Traditionally, brewing sahti is more a matter of art than technique. Old sahti masters are revered as wizards within their agrarian communities. They all have their own recipes and traditions, usually inherited from ancestors. They neither know nor care about enzymes, nor do they use thermometers or saccharometers. They depend on tradition and their own experience.

Those lacking the tradition must depend on their understanding of the biotechnical and biochemical principles of brewing combined with an imaginative approach. The following recipe is one of my favorites.

Makes 10.6-gal (40-L) (enough to fill one milk can)

Ingredients:
	35.2 lb (16 kg)		Pilsener malt
	8.8 lb (4 kg)		Munich malt
	A bouquet		Juniper twigs*
	3.5 oz (100 g)		Bakers yeast (preferably Finnish)

 

OG: 1.115 (29 °P)
FG: ~1.040 (10 °P)

Mashing/Lautering
Make a thick mash using 10.6-13.25 gal (40-50 L) of water (2-2.5 L per 1 kg of grist, or 2.1-2.7 qt per 2.2 lb of grist). Mash in with fresh cold water. Raise the mash temperature to around 145-149 °F (63-65 °C). Let the mash rest until it is iodine-negative. Raise the mash temperature to around 158 °F (70 °C). Let the mash rest for 30 minutes before lautering. Immerse a bunch of fresh juniper twigs into the mash a few minutes before you begin lautering the sweet wort. If you use a separate lauter tun, transfer the bunch of juniper twigs together with the mash into the lauter tun. Collect the initial sweet wort. Sparge the mash with hot water to get the total of 10.6 gal (40 L) of wort. Cool the wort and pitch with the bakers yeast.

Fermentation
Ferment for two days in a pail covered by a clean towel at the ambient temperature of around 68 °F (20 °C). After two days, siphon the fermenting wort into a canister(s), leaving the sediment yeast behind. Transfer the canister(s) to cellar temperature (around 50-54 °F [10-12 °C]) for secondary fermentation for one week. The canister(s) must not be tightly closed because the fermentation is in full swing and the CO2 must be allowed to escape freely (sahti is always uncarbonated). As they say in Finland, when it is ready to be served, it is also treacherously ready to leave you legless.