Will the real sahti please step forward?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Greywulfken, Jun 8, 2012.

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  1. Greywulfken

    Greywulfken Grand Pooh-Bah (5,815) Aug 25, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I have only found 2 types of sahti in my area: Dogfish Head's (DFH) Sah'tea and Sam Adams' (SA) Norse Legend. Both brewers admit that they have taken some liberties with the traditional recipe. I found these beers to be very different from each other (alright, maybe not "very," but different enough).
    I only got interested in sahti b/c of DFH, because of their ancient ales series (Midas Touch was the one that sparked my interest). But now I have no idea what a real sahti should be like, nor can I find any in my area. I would imagine Nogne O (from Norway - great brewery BTW - but their sahti was a limited release (IIRC) collaboration) and Malmgardin Panimo (from Finland, birthplace of the sahti, but I've never seen hide nor hair of their products) would be my best bets, but these aren't around.
    I want to believe that the SA Norse Legend is closer to a genuine sahti (darker, slightly more herbal and medicinal-tasting) than the DFH (a pale ale with a brighter, sweeter, and more floral taste (they used chai tea in their recipe)), but I don't know for sure - I've seen pictures of sahti from Finland, and its dark (like the SA version, not like the DFH version).
    So, c'mon - someone with some sahti-savvy: what's a real sahti like, and where the hell can I get one? Is the SA Norse Legend a closer approximation?

    Thanks.
     
    #1 Greywulfken, Jun 8, 2012
  2. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    #2 jesskidden, Jun 8, 2012
  3. Greywulfken

    Greywulfken Grand Pooh-Bah (5,815) Aug 25, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Have you ever had them? If so, is either anything like the Sam Adams or Dogfish Head sahti?

    I have never seen either of the ones in your link, so it's safe to say my local distributors don't handle them. Again, the DFH was a new thing for me - I'd never even heard of a sahti before - and then just recently, I noticed SA had their version of a sahti on the shelf. But none of the guys at my three regular spots have ever seen any other sahtis in their stores (understandably, not much demand, I'd imagine).
     
    #3 Greywulfken, Jun 9, 2012
  4. UCLABrewN84

    UCLABrewN84 Initiate (0) Mar 18, 2010 California

    #4 UCLABrewN84, Jun 9, 2012
  5. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    There's no distributor for the B. United brands on Long Island? I'd find that hard to believe- check their entire portfolio, if you see some of those beers on the shelves, you've got a B. United wholesaler in your area. (That does not mean every retailer is going to carry or can even get every brand, of course, but if you don't ask the retailer doesn't know there's a demand).

    B. United never put up a list of their distributors up when they revised their website, but they have a "Contact" page with a few different emails for NYC and NY reps listed - http://www.bunitedint.com/company/contact_us/
     
    #5 jesskidden, Jun 9, 2012
  6. Greywulfken

    Greywulfken Grand Pooh-Bah (5,815) Aug 25, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Ah, sorry - I suppose when I say "distributor" I'm referring to the store that sells me the beer retail, not the "distributor" that distributes the beer to them. I'll give it a further look-see. Thanks.
     
    #6 Greywulfken, Jun 9, 2012
  7. Greywulfken

    Greywulfken Grand Pooh-Bah (5,815) Aug 25, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    #7 Greywulfken, Jun 9, 2012
  8. Spider889

    Spider889 Pooh-Bah (1,933) Mar 24, 2010 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah

    Maybe look up the reviews for some taste comparison?

    Most likely you will have to trade for the majority of Sahti variations out there.

    I wouldn't immediately discount the DFH version either. Hell, they go through the trouble of using hot rocks to help boil this beer in the interest of authenticity. It is also a style that I'd wager lends itself to pretty broad interpretation, even on the traditional level in Finland.
     
    #8 Spider889, Jun 9, 2012
  9. HipsterBrewfus

    HipsterBrewfus Initiate (0) Jun 3, 2012 Maryland

    I had admittedly, never heard of Sahti before I had my Norse Legend. Now I definitely want to try more!
     
    #9 HipsterBrewfus, Jun 9, 2012
  10. Greywulfken

    Greywulfken Grand Pooh-Bah (5,815) Aug 25, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I love the idea of trying traditional style beers - Dogfish Head has an "ancient ales" line-up: Midas Touch (had, loved), Chateau Jiahu (never seen), Theobroma (never seen), Ta Henket (this one's around, but I want a higher abv in my beer - it's only a 4.5 - so I haven't tried it), and Sah'tea (aforementioned).
    Just picked up a new one (though not part of their ancient ales line-up) called Urkontinent, which has a mix of ingredients from across the globe, similar to their Pangaea (same concept, different ingredients; never seen this beer).

    Check out their website (linked to their ancient ales section): http://www.dogfish.com/ancientales
     
    #10 Greywulfken, Jun 9, 2012
  11. mltobin

    mltobin Pooh-Bah (2,408) Apr 1, 2007 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    The sahti from Nogne is solid and being from a Norwegian brewer, I would expect it to hold close to authentic. But, I am certainly not an expert on the style.
     
    #11 mltobin, Jun 9, 2012
  12. HipsterBrewfus

    HipsterBrewfus Initiate (0) Jun 3, 2012 Maryland

    I do too, it's like a beer history lesson. If history got you drunk. I've had the Chateau Jiahu, and that was So goddamned good. But its the only one I've seen around here. Thanks for the link though, now I know what to keep an eye out for
     
    #12 HipsterBrewfus, Jun 9, 2012
  13. crossovert

    crossovert Initiate (0) Mar 29, 2009 Illinois

    I see this one around:
    [​IMG]

    It is pretty good. Way different than the dogfish one.
     
    #13 crossovert, Jun 9, 2012
  14. Duff27

    Duff27 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Feb 10, 2010 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Another Sahti thread! Two this year now! Woo!

    OP, my ranking order out of the four I've had...Arctic Circle Sahti, Nogne-O Sa, DFH Sah'tea, then New Belgium Sahti. I'm always on the lookout for more but as you've discovered there aint many to be found.

    Where have you seen this at? Headed up to Wisconsin today...
     
    #14 Duff27, Jun 9, 2012
  15. andrewzk

    andrewzk Initiate (0) Oct 10, 2010 Denmark

    This is not Sahti. I don't know why it is sometimes labeled as Sahti, but it's not even close.

    I split a bottle of DFH Sah'tea with some Finnish beer nerds, and everyone agreed it was a very good example of the style. I haven't tried any other American attempts. The real key to Sahti is Finnish baking yeast, which imparts a lot of banana-like esters, but DFH was able to get pretty close using a Hef yeast.

    In Finland, I've tried Finlandia (bottle, age unknown) and Lammin (very fresh, served from a wooden barrel). Finlandia was an absolute banana bomb, and while drinkable, I wouldn't buy it again. Lammin was more complex, very full-bodied with notes of toffee and caramel, and almost no carbonation.

    Traditional Sahti spoils very quickly, so you're unlikely to get a good bottle in the states. I have heard that Lammin Sahti sometimes shows up on US shelves, but I wouldn't touch that stuff after it's been sitting on a boat for a few months.
     
    #15 andrewzk, Jun 9, 2012
  16. Greywulfken

    Greywulfken Grand Pooh-Bah (5,815) Aug 25, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader


    Thanks.
    Is it more like the Sam Adams Norse Legend or haven't you had one? The SA NL might be kinda new.
    Wisconsin, eh? I know my guys out here on Long Island, NY, complain that their distributors don't get in all the beers they'd want (e.g., Russian River and Three Floyds have a good following, but their beers don't come here). Props to your for guys getting in something really unusual like that.
     
    #16 Greywulfken, Jun 9, 2012
  17. crossovert

    crossovert Initiate (0) Mar 29, 2009 Illinois

    well i see it in wi, but i live on the border of il and work in chicago, and chicago is a top 3 market at least for distro and it can be found there too. HAven't had the SA one. I have had the New Belgium one but don't really remember it.
     
    #17 crossovert, Jun 9, 2012
  18. crossovert

    crossovert Initiate (0) Mar 29, 2009 Illinois

    discount liquor in milwaukee would be the safest bet.
     
    #18 crossovert, Jun 9, 2012
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  19. Spider889

    Spider889 Pooh-Bah (1,933) Mar 24, 2010 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah

    I know that stuff coming in from Europe can get held up in customs or at distributors, but we're not shipping via 16th century sail flotilla anymore...
     
    #19 Spider889, Jun 9, 2012
  20. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    According to B. United:

    Due to the very limited shelflife of Sahti we only bring in {in temperature controlled containers} 60 cases at a time. We are only able to service wholesalers, retailers and on premise accounts that are able to guarantee continuous cold storage all the way to the final consumer​
     
    #20 jesskidden, Jun 9, 2012
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