Kesäsahti - Summer sahti

Kesäsahti = Summer sahti

Kesäsahti (freely translated "summer sahti") is a totally new product. The alcohol percent 5,5 is lower than in a traditional sahti which usually is around 8 %. Sahti is sold in a 33 cl glass bottle and the price is 3,20 €.

You can buy this sahti from Heila - the one and only store in the world. Thanks to Finnish alcohol policy. Heila is a local food store located in Heinola (Finland). Local wines and surprisingly sahti are made and sold in this market place. Anyhow, it is great that people don't give up. Struggling for living food culture, including sahti, is worth doing!

I am so happy to know that summer sahti will be followed by "autumn sahti" and then most probably darker "Christmas sahti".

Even if the taste of summer sahti is different from traditional sahti and therefore divides so called sahti people, I warmly welcome summer sahti and recommed to taste it!

http://www.heilan.fi/Sivut/Valikoima.html

Marjo-Kaisa Piiroinen is the best sahti brewer 2008

Marjo-Kaisa Piiroinen from Kirkkonummi, Southern Finland, won the 1. prize of the sahti competition year 2008. The competion was in Kuhmoinen on 9th August. There was 37 finalists around Finland.

The results, 2008:
1. Marjokaisa Piiroinen, Kirkkonummi
2. Pekka Uusilähteenmäki, Mouhijärvi
3. Kauko Kuusisto, Jämijärvi
4. Jukka Vierimaa, Kalajoki
5. Niilo Ahonen, Luhanka
6. Tapani Lähde, Lammi

The winner Marjo-Kaisa Piiroinen and the wooden prizes.

In the end of the competition there was six sahtis to taste and estimate.

The jury is working.

Heikki Riutta from Sysmä won the best brewer of sahti in year 2006.

The sahti from Joutsa, Mid Finland. The colour is lighter than in Western Finland where the rye is often used as an ingredient. In Mid Finland most of the brewers use only barley.

The favourite of this blog writer was Niilo Ahonen from Luhanka. He was 5th in a competition. Congratulations!!!

Sahti brewing competition

The best sahti brewer in Finland 2008 will be selected in Kuhmoinen, Mid-Finland on Saturday 9th August.

The competitors (= finalists) are the winners of the 30 local competitions. Even this blog writer did brew sahti in one these local competitions but as a beginner did not succeed. More practise is absolutely needed.

Good luck for every brewer!

http://www.sahti.org/smkilpailu.htm

Panimoravintola Huvila - Sahti & Savonlinna Opera Festival

Yesterday I finally succeeded in tasting Huvila Sahti in Savonlinna. Savonniemen Brewing Companyt had brewed sahti most possibly because of the Savonlinna Opera Festival (July) which allures hundreds if not thousands of people to this small town.

Huvila Sahti is surprisingly bottled! The bottle size is 0,33 litres. In a picture you can see the foam after pouring. The personnel doesn't seem to be familiar with this rare product...

The colour is in the middle: it is not light but it is not dark either. The taste isVery sweat.

I had two real sahti experts as a company. The other one thought that the age of this sahti is maximum 1 week and the other one thought that it can't be excluded that syrup or other "extra" ingridients had been used.

Anyhow, we all did rank this commercial sahti high. It has a positevely unique nature.

The price is the highest I have ever seen: 9,00 e/0,33 l. I do admit that is is worth it and people should start thinking of the price of the wine. But to be honest, I had to call back and assure if the price Really is this high. In the phone the personnel argued the price with the high alcohol procent (10,4 %). So Finnish! I would say that people who can buy this expensive beer for sure have other arguments than alcohol.

Hopefully the price will not block testing but will enhance the value sahti deserves.

http://www.panimoravintolahuvila.fi/huvila/index.html

http://www.operafestival.fi/In_English/Programme/Calendar_of_events.iw3

Mid Summer Festival

The Mid Summer Festival sahti ("stone sahti" from Hollola).

In Finland there is a party called Mid Summer Festival (juhannus). In Lapland the sun shines 24 hours per day. In Southern Finland there is a sunset but it is not really dark by night.

The Mid Summer Festival is a good - and s traditional - reason to brew (laborous) sahti.

Home brewed "stone sahti" from in Hollola. In brewing very hot stones has been used. Sahti is served chilled.

Commerially brewed Tiinan sahti made in Sysmä (home fermentated).

The scenary in Lake Päijänne, Mid Finland. The home of sahti.

Wedding sahti in Kuhmoinen

Wedding is one of the best reasons to brew sahti. Here you can see a special wedding sahti brewed in June 2008 in Kuhmoinen (Mid Finland by lake Päijänne).

The colour is very light as seen and the taste is full, a little bit sweat but not too sweat.

Most probably this sahti would not have a success in a competitions because of the colour. People are so used to darker colour. But I would say this sahti defenitely belongs to the first class. As other beers also sahti has differences with colours.

The second sahti pot in a garden.

Third vice pot in a corner... You can't miss sahti in a good wedding! And you will not run out of it.

In 9thAugust 2008 an annual sahti competition is competed in Kuhmoinen. Go and taste!

http://www.sahti.org/smkilpailu.htm

Sahti is going strong!

The Best Beer of the Year 2008 Lammi's Sahti in Lahti Harbour (Sahtimessi).

At the moment there is nothing but good news! Sahti won an annual competition of the best beer in Finland. There was even more than 150 competitors. Lammi's sahti was the number one!

Second, in May the Urho's Pub in downtown in Helsinki had a sahti week. In practise it was a heaven for sahti lovers. Many alternatives e.g. from Helsinki (! brewer was Esa Mustonen from St. Urho's Pub), Hartola, Joutsa (personally I would rank this as a number one), Pori and Lammi were in a selection. Finlandia Strong from Lammi won the best commercial sahti of the year competition. Unfortunately there had been some problems in making "stone sahti" in Hollola (Hollolan Hirvi) and it was not sold.

http://www.botta.fi/ST-URHO-S-PUB.14.0.html?&L=1

Third, finally you can buy sahti from Alkos (liquer store in Finland) easier than ever. It took some time but now even in Sysmä you can have an excellent, ready made sahti straight from Alko.

Thanks for the media which has noticed the sahti and its beauty!

P.S. In early May I visited Savonlinna . Unfortunately sahti is still unknown in East Finland. Even if there is a Master of Sahti (year 2000) as a brewer, sahti did not include in a selection as nobody buys it. Maybe in summer time...

http://www.panimoravintolahuvila.fi/oluttehdas/sahti_e.php