Hammerheart Gesik Finnish-style Sahti

And now we have the first Hammerheart bottle I've ever purchased. Why is this? Well, I haven't been to the taproom in nearly a year and a half, due to various circumstances. (Hey, friends, give me a call, and a reason to wake up on my days off!)
I've always got them on tap at Acadia, where I seldom write reviews, (though my last review was there, in December, 2016) but the bottles? Whenever I see them at stores, it's either avbeer I've had before, reviewed from growlers, or maybe the price was higher than I wanted to pay at the time.
In any case, it's time to bring them back into the Nib.

So: Hammerheart Brewing Company Gesik Sahit, Northern European-style Juniper ale, brewed by traditional methods. 7.6% alc. by volume. Lino Lakes, MN.

Highly clouded, crimson hued, slim, amber-toned head.

In the nose: Requisite Hammerheart smoked malt kicks it off, slightly spicy mixed with juniper. Summer sausage.

In the mouth: there we have Hammerheart at their game, being most uncompromising and iconoclastic. No hops at all. Just enough of the berries. Mild on the palate, but tasty and well-balanced, finely crafted. Medium/light-ish bodied. Whoever put those twigs in my beer knows what they're doing. Smoked malt provides appropriate balance and flavor. Very nice.

There's a bunch of tiny type on the bottle to give us some insight into the beer. Very tiny. Maybe they'll put it on the website one day.

Venn Brewing Batch #15: Modern Sahti

Venn Brewing Sahti. 8.5% ABV, 30 IBU. Venn Brewing, Minneapolis, MN. Growler filled on 2/18/18, consumed one week later.

Personalized growler labels are rare and always
appreciated.

What do we know about "sahti"? It's a scandanavian beer style, Finnish to be exact, where parts of trees, like juniper berries, or spruce tips are used for flavoring, in place of hops. Just check this out. I've only had one Sahti here in the Nib before, and that was Harriet's version, four years ago. Checking that review reveals that I've had two before, one from Dogfish Head and one from Finland, but they are in the distant past.

To the eye: clear, amber hue, slim white head.

In the nose: herbal, vegetal, slightly fruity/malty. Minimal hops. Interesting and inviting.

In the mouth: Sweet and creamy. Herbal, slightly hoppy, mostly malty. Increasingly interesting. Yeah, I'm drinking the forest floor, right? That's it? But it's damned tasty, and wonderfully strong. Delicious is a word I would use. Medium bodied, increasingly alcoholic, and very likable.

(And finished the growler in one evening. Couldn't help
it.)

What's the brewery have to say? Again, with the three word thing: Juniper, Complex, Full Bodied. 
Wait, I found more: Venn’s modern spin on a historical style from Finland. Traditionally brewed with a multigrain malt bill, juniper branches and berries, and fermented with baker’s yeast, we kept the core elements of the diverse malt bill and juniper berries but updated the yeast to a modern lager fermentation resulting in a cleaner finish.

Malts: Two Row, Dark Munich, Rye, Golden Naked Oats, Torrified Wheat, CaraMunich.
Hops: Chinook.
Yeast: American Lager. Other: Juniper Berries.

Harriet Juhla Bru Sahti

So, Harriet turns 3 years old, as the Cedar Cultural Center celebrates 25 years, they got together and threw a party for themselves. Why not brew a special beer for the occasion, and shouldn't it be a rarely seen, hardly-ever heard of Finnish-style, with Red Cedar twigs, tips and juniper? No reason why not. I'm fairly sure I've never had a sahti before. (Not true, I've had two, one from Dogfish Head, and one from a Finnish brewery.)


Cloudy, bright golden hue, minimal head.

Sweet, herbal nose. Lightly spicy and intriguing.

In the mouth, it's quite an interesting thing. A blast of sweetness soon turns to prickly spice before burning out bone dry. Light bodied. Crisp,  dry, and rather effortless at a mere 6% ABV. What does this remind me of? A hefe weizen without the wheat? A pilsner without the hops?

The spicy, earthy character keeps it interesting, and the clean, light body keeps me drinking. Malty is complex and compelling. And those twigs and tips …do they remind me that I wish they were hops? No, I'm cool with that.

Nice sahti.

Here's the gobbleydygook from the website: JUHLA BRÜ
Finnish–Style Sahti, brewed with Red Cedar twigs, tips, and juniper.

In honor of The Cedar’s 25th Anniversary we are releasing, Juhla Brü a Finnish-Style Sahti brewed with Red Cedar twigs, tips and juniper. We brewed this ale as traditionally as possible. 50 pounds of fruiting red cedar branches were added to the mash. Rye malt lends a crisp and spicy character that is enhanced and softened by multi-step and single – decoction mash. No hops are added, and the wort is fermented with Red Star fresh baking yeast, which allows a subtle tartness to take form. The result is a complex, malty, soft-spicy, earthy, and refreshing brew meant for celebration.

Limited Release – On tap at The Cedar & Winterfest on 1/31 and Harriet’s Taproom 2/1 – Only available at these locations till its gone!

Painting and Full Label Design unveiled in The Cedar’s Lobby at 6pm on 1/31.

ABV 6% - IBU 0