Beer Styles

What does Sahti taste like? Bold, sweet, and unfamiliar. The first impression is malt and bread, followed by aromas of juniper, resin, and sometimes banana. The beer is cloudy, has little foam and almost no carbonation, feeling almost like a thin juice.

The color ranges from pale yellow to dark brown. According to the style guidelines, values run from about 8 to 43 EBC, the brewers' color scale: pale beers get low numbers, black beers high ones. How dark a Sahti turns out depends on how the malt was dried and whether stones went into the wort.

What sets Sahti apart from an ale? An English ale is usually clear and hoppy, whereas Sahti is cloudy, sweet, and almost hop-free. There's also a difference from its cousin Gotlandsdricka from the island of Gotland, which likewise contains juniper: Finnish Sahti is stronger, fuller-bodied, and includes baker's yeast and rye.

The alcohol feels less noticeable than it actually is. Seven to eleven percent is standard, as strong as a bold strong beer. The sweetness masks the alcohol, and that's exactly what makes Sahti a beer best sipped slowly and in small amounts.

The TSG registration from 2002 describes Sahti by its method: juniper, barley, rye, and filtering through straw and branches. By this definition, a Sahti without juniper wouldn't be a Sahti at all. All figures above are ranges from the style guidelines; individual beers, say from Lammin Sahti or from Sysmä, may deviate from them.