Sixpoint Mad Scientist #19 Sahti

For Mad Scientists Series #19 our brewers scoured dusty brewing tombs in ancient catacombs, and pored over old manuscripts by candlelight to unearth the historic recipe for the Finnish Sahti.Water heated in a cauldron called a muuripata, usually made for hot water in a Finnish sauna, was periodically poured in to regulate temperature. The mash was then strained into a kuurna, a troughlike vessel with a false bottom of rye straws and juniper twigs. In the 1500s, the kuurna would have been made of a hollowed out aspen log. These old beers were often made with rye and other grains high in protein, and since they were un-boiled and unfiltered, the beer would have tons of suspended proteins, and be as thick and full as you can imagine. The bitter, bright flavor of juniper berries was used instead of hops to counterbalance the sweetness of the beer. This near-flat and mightily strong brew would be supped from horns at great weddings and festivals across Finland.