Norse Legend Sahti - Samuel Adams

    Norse legend speaks of a great beer warrior. A beer that could stand up to his enemies with axe in hand and shield on arm and unfailingly slay all who challenged him. Some say that this beer had fiery red hair with freezing blue eyes, others say that he wore a mask to hide his battle-scarred face. No matter what story you may believe, this is not that legendary beer...

    Norse Legend Sahti is brewed by the people at Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts as part of their "Small Batch" collection. I received this beer as part of a four pack of the series I was given for Christmas. The label explains that the brew is aged on a bed of Juniper berries that are supposed to add a herbal quality to the beer. At 7% ABV, Norse Legend has a bit higher alcohol content than most beers, though it doesn't come out in the flavor.

    The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin tan head. The Sahti smells of sweet toasty bread as well as a bit of a pine scent from the Juniper berries

An actual pour of Norse Legend Sahti.

    The main flavor in this beer is malty sweetness. This sweetness is present at the front as well as back end of the beer. There is a mild aftertaste of toast in addition to a lingering sweetness. The Juniper adds a slight pine/gin flavor though I would expect more from being aged over the berries. There is definitely a woody, earthy flavor to the beer which does conjure ideas of the old world or a damp woods (in a good way).

    The mouthfeel of the Sahti is almost that of a light syrup. The beer leaves a light, sweet film in your mouth after swallowing. The carbonation level is light which exaggerates the syrupy feel.

    Overall the Norse Legend Sahti is a very sweet, earthy beer. I feel like the juniper flavor is not featured as well as it should be for this style of beer which leaves the brew somewhat one-dimensional. While it may not be a beer of legend, this Sahti is still worth trying for someone new to the style. I will be very interested to try more Sahtis now that I have been exposed to the style.

Amulets and Ale Rating: