Farm Sahti
The Colorado Farm Brewery

i had never even heard of these guys before recently encountering a couple of their beers. what a cool operation! growing and malting all their own grain, they have to be the only brewery in the state doing that (someone correct me if i am wrong about that!). so cool. this is a rye beer with juniper in it, fermented with bread yeast, and very very unique, even in a unique style, this stands out as one of a kind to me right away. its hazy and butterscotch colored, without much more than a few lazy bubbles on top. they say it is intentionally under carbonated, but i dont know why they would do that, it would be so much better with some bubbles, i didnt get an explanation on that. the juniper is really strong in aroma and flavor, natural and bold, gin-like and pure, almost methol-esque, i breathe it in deeply, almost medicinally. the rye is also pretty rugged here, raw and spicy and earthy and intense, they werent shy with it at all and i appreciate that. the rye and the juniper work well together, and the bread yeast does exactly that, makes this cohesive in a baked good sort of way, but i dont love the flavor of it, slightly tart and phenolic here, not wild really, just weird. i get that its traditional and i think its cool what they have done here, but overall i think the beer could use a little more refinement. still, i am stoked on this beer and on this brewery, im glad it exists, i have to make it out when winter breaks, looks like they are making some really cool estate beers! nothing interests me more right now...