Viking Age Brew with Mika Laitinen – BeerSmith Podcast #192

Mika Laitinen joins me this week to discuss his new book Viking Age Brew about ancient farmhouse brewing techniques including Sahti beer.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (43:53)

This week my guest is Mika Laitinen, author of the new book Viking Age Brew (Amazon affiliate link) about Nordic and Sahti Farmhouse Ales.

We first discuss the tradition of farmhouse ales, which were traditionally brewed throughout Europe using local ingredients going back 1000 years.

Next Mika explains the Sahti farmhouse beer style which is native to Finland and Nordic countries, and has survived in Finland due to its association with certain festivals and ceremonies.

We explore the handful of commercial breweries that still brew Sahti.

We discuss some of the unique aspects of Sahti including its lack of hops, no boil during the brewing process, and use of herbs and rye malt.

Mika explains how Sahti was traditionally brewed in wooden vessels using hot stones. He also shares typical ingredients used including juniper.

We talk about the use of herbs, particularly juniper in the mash.

He shares with us techniques for brewing ancient farmhouse ales at home, along with a sample recipe.

Mika shares some resources where you can learn more on this topic.

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Thanks to Mika Laitinen for appearing on the show and also to you for listening!

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