Viking-Era Ale · Gotlandsdricka
Gotlandsdricka
Photo: W.carter / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Brewing experts consider it a living link to the Viking Age — while farmhouse ale brewing died out almost everywhere else in Sweden, Gotland's farmers never stopped, and roughly 200 households on the island still brew their own each Christmas.
Gotlandsdricka is an unfiltered, low-carbonation farmhouse ale brewed with smoked malt and flavored heavily with juniper — branches, berries and all. It's smoky, tart and rustic, closely related to Finland's sahti and traditionally served flat, almost like a cask ale.
Why it's made this way: Gotland is the one place in Sweden where this pre-industrial home-brewing tradition survived unbroken, historically passed down through generations of island women who brewed it for Christmas and other family gatherings.
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