Taako Pihtla Õlu

Brewed by Oü Taako
Style: Sahti/Gotlandsdricke/Koduõlu
Pihtla, Estonia

Serve in Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein

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Handbottled from SOPP.
Murky medium grey orange color with virtually none head. Aroma is moderate to light heavy yeasty, barnyard, banana, overripped banana, spiced - juniper, caramel, sahti-like fruity esters. Flavor is moderate sweet with a average duration. Body is light to medium, texture is watery, carbonation is flat. [20090803]

Handbottled from SOPP. Hazy orange colour, small white head. Aroma is banana, quite spicy as well as some yeast and berries. Flavour is very much the same. Quite wellbalanced and also had kept very fresh during the trip to London.

Draught at SOPP, Helsinki. My first ever koduõlu! Muddy straw colour, some head. Sahti-like aroma of sourdough, banana and bubblegum. Mid sweet with medium body and soft mouthfeel. Rye bread,m spicy hops and bubblegum. Low bitterness. Relaxed, mildly rusti and nicely drinkable. Really good!

Growler @ chriso. Pours a hazy yellow color with a small white head. Has a fruity malty grainy yeasty aroma. Fruity malty yeasty grainy flavor. Has a fruity malty yeasty spicy finish.

At Chriso Pre Gbbf 2011. Thanks to fatphil. Cloudy light gold. Thick white head. Its not great. Some cereal. Bit of herb. Not great a little creamy and touch of toast.

Oak cask, handbottled
This is original farmhouse ale from Saaremaa island, Estonia - their version of Finnish sahti - "taluõlu" (=house beer) or "koduõlu" (=home beer). This is made from barley malts, juniper, baking yeast and Hallertau-hops. Very interesting brew for my 2000th rating.
Pale hazy yellow-orange color, not much head. Strong dry nose of junipers. Medium-bodied. Flat but crisp, citric notes. Juniper and oaky flavors dominate, typical sahti-like fruity esters, especially in the finish. Very (dangerously) drinkable, alcohol gives nice kick but is not dominating. Overall fantastic sahti - as good as its Finnish brothers - I would like to join Õlletoober (Saaremaa sahti festival) next summer.

Muddy orange with a small white head. Yeasty aroma with spices and fruit. Dry and yeasty flavour with a grassy note.

Tap at Porku. Very cloudy yellow pour with a thin white head. The nose is great. Lots of melon, pear and a little bit of banana. Very fruity and estery. Lots of bright wheat character and a little bit of spice. Sort of an intriguing herbal spiciness along with some light smoke. Fresh and juicy and very, very, interesting. Reminds me of the Lithuanian Vilniaus kvietinis baltas that I had yesterday. Really interesting stuff. Second rate - two days later same location. Hazy yellow-gold pour with a touch of sweet banana. More tart thanit was the first time around. A little bit of sour banana and a little bit of odd sweaty dank flavour. It’s more tart and less herbal/spicy than the first time around, but it’s equally interesting.

Rating it at its peak only.
Draught (SOPP2009)
Day 1 - Pale, cloudy, tiny head. Leafy juniper aroma. Full smooth body. Hugely herby and vegetal taste - herby grassy retronasals. Long grassy bitter finish. Dry compared to a sahti, and with more details. Good light grains.
Day 2 - Much sweeter and closer to Finnish sahti.
Day 3 - Back to being dry and even more vegetal.

From hand bottle, 3 August 2009. Thanks to the TBone for bringing it over. Sweetish and milky. Some spicy and herbal notes. Obvious parallels with Sahti. Unusual and interesting. Palatable too. I’d like to try this fresh on home turf.