken a small portion of our Christmas Sahti aside and infused it with one set of berries every time. The 2020 edition was with cranberries (and glogg spices), the 2021 one with raspberries, the 2023 version was with lingonberries while 2022 was missed. Now we have a plum flavored Sahti. This heretical drink colors turbid, dark brownish purple. Looks weird. Again, basically no head, just a couple of bigger bubbles that burst before no time. The carbonation is marginal. The scent is not entirely balanced: slightly sour plum dominates big time. Overripe banana tries to step out of the plums' shadow but remains first in captivity. After a good while, the banana intensifies substantially and buries the hatchet with the plum. Additionally, I can spot purple gooseberry and berry flavored waffle among the nuances. The tastebuds receive a medley of overripe banana, moderately sour plum, plum peel, gooseberry jam, juniper, raw cacao powder and cookie. An interesting package but the plum is a bit overwhelming compared to the rest of the flavors. The body is full. Interesting, especially since the baseline Sahti is not entirely full but rather medium-full. The feeling of fullness may well be due to the generous amount of plums in the fermentation, it produced more fermentable sugars and increased the ABV but may have also boosted the body, or the feeling of it. The aftertaste witnesses a slightly cocky alcohol that tries to show off but doesn't really succeed. The mouthfeel is full, strong, intense, marginally boozy, lip-glueing and warming. Interestingly, the first sips didn't impress me but the sensation improved considerably when the drink breathed deep for some time.

Malty Christmas to all Pint Please folks! May good beers be with you today and forever!! 🎄🎅🏼🤶🏻🎁🍗🍻 I start the Christmas festivities with our own Christmas Sahti. It developed a bit strongish... Let's see. The color is murky, medium-brown. The carbonation is negligible just like the style goes. A few fawn bubbles emerge on the top and die fast. Banana finds my nose first. Somewhat fermented but not entirely though. Biscuit and a proposal of raw chocolate join the ride. There's one more note that keeps me waiting a bit and it's clove. Very remote but recognizable. The taste is astonishingly soft and easy, despite the fairly strong ABV. Alcohol is just nowhere. Banana is attractive on the tongue, partly fermented, partly only overripe. Raw chocolate overcomes biscuit this time. Accompaniments include juniper, rye malt, graham cracker and distant clove. Beautiful, veeeery traditional! The body is medium-full. Could be bigger, of course, but this is sufficient. The finish lifts dark and raw chocolate higher and brings in slightly sharp elements, too. This is the point where alcohol can be felt if any. The mouthfeel is medium-full, lip-glueing, smooth, somewhat viscous, relatively deep and intriguingly warming. Traditional. +0.1 extra stars for keeping alcohol in tight control.

Sahti time! Homebrew time! Homebrew Sahti time. How clever! This noble drink looks murky, medium brown. Basically no carbonation but a few big fawn bubbles emerge on the top and disappear hastily. Alright, here we go! Let me inhale those intriguing aromas: banana spreads its attractive and style-typical nuances in the air. It's undeniably the winner of this game. Caramel, biscuit, raisin, date, faint milk chocolate and a whisper of clove follow on its footsteps, in this declining sequence. Hey, a good set of olfactory notes can't go wrong later either, can it? The tongue can't ignore the big banana, it's so evident there. Slightly fermented and medium-sweet. Caramel and cookie whirl into the same concoction with raisin, milk chocolate, cacao nibs and a bit of biscuit dough. Suggestions of clove is the last in line together with equally modest juniper twig. Now the case is closed. The body is medium-full. The ABV could build an even more robust maltbody but this is alright as it is. The end narrows down but retains its sweet-leaning character with the key inputs. The mouthfeel is soft, smooth, medium-full and lip-glueing. I could add that I find the mouthfeel also deep, somewhat rich, definitely rustic and traditional, of course. This is now lovely. I tasted this a week ago, that was at the age of two weeks, and it didn't impress me. Now, more than a week older, this is completely different. Enriched. Deepened. Evolved. Interesting how small a change in age can make such a big difference in taste. That's the beauty of Sahti!

One more for tonight. This is our own homebrew. Brewed 8.5 weeks ago, rested in a bottle for 4 weeks now. This is a Brown Ale. Our first. I 🤎 Brown Ales, especially their imperial big brothers. This didn't reach those heights but I hope it offers something to enjoy. The appearance is murky, deep dark brown. Makes sense for a Brown Ale. The carbonation is somewhat impatient, the flip top cap pops loud when I snap it open. A fluffy creamy head forms quickly on the top up to three to four fingers' level even if poured cautiously. I hope we don't have exploding bottles in the winter... Anyway, the foamy stack melts soon to a thin lace ring on the surface. The scent is basically pleasant although not very extroverted. Not particularly timid either, let alone absent. I spot barley flour, brownie and an idea of toasted coconut flakes. Not very multidimensional but I guess it's alright for a homebrew. Okay, let me taste. Mmmmmyes. There we go. Nothing phenomenal but offers a decent set of elements anyway: dark chocolate, cacao nibs, brownie, cookie, very delicate toasted coconut flakes and a suggestion of syrup. The beer doesn't contain any cacao or chocolate but we used toasted coconut flakes as an adjunct. And also vanilla extract but vanilla remains hidden to me. It's a pity although I'm not surprised because the amount was small. Overall, I find this rather successful so far. The body is light-medium to medium. That's surprising since the maltbody has pretty much always been a challenge for us. Now it is what I would expect of a commercial beer of the same strength. The tail gives not so different components, and additionally, a bit of bitter molasses. Attractive. Feels enjoyable in the mouth. Light-medium to medium, lip-glueing, effervescent, still balanced and modestly adjuncted. It's gentle, soft, smooth and marginally rich. I'm confident that I will finish easily the crate unless the carbonation makes the bottles break prematurely. Hope not.

Now a homebrew. This is a very low-alc beer, the ABV clocks as little as 1.5 %. Meant for the sauna, now accompanies my meal. This is interesting but also risky: the flavoring is horseradish flower. We got a "wild" horseradish in our compound, we've never planted one. It has most likely once been planted somewhere here and survived ever since. Could be a long time ago. Horseradish is a vegetable, not a fruit, so expect it to taste vegetal. Not necessarily a huge asset in a beer but I hope I'll get what I have used in the brewing. The beer is cloudy copper. The carbonation is adequately lively. A minuscule-bubbled head climbs one finger high and dissipates then to a thin lace ring in the sides. A fragile haze wafts in the middle. The scent doesn't impress me much: vegetal and marginally worty. The vegetal part hits through big time. I tasted the horseradish flower when I picked them, and yes, this is it. Good. But not very attractive. It's like mild horseradish with a twist of wasabi, mixed with green hay or weed. The worty backbone pops up occasionally in the air. No wort on the tongue though. Horseradish is distinct, as if in a floral form. Impotent light malt, green hay, a pinch of yeast and weird fermented citrus peel complete the experience. Not inspiring at all. The body is scanty. Meaning watery. No surprise at this low an ABV. And this was brewed from the third runnings of the Sahti wort, almost all the fermentable sugars had already been exhausted, so this remained with a very small amount only. The finish gives a hint of horseradish but otherwise leaves no engram in my brain. The mouthfeel is watery, vegetal, floral, herbal, faintly piquant and a tad as unfinished. Very unique for sure. Generally speaking, not a big hit. Maybe I should try to pair this with sushi? Or some super spicy Asian soup? I'm glad it delivers what I used in the brewing. On the other hand, this can't be considered a success. Fortunately, the batch is very small, only four bottles left. I'll manage. But no need to repeat this flavoring. 😅

Alright! Sahti time! Of course! It's Juhannus, what else? Here we go! 🌿🌞🇫🇮🍻 Murky, dark chocolate brown Sahti with basically no carbonation at all. Just a small set of big tawny bubbles pops up on the surface and dies immediately. Dark chocolate, dark malt, banana, cookie and brownie, in various proportions, constitute the olfactory universe. A sigh of clove can also be depicted. Very nice! As a matter of fact, astonishingly attractive. 🤎🤎 So lovely a scent, I can't wait to taste this. I can spot a good load of flavors: dark chocolate, cacao nibs, dark malt, a whisper of roasted black malt, brownie and fermented banana. Sweet. Sweeter than almost all of our Sahtis so far, if not the sweetest. Loads of unfermented residual sugars. The body is full. We have almost never managed to brew a full-bodied Sahti or any other beer, for that matter, so this is most welcome. The end lingers beautifully on the tastebuds for a long time. The mouthfeel is full, medium-thick, soft, smooth, reasonably rich, lip-glueing and astonishingly balanced. Also slightly warming, due to the alcohol of course but the alcohol itself doesn't taste at all. Good stuff! 🍻