Sahti - South Street Brewery

Proteus93

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice to be able to knock off a rare style with a local brewery. Served on draft at location.

A: Hazy yellow... very obviously unfiltered, and similar in colour and general appearance to a hefeweizen with the exception of the head which is minimal. It does maintain a trim of around the edges which lingers, but it doesn't leave much for the sides.

S: Quite a zesty aroma... the juniper is certainly noticable, adding an interesting spiciness. Some soft woody notes, and a fruitiness in the esters - primarily apple, quite tart, with some berry elements to it... presumably due to the belgian yeasts used in the brew.

T: Again, the juniper is very present, and a good choice. It has those signs of a nicer gin, and not the 'perfume-like' flavours that many will find in gins. Very similar to aroma in almost all ways... tartness, some lighter wood notes, spiciness, though not so much 'apple' as I found in the aroma. A nice, bittering finish, more attributed to the berries than anything.

M + D: A lighter-medium, sparkling body, with a refreshing, semi-dry finish. One of the better offerings I have come across from South Street in recent memory... it's a shame it is a seasonal offering.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2008 23:51:16 | More by Proteus93

CrellMoset

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Growler, split with and courtesy of dkachur - many thanks! I had this one about a year ago and didn't review it, so I'm glad it's a rotating release and I get the chance to again. Poured into a 12 oz. brandy snifter.

Appearance: A cloudy, hazy yellow-bodied beer. Head is nonexistant to begin with, so retention is necessarily pour, as is the lacing. Almost has an oily sheen on top - a little strange. Having no real benchmark for the style, I'm gonna have to give it a 2.5.

Aroma: Juniper's pretty pungent here, slightly sprucey, tart, earthy. The spice is pretty nice, actually, and is accompanied by a few sweet malt notes - malted wheat - and tartness, fruity-like, mostly lemony.

Taste: Relatively dry, with lots of powdery wheat, some faint yeast characteristics (tartness, a few faint smoky notes, and a definite touch of juniper - woody, slightly spicy, sprucey, and earthy. Fairly pleasant.

Mouthfeel: Despite the apparent lack of carbonation that a visual examination reveals, there's obviously something hidden here, as it puffs up fairly nicely.

Drinkability: An interesting beer, very different from what I remember. The juniper is much more pronounced here than it used to be (at least, IIRC), and it's an interesting tasting/smelling combination, if not crazy complex/balanced. Glad I gave it a shot.

Serving type: growler

12-19-2008 06:40:40 | More by CrellMoset