The author is an acknowledged expert in traditional beer brewing techniques and, being a skilled brewer himself, he understands the brewing process from a practical and technical perspective. It's possible that some EXARC members have seen Mika doing brewing demonstrations at medieval markets. He was at Turku in 2016 where he worked with Kalle Markkula and Jouko Ylijoki of the Olu Bryki Raum Brewery, Isojoki, Finland. Just to be clear, Kalle is the brewer on the cover of this book.

If you have not yet seen their 'mashing in' demonstrations at medieval markets they are definitely worth looking out for. The 'mashing in' is the stage of the brewing process where crushed malted grain is mixed with hot water to make the sweet wort. It smells delicious. It tastes sweet. It is liquid malt sugars. When yeast is added to the wort it converts the malt sugars into alcohol by the process of fermentation.

Of course, not everyone can go and see a medieval brewing demonstration. This lavishly illustrated book, written for brewers and non brewers, is the next best thing. Mika presents a well-researched ethnographic study of the living tradition of making malt, ale and beer from the grain using traditional equipment and techniques. His book illuminates these ancient crafts on a small, domestic scale. It celebrates the living tradition of farmhouse brewing which has, against all odds, survived in some areas of Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Russia.

The ephemeral aspects of brewing that do not survive in the archaeological record are well illustrated. There are numerous photographs of brewers using wooden vessels for mashing in, lautering and fermentation. This is exactly the same equipment that was used by brewers in northern Europe during Iron Age, Viking and Medieval times. The brewing process has not changed.

There are also detailed descriptions of brewing techniques, for example, brewing in a wooden mash tun with hot stones. The skills, specialised knowledge and experience of the brewers is clearly explained. These techniques and traditions have been handed down from one generation of brewers to the next.

There is a lot of technical jargon in the world of the maltster and the brewer. The book begins with a general introduction to the subject, and then a clear explanation of established basic brewing terminology. What is malt and how is it made? What is involved in the mashing and fermentation processes? Mika has interviewed and worked with many other farmhouse brewers. In Chapter Two he describes a typical brew day with Hannu Sirén, a master sahti brewer, as he prepares the juniper infusion, mashes in, and then lauters in a wooden trough, known as a kuurna in Finland. Presented as a photo essay, it demonstrates the fundamentals of the brewing process and sets the scene for the rest of the book and for an in-depth explanation of the brewing process in Chapter Eleven.

Some of the brewers that Mika has interviewed and worked with use modern equipment. They mash in metal mash tuns and collect the wort in milk churns. Fermentation takes place in plastic containers. The brewing process itself remains unchanged, with the same basic ingredients: malt, water, juniper branches and yeast.

There is a chapter on the history and prehistory of ale and beer brewing. This is a huge subject and it is not possible to cover every aspect. In northern Europe, sahti brewers use branches from the local Juniper communis to make an infusion with hot water for disinfecting the brewing equipment. The juniper branches are also used as filters and this gives the beer a unique flavour. Sahti beers have a strong malt character. Some brewers prefer to use rye malt, while others will use barley malt. This not only affects the flavour of the ale, but also the colour. Rye ales are much darker.

In other parts of Europe, before the introduction of hops, brewers have traditionally used herbs to flavour and preserve the ale. These ales can be made with herbs such as yarrow, bog myrtle, wild rosemary or ground ivy. Chapters Ten and Thirteen look in detail at the use of brewing herbs and there are recipes for recreating them. The flavours of these ales made with herbs are quite different to sahti.

The traditional brewing techniques described in this book are for making what is known as raw ale. This means making an ale or a beer without boiling the wort and without adding hops. No large coppers or cauldrons are needed. Wooden mash tuns and lautering equipment are sufficient. These, of course, cannot be placed over a fire, so hot stones are used to heat the water and the mash. Sometimes the only evidence that mashing in and brewing have taken place at an archaeological excavation of a Viking or Medieval site are the fire cracked stones.  

One of the more unusual brewing techniques described in the book is keptinis, as it is known in Lithuania, or taari, as it is called in Finnish. This is an oven mash, involving mashing in the usual way, then baking the mash in an oven. This caramelises the mash and the resulting beer or ale has a distinctive flavour. Could this oven mashing technique be similar to the way that Ancient Egyptians brewed their beer, with beer bread? You will have to read the book for yourself and make up your own mind.

Kveik is a strain of farmhouse yeast that has survived in areas of Norway, Lithuania, Latvia and Russia. Mika describes them as heirloom treasures that have been passed down through the generations. The fascinating story of these farmhouse yeasts, known as Kveik and brought to the world's attention by Lars Marius Garshol, is told by Claire Bullen on the Good Beer Hunting blog. Her article “A fire being kindled – the revolutionary story of Kveik, Norway's extraordinary farmhouse yeast” tells the story. It is impossible to know how old these yeast strains might be. Some modern breweries have already started using them in commercial beers and home brewers are also using them.

Archaeologists understand that there is minimal evidence for making the malt and brewing the beer. These are mysterious processes to most people. This book provides an important missing piece of the puzzle, specifically, the ethnographic evidence that completes the picture of how malt and ale were made in the past. It is a very useful tool for anyone wanting to recreate an authentic ancient ale.

Book information:

Viking Age Brew, Mika Laitinen, Chicago Review Press, 2019
ISBN 13: 9781641600477, 240 page