Sah'tea

Beer: Sah'Tea
Brewery:Dogfish Head, Milton, Delware
ABV:9%
Style: Sahti
Sample Medium: Bottle
Size: 750ml

Impression:After experiencing Sah’tea I must admit that I am somewhat at a loss for a concise and encompassing description of the brew. The unparalleled nature of this creation has obfuscated me and challenged my comprehension of what IS beer. Fittingly the single most apt summation of “banana bread like unique beer” comes from the Doghfish Head founder Sam Calagione which can be heard explaining Sah’tea in a short video here. Basically Sah’tea was derived as a play on Sahti (a traditional Finish beer utilizing juniper berries in lieu of hops) by borrowing the traditional Finish brewing process and infusing it with Chai Tea to create something uniquely Dogfish Head and hence Sahti + Chai Tea = Sah’tea. As for an actual review, the cloudy orange amber presence in the glass doesn’t fully prepare one for the spiced tea like notes and zesty mid-palate experience. This is only compounded by the finish which accentuates Chai like overtones while light bready fruitiness accompanied by cinnamon and nutmeg begin to discreetly express themselves. This experience evokes a feeling I associate with festive winter beverages like spiced cider, probably making it more appropriate for a holiday season than summer refreshment. I really enjoyed this warm and slippery brew as it dared my senses to pigeonhole it. On a downside, head retention was ghastly and I was unable to perceive as much of the caramel profile that I had hoped would result from the hot rock boiling process. And while not inherently bad I was unable to detect any alcohol content at all, further complicating my ability to recognize this as beer. With all that in mind I would recommend this beer to two types of people: 1) adventurous beer drinkers that recognize the renaissance of craft brewing that is occurring in America and are willing to test the waters of brewers on the fringe 2) People who don’t really like beer, but would enjoy a bubbly spiced drink. In conclusion I will risk sounding trite and assert that words cannot adequately describe Sah’tea and drinking one is the best way to experience it.