In the real old days before the age of
hops, juniper was the favored spice for
beer in Norway and this practise is still
used for the farm ales. Not only the
berries were used but the twigs was
placed in the bottom of the mash tun to
act as a false bottom, we always only pick
branches with berries, we don't buy dried
berries. The fresh berries on the
branches give us that really fresh pine
taste. If you have been inside a pine
Forrest you know what we are talking
about.
Our smoked malt comes from
Weiermann in Bamberg, Germany.
This malt is smoked over wood not
peat and gives a subtle and refined
smoky taste, just what is wanted in
this style of ale.
The smoky taste in beer may take a
while to get used to, it does give a
great dimension to the flavor. Don't
let the first sip decide, give it a
chance and you will not regret.
The farmers took great pride in their ale and you would certainly get a bad
reputation if the beer wasn't of good quality, they therefore used only the
best
barley
grown on the farm for beer making. When the Christmas beer was ready
the local farmers gathered for tasting, they went from farm to farm to test each
others beer.
Farmers were required by law to brew their own Ale and if this duty was neglected
they could have the farm confiscated, half went to the church and half went to the
king
Adding the
Juniper to the
mash tun.
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