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! 🍻

National Homebrew Day 2024. 🍺 Therefore, a homebrew. And this is interesting! The brewing date was 14 March 2023. Yes, more than a year ago. Why is it interesting? Because it was a Stout. Now it's something else. 😂 The color is somewhat lighter now. It's still transparent but the actual tint is deep burgundy. No dark brown anymore. The carbonation has calmed down a bit, it's still reasonable. The emerging head amounts to two fingers. The retention is shorter now. Still, a faint lace ring can be observed on the surface. Raspberry is neatly ample in the scent. The difference is that the licorice had reduced in intensity, it's relatively modest now. But still detectable. The overall sweetness has been replaced by sourness. Yay! How about the taste? Sour raspberry mash. Nothing jam-like. The licorice is a mere whisper on the sides of the tongue. Its deepness is clearly shallow now. I would still argue that blackcurrant is present but cola is not. The malty sector is truly narrow. The body is light. The finish is identical to upfront, just like a year ago. But different than it was then. If you're lost, you can look and you will find the aftertaste; time after time; if you fall, I will catch the flavors, I'll be tasting; time after time. The mouthfeel is light, moderately tart, juicy, summery and a bit flat. This is basically nice! But different from 2023. Definitely not a Stout anymore. This is a Fruited Sour Ale. Interesting development! Can I rate this as a Sour Ale?? I would give 3.1 maybe. Very drinkable. But as a Stout? 1.0. Because it's not a Stout anymore. I better leave this unrated now. #NationalHomebrewDay

Sahti time. Finally! I've enjoyed this already a lot but now I'm reviewing it, as well. The weather is wintry. I have a couple of shots of the earlier years' editions of our Easter Sahti with much more spring-like surroundings than now. Is this a climate crisis? Help us, Greta! The Sahti looks turbid, medium-sludgy-brown. Lighter than our normal Sahtis. A moderate big-bubbled lace ring adorns the top for quite some time. Carbonation is, of course, negligible, just what the yeast has produced. This is the first time we brew with Pehkolan Mallastamo's sahtimalt. Good to see how it behaves. What I hear is that it's less powdery than the common Viking Malt's stuff. Maybe. The scent is attractive: malt, brown biscuit, ripe banana, fermented banana. Very faint clove? Not sure. Probably yes. The olfactory supply is quite old-school and traditional, which makes sense since we didn't mix any other malt here than the sahtimalt and a bit of rye. Basic stuff. Does the taste identity lead to the Easter suffering? Or to the defeat of death and the hope of salvation? Soft it is. Mmmyum 😋 Banana, yes. Both ripe or overripe and fermented. Biscuit, dough, toffee, dried apricot. Clove? Not sure. All in all, enjoyable and inspiring. The body is medium. Not miserable, nor remarkable either. Good. The end is equally malty and bananaey (is this a word?). Same same. So, here we go again; it's like I'm caught under a spell; the aftertaste's wearing black, black magic; it makes me suffer, it makes me suffer. The mouthfeel is medium, soft, smooth, marginally sticky and absolutely classical. No gimmicks. As clean as a Sahti can be. Very balanced. Gulpable, yet also heady... Successful this time. Glad I am.

Another newcomer in the "Small Beers" series. This has wild chamomile as a flavoring. The appearance is wellnigh lucid amber. The carbonation behaves well and produces a minuscule-bubbled head that reaches a mere half-finger height. The short retention maims the restrained foamy cap to a gossamer lace ring on the top. The scent is amply floral: wild chamomile is powerful in the air. Like a meadow in the midsummer. It overshadows whatever else the fragrance might have to offer. Nice but also alerting... the reason is that although the wild chamomile might smell lovely and even work reasonably in a herb tea, it certainly doesn't taste too yummy. I haven't seen anybody recommending eating wild chamomile... The tastebuds get ready for a shock. There we go. Indeed, floral and grassy wild chamomile refuses to shy away. It's bold and a tad perfumy. Somewhat fragrant. Lemon peel is the only other component I'm able to spot here, for example the grainbill is entirely camouflaged. Right. The body is thin as one can expect. The end levels off the floral taste to some extent but doesn't introduce anything else to the concoction. Chamomile, what'chu tryna feel? You sweet like honey, give me sugar, tell me, are you even real? You already know, I’ma go with the aftertaste wherever it goes. The mouthfeel is thin, floral, herbal, fragrant and slightly drying. This beer doesn't have such an astringent sensation as the daisy one had: since these two were made of the same wort divided into two, the astringency must originate from the daisy itself. Well, my verdict. All in all, not my favorite. Not even close. What I like is that the beer tastes wild chamomile. I don't pick any flaws or off-flavors here. Nevertheless, the plant itself is not appealing to my taste receptors. Too healthy. Therefore, the outcome is somewhat challenging flavorwise.

The "Small Beers" adventure continues. These beers are made of the second or third runnings of our Sahtis and almost always flavored with some traditional Finnish plants, herbs or berries. The ABV has ranged from 1.4 % to 6.4 %. This particular beer contains aromas of daisy. The ABV is a fairly low 1.7 %. The color is turbid, pale amber. A bit messy-looking. The carbonation is decent this soon from the bottling, it will certainly develop more over time. Not much but marginally anyway. A white head forms on the top and falls short of one finger. A lace ring adorns the top for surprisingly long. The scent is floral and herbal. It's daisy but I wouldn't recognize it didn't I know it. It's slightly grassy. It's somewhat like herb tea without any green or black tea. I can spot a faint crackery vibe in the shadows but otherwise the malty sphere is pretty negligible here. The taste is moderately sour and herbal rather than floral. Grassy and modestly crackery. Tastes healthy... The body is thin. The end doesn't offer anything new to the few upfront flavors. The aftertaste's crazy, but I like it, I bite back; daisies on the nightstand, never forget it; they blossom in the moonlight, screw eyes; glacial with the blue ice, I'm terrifying. The mouthfeel is thin, herbal, a tad dry and distantly drying. Even faintly astringent. Flavorwise this is not particularly appealing since daisy is not among the most tasty edible plants. However, the beer tastes what it's supposed to taste. That's the main point. I'm looking forward to trying this in the sauna.

Today's second, and the Christmas's fourth Sahti. This has been flavored with lingonberries. The appearance is really fuzzy, ruby-reflected mahogany. Carbonation is modest, just like that of the basic Joulusahti. The emerging bubble ring is even more impotent now. The nose finds rye porridge, rye flour and mashed lingonberry. A mere distant vibe of fermented banana is reminiscent of the base Sahti. Interestingly, the level of sweetness in the air is drastically lower now, obviously because of the lingonberries. I find no chocolate, nor biscuit. This is absolutely not sour but not sweet either, not even sweetish. Okay, the flavor profile is much more familiar: a tad sweet malt, dark chocolate, cacao nibs, banana, cookie and bitter caramel. Clove is absent this time. So is alcohol. Nevertheless, lingonberry is noticeable, it's not sour mash but like slightly sweet lingonberry jam. The body is medium-full. It's interesting that the lingonberry-macerated Sahti either has or gives the impression that it has a bigger body than the regular version. Not sure if the flavors and particles dissolved from the berries can boost the sensation. Maybe. I don't have any other explanation either. The finish tweaks nicely in the baseline direction and leaves the lingonberry in a minor role. The many nuances are still observable here. Let me take the aftertaste down 'cause I'm going to lingonberry fields; nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about; lingonberry fields forever. The mouthfeel is medium-full, juicy, autumnal and lip-glueing. I wouldn't necessarily call this "rustic" albeit it does show those respective qualifications, as well. Furthermore, the sensation is balanced, soft, smooth and mouthcoating. Very tasty stuff! Interestingly, the fragrance is rather different from both the base version but also from the gustatory identity of this particular Sahti. You could say that this Sahti evolves from the scent to the tastebuds up to the end, plus the body being more robust now. 🤎❤️🤎

Malty Christmas to all Pint Please folks! May the beers be with you today and forever!! 🎄🎅🏼🤶🏻🎁🍗🍻 Yesterday one homebrewed Sahti and one commercial Sahti. Today two homebrews more. Our own. This is the base version. The tint is foggy, dark brown with a ruby beam. Extraordinarily shy carbonation gives a soapy bubble ring circling the top. Soon the surface is more or less still. Sweet-leaning scent. Malt, biscuit, banana and a tiny helping of chocolate. Promising, I'm looking forward to enjoying this on the tip of my tongue. Mmmm... lovely. The basic elements are certainly there: I'm picking sweet malt, banana — also banana peel —, and a hair-thin hint of clove. Additionally, I can find exactly those flavors that we have used for the finetuning of the gustatory potpourri: strong biscuit, milk chocolate, cacao nibs and a suggestion of caramel. Alcohol is totally absent! Very tasty! 🤎🤎 The body is medium, perhaps even marginally bigger. The ending segment is intensively malty with appealing biscuit, lush banana, interestingly growing chocolate and a load of cacao nibs. Do I lose anything here compared to the actual gustatory enjoyment? Probably not, even the caramel is recognizable. It's Christmas again, Christmas again, the pots are full of porridge; now you can have, now you can have, a stomach full of aftertaste. The mouthfeel is medium to medium-full, lip-glueing, soft but not exactly velvety, but certainly smooth. It's reasonably rustic with a modern innovative twist (I wonder what it means...). The mouthfeel is also very balanced, relatively strong, intriguing. Good stuff indeed!! 🤎🤎🤎