Gotlandsdricka is a traditional home-brewed ale made on the island Gotland in the Baltic Sea. On the island, it is known as drikke or drikko. It is a smoky, full-bodies and bitter-sweet ale flavoured with juniper.

Gotlandsdricka is a fairly close relative of Finnish sahti, Norwegian Maltøl / Konnjøl and Estonian Koduõlu / Taluõlu. Similar brews were once widespread everyday drinks in the Nordic countries, but they have only survived in isolated locations or been limited to special celebrations.

There is no wider commerical distribution of Gotlandsdricka and the beverage has become a potent cultural marker for the island. Each fall, the annual Drikke Brewing Championships takes place on Gotland. Gotlandsdrinka is also a prominent feature of the annual Gotland Medieval Week, although hampered by certain legal complications due to it being home-brewed and varying in alcohol content.

Traditionally, only women brewed Gotlandsdricka on Gotland, with men being involved only by fetching water and juniper boughs.

Characteristics

Traditional Gotlandsdricka is fermented, unfiltered and unpasteurized.

It is made from ingredients such as water, malt, hops, juniper boughs, yeast (from the old brew), and (sometimes) something sweet. Some recipes call for pors (Myrica gale).

The end result is a smoky, full-bodied and bitter-sweet beverage with strong juniper notes.

Gotlandsdricka can vary in colour from dark yellow to golden brown, sometimes with a pink tint.

Gotlandsdricka is consumed while it is still young and fermenting. It takes about a week to ferment and should not be kept for more than another two weeks.

The alchol content vary, chiefly depending on the amount of sweet ingredients added.

History

Historically, Gotlandsdricka was served with meals on Gotland, and it was drunk by everyone, including children. It could also be used as a flavouring, e.g. on top of porridge.

At least since the Viking age and until the Industrial Revolution, only women brewed ale and Gotlandsdricka on Gotland. Men would fetch water and juniper twigs, but not be involved with the actual brewing.

Sugar

Modern recipes for Gotlandsdricka often include sugar, but that would have been difficult and prohibitively expensive for the average Gotland family back in the day. Instead, other sweet ingredients were used, such as brich sap. Also, when honey and wax had been extracted from honeycombs, the remaining combs could be boiled in water, and this water could be used as a sweetener for Gotlandsdricka.

Hops

Hops were not introduced to Scandinavia until the 13th century. Before that, Gotlandsdricka was made without hops. Once hops were introduced to Gotland, it was added to the recipes for Gotlandsdricka, but only fairly small amounts of hops were used and hops did not replace the juniper boughs and pors (Myrica gale).

Yeast

Traditionally, dregs from a previous batch were used to add yeast fungi to the Gotlandsdricka.

Gotlandsdricka revival

The northern part of Gotland was industrialized in the early 1900s, and during this period, a lot of families there stopped brewing Gotlandsdricka since people moved away from the traditional farms and other drinks became more readily available. Southern Gotland, however, preserved the tradition, as this part of the island didn´t go through the same heavy industrialization.

In the late 1960s, Sweden went through a wave of renewed interest in old traditions, and on Gotland, this resulted in a revival for the Gotlandsdricka.

In 1991, the Gotlandsdricka Brewing Championship was launched in southern Gotland, and it has been held annually ever since.

Making Gotlandsdricka

There is no standard recipe for Gotlandsdricka, since each farm developed their own methods and also needed to be flexible and adjust according to availability of ingredients, wood, etc. It comes as no surprise that different farms employed different rules when making Gotlandsdricka, e.g. regarding which wood to use for the malting, if the bark should be kept on, and how fine to ground the malt.

Malting

First, grain must be malted into malt. This can be wheat, rye, barley or oats – depending on what’s available. The grain is allowed to sprout and is then dried. In Gotland, the drying traditionally took place in a small hut called kölna, typically built on top of the brewing house. A fire was lit below the kölna, which gave the malt a smokey flavour. (Alternative method: Circulate the hot air in pipes under the malt to reduce the smokey flavour of the Gotlandsdricka.)

Mashing

The dried malt is ground and placed in a wooden mash tun.

Water is boiled with juniper boughs and berries, and poured onto the malt in the tun.

A porridge-like mixture is formed (“mash”) which is agitated and then left to rest for several hours.

Filling the rostbunn

A lattice of shaved juniper branches i placed at the bottom of the rostbunn and the other layers are added step by step. (The rostbunn is a wooden tub with a tap at the bottom.)

Getting the different layers right in the rostbunn is difficult and surrounded by many superstitions. The layers must be compact enough for the liquid to flow slow, but not so compact that they stop the flow completely. To avoid a blockage, the area near the tap needs to be carefully padded with juniper boughs. The rostbunn is then lined with threshed straw or thinner branches of juniper, before the mash is placed in the middle of the bunn.

Making lännu

Hot brewing liquor is poured over the mash in the rostbunn. The tap is opened and the lännu (wort) is collected in a container. Pouring takes place several times, or continously. The early lännu is extra strong, and was sometimes set aside to make a Gotlandsdricka for special occasions.

Boiling the lännu

The lännu is boiled. The longer the boiling, the sweeter the Gotlandsdricka, since more water evaporates.

Now, additional flavourings such as hops, pors (bog myrtle) and honey can be added.

Fermentation

The brew is set aside to cool, and is then filtered.

Yeast is added. Traditionally, this would be yeast from a previous batch of Gotlandsdricka. (Just like we utilize saved sourdough to add yeast fungi to a new bread dough.) Today, many brewers use purchased yeast instead; either baker´s yeast or ale yeast.

The yeast is added and the Gotlandsdricka is poured into wooden barrels to ferment for 4-5 days. Today, some brewers use steel, glass or plastic containers instead of the traditoinal wooden barrels.

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Sahti is a traditional Finnish craft beer made from malted and unmalted grains, including barley, rye and oats. According to Finnish tradition, it is flavoured with juniper – either instead of hops or in combination with hops. The mash is filtered through juniper twigs into a kuurna, a type of trough-shaped tun.

Sahti is a cloudy beer with phenolic flavours. There are often strong hints of banana, which are balanced by the bitterness from the juniper branches.

Commerical-scale production of sahti is a fairly new thing in Finland. Until recently, this was a home-brewed beverage only (“farmhouse ale”), and a lot of the sahti consumed in Finland is still home-brewed.

Examples of commerciallya available Finnish sahti

• Mufloni Sahti, from Panimoravintola Beer Hunters in Pori
• Stadin Sahti, made by Satadin Panimo in Helsinki
• Finlandia Sahti and Finlandia Strong Sahti, both made in Sastamala
• Krouvin Sahti
• Punakallion Sahti
• Huvila sahti, made in Savonlinna
• Lammin Sathi, made in Lammi
• Hollolan Hirvi Kivisahti
• Tiinan Sahti, made in Sysmä
• Joutsan Sahti

Fermentation

Sahti is top-fermented.

Carbonation

The carbonation level is usually very low.

ABV

Commerical sahti is usually 8% ABV.

For home-made sahti, the range is much wider.

Shelf-life

Unlike normal beer, the wort is not boiled after mashing when making sahti. Beacuse of this, sahti has a very short shelf-life and must be stored cold until consumption. Not boiling the wort increases the risk of infection by lactic bacteria. Using no hops or only a small amount of hops also reduces shelf-life.

Making sahti

Several methods exist, but the most widespread one utilizes a long step infusion mash that may last up to six hours. Then, the wort is lautered through the kuurna (the lauter tun). As mentioned above, the wort goes right to fermentation, without being boiled first.

Some fairly well-known alternative methods (also traditional) involve brewing the sahti like stone beer, using decoction mashing, or boiling the mash in the kettle.

Buying sahti

Since sahti has a high alcohol content (8% ABV for the commerical varieties) it can not be sold in grocery stores in Finland. It can be purchased from special sahti breweries who have the right permits, or from the state-owned Alko stores. Some pubs also sell sahti.

Since sahti has to be stored cold, some Alko stores do not keep it as a part of their standard assortment.

Championship

The annual Finnish Sathi Brewing Championship is held on the first weekend of August.

Regional variations

Throughiut the centuries, different parts of Finland have developed their own caracteristic forms of sahti.

Within Finland, the Tavastia (Häme) region is especially famous for its sahti, with places such as Joutsa, Sysmä, Lammi and Kuhmoinen all being notable sahti producers.

Protected Geographical Status

Finnish sahti has been given Protected Geographical Status in the European Union.

Relatives

Finnish sahti have at least three fairly close relatives made in neighbouring countries:

• The Norwegian farmhouse ale called Maltøl or Konnjøl.
• The Swedish farmhouse ale Gotlandsdricka, which is made on the island Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
• The Estonian farmhouse ale called Koduõlu or Taluõlu, which is made on several Estonian islands in the Baltic Sea.

Sahti in the United States & Canada

In the 21st century, the general boom in craft beers and small-scale brewing in the United States and Canada has created an increased interested in traditional beers from around the world, including Finnish sahti.

In 2008, the Dog fish Head Brewery collaborated with the Finnish brewer Juha Ikonen and the end result, released under the name Sah´tea, was a kind of hybrid between Finnish Sahti and Indian-style masala tea.

Here are a few other examples of breweries that have been experimenting with sahti and sahti-inspired beverages:

• The Chicago-based Off Color Brewing sells the sahti Bare Bear.
• Parellel 49 in Vancouver released their “Sahti Claws” for the winter season of 2013.
• The Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing sells Sahti Ale.
• Elysian Brewing Co in Seattle sells Kurpitsahti, a sahti-inspired beer with added pumpkin. It was created for the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival.
• The large brewery Samuel Adams (of the Boston Beer Company) has also launched a sahti, under the name Norse Legend.
• Kiitos Brewing in Salt Lake City sells a sahti simply called Sahti.
• Löyly is a sahti from HammerHeart Brewing Company in Lino Lakes, Minnesota.

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Malbygg brewery on Iceland is famous for their super-fresh and very foamy IPA:s, which can now be found in many craft bars and wine stores on the island. If you don´t know where to start, go with Kisi – a flavourful New England Pale Ale with Mosaic, Simcoe and Citra. The name means cat in Icelandic.

Surtur Ale from Borg Brugghús

Borg Brugghús makes some truly incredible stouts, including the famous Surtur.

Arctic Berry Ale from Einstök

Arctic Berry Ale from the Einstök Brewery is a typical Icelandic summer ale for the sunny season. Made with aðalbláber (Eurasian blueberries), it is a refreshing brew to be enjoyed under a sun that never sets.

Jóla Kaldi, a Yule Lager from Bruggsmiðjan Kaldi

Jól is the Icelandic word for Christmas / Yule and Jóla Kaldi from Bruggsmiðjan Kaldi is the perfect beer for this festive season. It is a reddish lager with strong hints of caramel.

The Ölverk brewery in Hveragerði

The seismically active Iceland is home to numerous hot springs, and you can soak in naturally hot water while enjoying a cold beer. If you want beer that´s been produced with the help of heat from such springs, visit Ölverk, a small brewery in Hveragerði who rely on geothermic energy for their production. Ölverk also runs a popular restaurant where they serve up wood-fired pizzas.

Background

Prohibition went into effect in Iceland in 1915. The original ban prohibited all alcoholic beverages, but wine was legalized in the early 1920s, and in 1935 all alcoholic beverages became legal again with one notable exception: beer with more than 2.25% alcohol content remained illegal and this ban would last until 1989. Beer was considered especially tempting for young people, hence the ban. It was also argued that strong beer led to more depravity since it was cheaper than spirits.

As international travel increased in the 1970s, Icelanders began to enjoy strong beers abroad, and bills to legalize strong beer were regularly introduced to the Icelandic parliament. Each bill was shot down, and in 1985 pubs were banned from adding spirits to non-alcoholic beer. This new ban was widely considered ridiculous by the Icelanders, and in 1989, a full turnout of the upper house of Iceland´s parliament voted 13 to 8 to end the ban on strong beer altogether.

To commemorate the legalization of strong beer, Beer Day is celebrated on 1 March, with beer aficionados doing rúnturs (bar crawls) or enjoying beer in other fashions.

Once the ban on strong beer had been lifted, the interest in craft beer and microbrewing began to grow on Iceland. Today, the country is home to many microbreweries, which gives it a high brewery-per-capita since less than 370 000 people live in this country.

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This small-scale brewery is located in Drammen, not far from Oslo. The name means “the hand brewery”.

HaandBryggeriet has successfully managed to be both innovative and help preserve traditional brewing techniques. Among other things, they are renowned for smoking barley malt over beechwood fires and spicing their beer with juniper branches.

One of the most famous products from HaandBryggeriet is the Akevitt Porter, a porter aged in Akevitt barrels. Akevitt (known internationally as Aquavit or Akvavit) is a distilled herb-flavoured spirit produced in Scandinavia since the 15th century.

Nøgne ø

With a focus on top-fermented and bottle-conditioned beers, Nøgne ø is one of Norway´s main producers of craft beer. Nøgne ø only makes real ale. The ale is not pasteurized nor filtered, and each bottle contains living yeast. No carbon dioxide is added – the bubbles are formed naturally by the yeast in the bottle.

Founded in 2002 by Gunnar Wiig och Kjetil Jikiun, Nøgne ø is based in Grimstad, on the Skaggerak coast of southern Norway. Back then, there was hardly any market for craft beer in Norway and after a few, though years the company was on the brink of bankruptcy. This is when home-brewer Tore Nybø (now CEO of the company) bought into the business and helped turn it around.

Today, Nøgne ø beer is very popular in Norway, and the company also exports beer, mainly to Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, and the U.S.

The name Nøgne ø comes from the poem Terje Vigen by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. In the old-style language of the poem, nøgne ø signifies barren isle.

Svalbard Bryggeri

Located at 78 degrees North in Longyearbyen at the island Spitsbergen, Svalbard Bryggeri is the northernmost commercial brewery in the world, and 16% of the water used for the beers is thawed ice from the ancient Bogerbreen glacier. Svalbard Bryggeri is named after the Svalbard archipelago, of which Spitsbergen is a part.

Until fairly recently, the commercial production of alcoholic beverages was illegal in the Svalbard archipelago, and a law change was required before the Svalbard Bryggeri could finally open in 2015.

Examples of products from Svalbard Bryggeri:

• Spitsbergen IPA
• Spitsbergen Pale ale
• Spitsbergen Pilsner
• Spitsbergen Stout
• Spitsbergen Weißbier
• Spitsbergen Rav Lager
• Spitsbergen Blonde

Ægir Brewery

The Ægir Brewery & Pub is housed within the Flåmsbrygga Hotel in Flåmsdalen, at the inner end of the fjord Aurlandsfjorden. This place is remote but well worth a visit. Nestled in the spectacular fjord valley, the pub comes with a reach heaping of Norwegian traditions, including slate floors, driftwood walls and an immense fireplace.

Ægir Brewery makes both year-round beers and seasonal beers, including their popular Christmas beers. The assortment contains gems such as scotch ale, bock and several blonde ales.

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Mikkeller is a Danish microbrewery founded by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø och Kristian Klarup Keller 2006. It was crowned Danish Microbrewery of the Year by Danske Ølentusiaster in both 2007 and 2008, and in 2010 it reached spot 10 on RateBeer´s list over the best breweries in the world.

Mikkeller is a so-called “nomadic brewery” (contract brewery) which means that they rent space in various other breweries rather than having their own place. In addition to making beer in Denmark, they have also worked in countries such as Norway, United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States.

Mikkeller runs two bars in central Copenhagen: Mikkeller Bar at Vesterbro and Mikkeller & Friends at Nørrebro. There is also a Mikkeller Bar in central Stockholm.

Examples of Mikkeller beers:

• Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Barrel-aged Bourbon.This stout pours very dark black with almost no head and feels very smooth in the mouth. It is velvety with no carbonation. The complex flavour profile includes hints of bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, roasted malts, honey, liquorice, leather, and even some coffee.
• Beer Geek Shake Barrel-Aged BourbonThis stout is placed in bourbon barrels for eight months to get the flavour just right. The very strong presence of vanilla, but also roasted malts, chocolate and coffee.
• Spontan Quadrupel BlueberryThis sour ale is brewed with 2.5 kg of blueberries per litre of beer, before being aged in oak barrels.
• Nelson Sauvignon BA RieslingThis very dry and vinous Bière Brut is fermented with champagne yeast, brettanomyces and enzymes, and time-aged in German Rielsing wine casks.

Ghost Brewing

Ghost Brewing is run by Morten Kristoffersen and Bo Høyer, the dynamic duo behind Danish Beeer House and Bryggens Ølbar. Ghost Brewing rents space at various other microbreweries instead of having their own fixed abode.

Examples of beers sold by Ghost:

• Midnight Oil. Oak Ages Imperial Stout. 12.7% ABV.
• King Kegwa. Coffee Imperial Stout. 10.7% ABV.
• Black Magic Vanilla Sky. Imperial Stout brewed with vanilla beans soaked in Wild Turkey Bourbon Whiskey. Not barrel aged. 11.8% ABV.
• Dawn To Dusk. IPA brewed with Vienna and Flaked Oats. Bitter hopped with Columbus and aroma, and dry hopped with Citra. 9.1% ABV.

Dry & Bitter Brewing Company

Located in Gørløse, the Dry & Bitter Brewing Company has been making fresh IPA:s, smooth Porters and tangy Sours since 2015. Today, their beer list includes of 100 titles.

Examples of beers from the Dry & Bitter Brewing Company:

• Christian Bale Ale. This is a heavy-hopped India Session Pale Ale with plenty of Mosaic hops.
• Dank & Juicy. This is a West Coast Style IPA made with Equinox, Citra and Mosaic hops. There is a strong presence of tropical fruit and fatty, resinous and juicy hops.
• Fast & Fruity. This IPA is similar to Dank & Juicy, but softer, rounder and creamier. The creaminess comes from oats.
• Hej 5. This Triple IPA was created to celebrate the company´s 5-year-anniversery in 2020. It is dry-hopped five times with Citra, Rakau, Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, and Idaho 7 and the result is a lush and tropical flavour profile.
• Balancing Pact. This Double Dry-Hopped IPA brewed with only New Zealand hops is the result of a collaboration with the Swedish microbrewery Good Guys Brew. Waimea, Waiiti and Rakau is in the boil, and Motueka and Nelson Sauvin in the dry-hop.

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