Joutsan Sahti

Brewed by Joutsan Sahti Oy
Style: Traditional Ale
Joutsa, Finland

Wow. Sublimely worked balance of malt and juniper. Absurdly drinkable for its size. More flavourful and less cloying than other commercial examples, this is a true taste of brewing history.

Draught (Gallows Bird, Espoo - Kekri 2007)
Wow - as soon as it comes anywhere near your nose - a punch of sweet fruity sahtiness. Doubled when it hits your tongue. But not your usual sahti, this is sharp and direct to your taste centres. Beautiful sweet but without any stickiness. One of the best sahtis ever tasted.
Rerate: (7-4-8-4-16=3.9)
Jug (Gallows Bird, Espoo, Kekri 2008)
Fried breakfast aroma - a touch of bacon and fried eggs, some baked beans too. Tons of esters, not just fruity ones. The baked beans come through in the taste too, with fried bread on the side. Slightly waxy palate, but also quite thin. Not stodgy like some can be. As it warms, it becomes sweeter and softer, and the sticky hop flowers are coming out more. Quite crisp and fresh. Drier than before.

The sample I had was probably a bit too old. There was some acidity in th enose as well as estery fruitiness. Malty, but extremely drinkable, and not at all sweet.

Wow! Strong clove and banana aroma. Quite red for a sahti. In the flavour, which is great, a little bit of sourness, and a lot of fruit. Great!

Plastic canister@St. Urho. Hazy nutty amber colour with small beige head. Aroma is banana, barnyard, some smoke and yeast. The flavour is banana, grass, easrth and some slight mild smoky notes. No signs of alcohol.

Plastic 3 liter canister from Alko @ Joutsa. bottled 25.7.08, best before 8.8.08. Still enjoying it at home every day. brown orange no head. banana esters, quite light, medium body. alc. ~7% but it doesn’t show. very sneaky! juniper, light smoke. Getting dirtier every day so better keep it going down the throat before it converts to a porridge. Someone wants to have taste?

Plastic canister at Metro, Lahti. Brown colour with no head. Aroma is banana, slightly sweet and some yeast. The flavour is sweet, malt, banana and some sourness. Medium-bodied and bitter aftertaste. Quite different compared to other sahtis, but still very good.

Plastic canister@St. Urho’s
Dark nut brown color, no head. Glueish, herbal and smokey aroma. Quite different than other sahtis. Sticky sweetness, very juniperry, some herbs. Flat mouthfeel. Dangerous sahti, hides alcohol very well.