This summer, the fires have been burning at Dogfish as they will be shipping out a modern update on a ninth-century Finnish style beverage called Sah’tea. The beer was first offered on tap at the Dogfish brewery in May.

Dogfish’s version is a take-off on a Finnish style beer called Sahti.  Traditional Sahti is brewed with a variety of grains, malted and unmalted, including barley, rye, wheat, and oats; then flavored with juniper berries in addition to, or instead of, hops.  The old-school style of brewing Sahti also includes the step of heating hot rocks over a fire and using them to boil the wort.

To make Sah’tea, brewmasters carmelize wort on white hot river rocks, ferment it with German Weizen yeast, then toss on Finnish berries and a blend of spices to jazz up this rye-based beverage. In traditional Dogfish-style, they will break with tradition by finishing the beer with an exotic black chai tea at the end of the boil.

Reviewers have praised Sah’tea, comparing it to a fruity hefeweizen and calling it “a near euphoric experience.”

Lead Bryan Selders explains the Dogfish brewing process:

The hot rocks were successfully transferred to the wort and boiling ensued: