Events

Events in 2024

In 2024, I concentrated so much on writing my next book that my events weren’t properly documented. Although the year was hectic, I did several fine events:

Sambariai Farmhouse Ale Festival, May 2024, Lithuania. I was a guest brewer at the festival and demonstrated how to brew sahti, most traditionally, using wooden equipment and hot stones.

Turku Medieval Market, June 2024, Turku, Finland. I demonstrated how to brew Viking-age beers with Olu Bryki Raum Brewery.

Ancient Ale Day (Muinaisolutpäivä), October 2024, Rauma, Finland. I gave a talk about Finnish daily farmhouse ales (kalja) and demonstrated how to brew ancient ales.

Trip to Gotland 2023

In October 2023, I toured Gotland (an island on the Baltic Sea, part of Sweden) to see how gotlandsdricke farmhouse ale is brewed. I wrote a story about gotlandsdricke for Juomaposti magazine (in Finnish).

Turku Medieval Market 2023

June 29–July 2, 2023
Turku (Old Great Square – Suurtori), Finland

Olu Bryki Raum Brewery sells and brews their ancient ales at Turku Medieval Market 2023. The four-day festival and the brewing demonstrations begin on Thursday June 29, 2023. I’ll join the brewing demonstrations for Thursday and Friday July 29–30. On Thursday we’ll brew Sahti with an unusual yet historical method. On Friday we’ll brew Sauna raw ale with birch based on my recipe. The historical brewing demonstrations can be followed each day for the whole market time: 12–20 on Thu-Fri, and 12–18 on Sat-Sun.

Norsk Kornølfestival 2022

October 7–8, 2022
Hornindal, Norway

If you are interested in traditional Norwegian farmhouse ales or kveik, Norsk Kornølfestival in the place to be. The festival will gather true homebrewing farmhouse brewers from various parts of Norway. They’ll serve their beers and share their traditional farmhouse secrets of brewing techniques, home malting, and kveik. Also, there will presentations on farmhouse brewing and servings of commercial beers inspired by Norwegian farmhouse traditions.

At the festival, I’m presenting my findings on Karelian farmhouse ale Taari, and I’m also pouring my homebrewed sahti and taari.

The Ancient Ale Day 2022

September 24, 2022
Olu Bryki Raum Brewpub, Hakrinkatu 4, Rauma, Finland

Olu Bryki Raum brewery organizes an ancient ale day in Rauma on Saturday, September 24. The venue is Olu Bryki Raum brewpub at Hakrinkatu 4 in Rauma. Free entry.

Program:

• Ancient ale brewing demonstration.
• Meet the guest brewer Andrus Viil from Saaremaa Pruulikoda.
• Herb specialist Satu Hovi gives a talk on medieval brewing herbs.
• Sahti master Tuula Viheroja tells about sahti traditions of her family.
• Jouko Ylijoki presents his findings on traditional Finnish blacksmith ale.
• Beer writer Mika Laitinen talks about ancient ales and the alcoholic drinks of the Viking Age.

Beers served: Ancient ales from Olu Bryki Raum (including several types of sahti) and traditional Estonian koduõlu from Saaremaa Pruulikoda.

Turku Medieval Market 2022

June 30–July 3, 2022
Turku (Old Great Square – Suurtori), Finland

Olu Bryki Raum Brewery is brewing historical beers and selling their ancient ales at the work exhibition area of Turku Medieval Market. The festival and the brewing demonstrations begin on Thursday June 30, 2022. I’ll join the brewing demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday July 2–3, 2022.

The historical brewing demonstrations can be followed each day for the whole market time: 12–20 on Thu-Fri, and 12–18 on Sat-Sun. Every day we’ll brew a different kind of ancient ale for example with wooden brewing gear, hot stones and straw-juniper filters.

Sėkminių Sambariai Festival 2022

May 27–28, 2022
Niuronys, Anyksciai district, Lithuania

Sėkminių Sambariai is a farmhouse beer festival farmhouse beer festival in northern Lithuania. It is based on old sharing traditions of farmhouses, so that people bring what they do best: beer, mead, food, and music. The main theme of the festival is Keptinis farmhouse ale: Keptinis is brewed at the festival and locals bring their homebrewed Keptinis for taste. I’ll give a talk about traditional Finnish farmhouse beers and serve my homebrewed sahti.

Sahti Brewing Course

November 20, 2021
Lempäälä, Finland

I’m giving a one-day sahti brewing course on November 20, 2021. You’ll learn to brew sahti with simple kitchenware. I’ll specially address how to ferment with kveik and flavor your sahti with juniper. The course is in Lempäälä, Finland (25 km from Tampere). For details in Finnish, check the Facebook event or the course registration form.

Norsk Kornølfestival 2020

October 10, 2020
Live on the internet

In 2020 Norsk Kornølfestival will be a live online event. See the program and how to join for free here. This festival is the next best thing for actually traveling to Norway to see farmhouse brewing!

The program includes live farmhouse brewing demonstrations from Hornindal, Voss, and Stjørdal as well as lectures and some surprises. The festival starts on October 10 at noon Norwegian time (UTC+2) and finishes around midnight.

I will appear on the the festival stream around 19:50 Norwegian time. I’m streaming from Finland and showing how to brew Karelian-Baltic farmhouse ale taari from the oven-baked rye mash.

Course on Viking Age and Medieval Brewing

March 7, 2020
Pirkkala, Finland

On March 7 I’ll be giving a course on Viking Age and medieval brewing in Pirkkala, Finland. We’ll brew sahti, medieval gruit ale, and hopped raw ale with simple kitchenware. I’ll guide how to use and maintain kveik type house yeast. As far as I know, this is the first course in Finland with kveik in the curriculum. Check the Facebook event for details (in Finnish) or email mika@brewingnordic.com.

Kveik Seminar in Voss

February 26–29, 2020
Voss, Norway

The International Kveik Seminar in Voss on February 27–28 is hosted by Vestnorsk kulturakademi. At the seminar, I’ll give a talk on sahti and along with the official program I’ll explore local farmhouse brewing traditions.

Events in 2019

Kippis – International Craft Beer Festival

November 29–30, 2019
Helsinki (Kaapelitehdas), Finland

I’m performing at the Kippis – International Craft Beer Festival with herb specialist Satu Hovi. We’ll give these talks in Finnish:

• November 29 at 17: Sahti ja oluen historia (Sahti and the History of Beer)
• November 29 at 18: Muinaiset olutyrtit (Ancient Brewing Herbs)
• Both talks also on November 30 at 15–18 (exact times announced later) 

The event is done in collaboration with Olu Bryki Raum Brewery and the Kippis festival. Check the Facebook event for details (in Finnish).

Norsk Kornølfestival

October 11–12, 2019
Hornindal, Norway

If you are interested in traditional Norwegian farmhouse ales or kveik, Norsk Kornølfestival in the place to be. The festival will gather true homebrewing farmhouse brewers from various parts of Norway. They’ll serve their beers and share their traditional farmhouse secrets of brewing techniques, home malting, and kveik. Also, there will presentations on farmhouse brewing and servings of commercial beers inspired by Norwegian farmhouse traditions.

Each year the festival has farmhouse brewing demonstrations and this year I’ll be demonstrating how traditional Finnish sahti is brewed, along with a presentation on sahti.

Viking Age Brew & Brew Beer Like a Yeti Book Tour

In July 2019 I’ll be touring Oregon and Washington and that means several Nordic farmhouse beer and Viking-themed events in Seattle and Portland! I’ll be performing at museums, pubs, and breweries with beer writer Jereme Zimmerman, the author of Make Mead Like a Viking and Brew Beer Like a Yeti.

Here’s a short overview of our tour:

• July 18, 2019, Seattle, Washington: Brewing Traditional Nordic Farmhouse Beers discussion at the Nordic Museum. The event is for both brewers and people interested in the Nordic culture. No brewing experience required.
• July 23, 2019, Portland, Oregon: Brew Like a Viking Workshop at Base Camp Brewing Company. For home and craft brewers, hosted by F.H. Steinbart.
• July 24–27, Portland, Oregon: Oregon Brewers Festival. We are not performing at the festival but if you see Vikings in brown-grey tunics, that’s probably me and Jereme. Come and say Skål! and Kippis! to us.
• July 27, 2019, Portland, Oregon: Ale Apothecary Sahti Tasting at Belmont Station Biercafé. In this launch party you’ll get to taste an authentic taste of sahti farmhouse freshly brewed at the Ale Apothecary in Bend, OR in collaboration with me and Jereme. While you are savoring the ale, we’ll give you an introduction to these kinds of ancient yet alive Nordic farmhouse beer traditions.
• August 1, 2019, Seattle, Washington: What the Vikings Drank. We will give an entertaining beer and mead infused talk at Skål Beer Hall.

For more details, see the events below, and check back here for updates!

Seattle: Brewing Traditional Nordic Farmhouse Beers

Thursday, July 18, 2019 at 6–8 PM
Nordic Museum, Seattle, Washington

Join Mika Laitinen, author of Viking Age Brew, and Jereme Zimmerman, author of Make Mead Like a Viking and Brew Beer Like a Yeti for a discussion on the history, tradition, and technique of brewing Nordic ales. The authors will each discuss their individual approach to researching and experimenting with Nordic farmhouse brewing. Additionally, they will provide an overview of beer history and beer styles in the Nordic regions and their methods for researching the information in their books. A Q&A session for brewers and non-brewers alike will follow.

For details, see the Nordic Museum and Facebook.

Portland: Brew Like a Viking!

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 7–9 PM
Base Camp Brewing, Portland, Oregon

Learn to brew Sahti and other Nordic Farmhouse ales with traditional ingredients and techniques. You’ll also hear why these kinds of traditional ales offer a fascinating view of brewing in the Middle Ages and the Viking Age. The event is Hosted by F.H. Steinbart.

For details, see the Facebook event.

Portland: Ale Apothecary Sahti Tasting

Saturday, July 27, 2019, at 1–4 PM
Belmont Station, Portland, Oregon

Join beer writers Mika Laitinen and Jereme Zimmerman over a rare pint of sahti style farmhouse ale. While you are savoring the ale, Mika and Jereme talk what makes these kinds of ancient yet alive Nordic farmhouse beer traditions so special.

For details, see Belmont Station and Facebook.

Seattle: What the Vikings Drank

Thursday, August 1, 2019, at 6:30–7:30 PM
Skål Beer Hall, Seattle, Washington

Learn about what the Vikings drank while enjoying beer and mead Viking style at the Skål Beer Hall!

Join Mika Laitinen, author of Viking Age Brew, and Jereme Zimmerman, author of Make Mead Like a Viking and Brew Beer Like a Yeti as they discuss their research into what the Vikings drank. The authors will discuss what they have learned about the ales and meads Viking-era people made and drank, as well as their attempts at recreating these drinks at home. Zimmerman and Laitinen are possibly a bit too full of Viking and Nordic lore and are happy to entertain your questions about Viking life, Norse stories, and the food and drink the Vikings would have enjoyed.

Turku Medieval Market: Brewing Demonstrations and Talks

June 27–30, 2019
Medieval Market (work exhibition area, Porthan park), Turku, Finland

At Turku Medieval Market I’ll join the Vikings of Olu Bryki Raum Brewery to demonstrate ancient brewing techniques with wooden brewing gear and wood-fired cauldrons. Each day the brewing can be followed for the whole market time: 12–20 Thu-Fri, and 12–18 on Sat-Sun. I’ll be at the Market on Friday and Saturday. Thursday is devoted to sahti with stone-boiled mash, and on Friday the brew is Karelian-Baltic taari from malt bread. On Saturday the cauldron is fired for medieval gruit ale and on Sunday for sahti. Ancient ales of Olu Bryki Raum sold on site!

I’m also giving two talks at the brewery (in Finnish):

• Friday June 28 at 15:15: What the Vikings Drank at Their Feasts?
• Saturday June 29 at 13:30: What Sahti Reveals about Viking Age and Medieval Brews?

The other speakers during the festival include beer history expert Jouko Ylijoki (on ancient brewing on Thursday and Sunday) and wild herb specialist Satu Hovi (on medieval herbs on Saturday). For details check the Facebook event and the Medieval Market program.