Gotlandsdricka
Gotlandsdricka (in modern Gutnish drikke or drikko, and drikku) is a traditional homebrewed alcoholic beverage made on the island of Gotland, Sweden.
It is a kind of ale, closely related to the Finnish sahti, and Norwegian maltøl with a smoky, bitter-sweet, spicy (juniper) flavor.
The tradition of brewing drikke has survived on Gotland, a process that was originally carried out exclusively by women.
Drikke is a traditional, homebrewed, fermented, unfiltered and unpasteurized alcoholic beverage made on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
[6] Drikke was originally served only with meals, as is milk, water or wine in various modern day cultures.
Beer and ale were once considered "alcoholic beverages", whereas different types of malt drinks and drikke were not—these were served to everyone in the family including children.
[2] Since the Viking Age up until the time of the Industrial Revolution, brewing ale and drikke on Gotland was traditionally done by women.
[4] Gotlandsdricka is closely related to the Finnish sahti, and Norwegian kornøl which is made using the same ingredients and techniques.
The tub is then lined with threshed straw (sometimes thinner branches of juniper are used instead) and the mash placed in the middle of the bunn.
The collected lännu is boiled—the longer the boiling the sweeter the drikke—and additional flavoring such as hops or sweet gale and sugar or honey are added.
[17] In modern drikke brewing, most wooden vessels have been replaced by more practical tubs and buckets made of steel or plastic.
[20] Another problem was that since the drikke is highly perishable, it cannot be made with techniques and bottled in ways that conforms with the rules and regulations of the National Food Administration.
[25] The Jester King Brewery in Texas makes a version of Gotlandsdricka,[26] and it is also brewed at Niagara College in Canada.
Towards the end of the 1960s, interest in malt-brewing was revived as part of the wave of rediscovering old traditions and crafts that swept over Sweden at that time.
It is positively loaded and virtually inaccessible to the visitor, and it exudes a whiff of the past, leading one's thoughts to the island's former days of glory.
[29]The drikke brewing world championship has been held annually since 1991, traditionally in a location on the southern part of the island.
[31] The 2008 championship was documented by the German television station ProSieben for their series "Galileo", which included programs about disgusting dishes from around the world.
