For pick nineteen of our Jar of Destiny homebrewing beer challenge, Mike drew Sahti, a traditional Finnish farmhouse beer style. We had never tasted Sahti before, and Mike had never brewed anything using ordinary active bread yeast.

Sahti traditionally uses juniper character, bread yeast, and a brewing process that does not include boiling the wort. Mike chose a modern interpretation while keeping several historical ideas at the center of this unusual homebrew challenge.

The Sahti Process & Recipe

Mike used a Sahti malt blend that came from Viking Maltings, containing pale, crystal, and enzymatic malts. He mashed around 150 degrees Fahrenheit for ninety minutes to create a wort designed for strong fermentability. During the mash, he added two ounces of crushed juniper berries to begin building the beer’s botanical character. After mashing, Mike raised everything to 185 degrees Fahrenheit because he wanted additional pasteurization before beginning fermentation. He then transferred the wort directly into the fermenter without completing any traditional brewing boil along the way.

The recipe was straightforward, although several parts of this process were completely new territory for our homebrewing experience.

Batch Size

3.5 US Gallons

Grain

  • Sahti malt blend – Pale base malt with smaller amounts of crystal malt and enzymatic malt

Juniper

  • 2 ounces juniper berries added during the mash
  • 1 additional ounce juniper berries used for a vodka tincture after fermentation

Mash

  • Mash at approximately 150°F for 90 minutes
  • Raise to 185°F before transferring into the fermenter

Boil

  • None

Yeast

  • Dry active bread yeast
  • Two heaping teaspoons pitched around 72°F
  • Mike initially said tablespoons before immediately describing the amount as teaspoons

Fermentation

  • Strong fermentation for about three days
  • Juniper tincture added after fermentation during carbonation
  • Approximately 200 milliliters of tincture liquid added to the beer
  • Light carbonation rather than a highly carbonated finished beer

Original Gravity: 1.056
Final Gravity: 1.010

Mike cooled the wort to roughly 72 degrees Fahrenheit before pitching two heaping teaspoons of active bread yeast. Fermentation started quickly, remained active for about three days, and eventually brought the gravity down to 1.010. Because the juniper character remained subtle, Mike prepared another ounce of berries as a concentrated vodka tincture. He added roughly 200 milliliters after fermentation while the beer was beginning its light carbonation in the keg.

Was This Historical Style Any Good?

The finished Sahti poured pale gold with noticeable haze, a white head, and surprisingly persistent lacing on the glass. We found an unusual damp wood aroma with fruity esters, although the juniper itself remained fairly difficult to identify. The flavor reminded us of a light wild ale, with earthy farmhouse notes and a noticeably dry finish. Despite the unusual ingredients and process, the beer was much more enjoyable than either of us initially expected.

The biggest surprise was how completely bread yeast fermented this wort, reaching 1.010 without using traditional brewing yeast. We also learned that juniper can disappear more easily than expected, even when berries are added twice. Mike would probably double the post-fermentation juniper addition next time to make that character more clearly identifiable. Most importantly, this challenge proved that unfamiliar brewing methods can still produce an interesting and enjoyable finished beer.

The Jar abides.

BREW ON!