Dogfish Head‘s Sah’tea is one of the most interesting and creative beers I’ve had to date. Someday I’d like to ask Sam Calagione how he comes up with his crazy ideas… Here’s the story behind it.

Many centuries ago, peasants in Finland brewed a fermented beverage called sahti. The ingredients included malted and unmalted barley, rye, wheat, and oats. It was traditionally made by mashing the grains in wooden barrels, which were then scooped into a kuurna, a wooden trough with a bed of juniper twigs.

The juniper had dual purposes in this method. The bed of juniper twigs acted as a filter for the mash, much like the false bottoms that brewers use in mash tuns today. Additionally, the juniper was the sole source of bitterness to balance the malt, as hops were not traditionally used in sahti.

Dogfish Head’s Sah’tea is a modern spin on this traditional Finnish beer. Sah’tea’s malt bill includes rye, and it’s fermented with German Weizen yeast. They also throw in juniper berries as a throwback to the juniper twig filters the Finnish brewers used so many years ago. To add that quirky Dogfish Head twist, after fermentation is complete, they add a tea similar to chai, made with black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper.

But the most interesting part of the Sah’tea brewing process is the fact that they caramelize the wort with white hot river rocks. Since traditional sahti was brewed before metal brewing tanks were available, they had to use wooden tanks, which obviously could not be heated using direct fire. So the Finnish would heat rocks in a wood fire oven, then shovel them into the wooden tank, which would create a unique caramelly, earthy character. Dogfish does exactly the same thing in their metal brewing tanks when they make Sah’tea.

So, how does Sah’tea taste? Here’s my review:

Appearance: Pretty, bright orange color with a spritzy white head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma: Malty, caramelly, and spiced.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, with a slight buttery mouthfeel that’s not at all unpleasant.

Flavor: Sweet, caramelized, and gently spiced. Finishes medium-dry with a pleasant, lingering, spicy aftertaste. The ginger and cardamom are apparent, but the spice character overall is reminiscent of chai tea.

Overall impression: The spice is nice! Sah’tea is very drinkable and surprisingly dry for a Dogfish Head beer, which usually tend to emphasize malty sweetness. The spice character actually reminded me a lot of Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale (which is brewed with brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg).

I really enjoyed this beer. It’s vying for the #1 spot in my list of favorite Dogfish beers (Punkin Ale is currently sitting pretty at the top). Go seek it out!