Inside the brewery, the daily work is in full swing as we are welcomed into Stallhagen's office by Mats Ekholm. The beer is being tasted and analysed and the jargon between the workers is very familiar. You can tell that they share a common interest.
- The beer we make at Stallhagen is a craft, says Mats, who is the master behind the beer.
The original ingredients malt, hops, yeast and pure and fresh water are used in the beer production. The fermentation process is completely natural without chemical additives. The beer is stored and matured for the four weeks required by the natural production process, resulting in a natural product without unnecessary additives.
Flavours from the local area
- What makes Stallhagen unique is really the environment where we live and work. We are an archipelago, and it doesn't get much more archipelago than this. We try to find our own thing and use what is available in our neighbourhood, says Mats. Stallhagen uses honey, porcini, juniper, sea buckthorn and blueberries, for example, as flavourings.
- Because of our small size, we are very flexible in our production. Thanks to that, we can produce almost anything. There are no limits! Mats explains.
Stallhagen Baltic Porter
Stallhagen Baltic Porter is handmade according to old traditional production methods that were common in the Baltic Sea region in the early 19th century.
- During the work you hate it because it requires so much, but when it's ready you love it! Mats says with a twinkle in his eye.
He smokes the malt for the beer at home in his small fish smokehouse to get the smokiness he likes.
Every time the beer is brewed, I stand at home for two days and smoke malt. It's craftsmanship at its finest. Originally, the idea was that we would make a single brew of Portern, but it is still in production, says Mats.
The world's oldest beer
In the summer of 2010, divers discovered a shipwreck in the Åland archipelago at a depth of around 50 metres. More than 100 bottles of champagne and five bottles of beer, which had been at the bottom of the sea for about 170 years, were recovered from this ship, which sank in the early 19th century. Normally, beer was stored in barrels, served from jugs and drunk from cups," says Mats. When the bottles were recovered, one of them broke and by smelling and tasting the contents, it was found to be beer.
- Christian Ekström, who was out with the dive team on the day the wreck was found, called me up and asked if we were interested in making something of this find. I was interested and contacted the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. This was also of great interest to them because no one had previously analysed such old beer that was intact and contained carbon dioxide," says Mats.
With the help of VTT's scientific analyses and experts at the Belgian University of Leuven, Stallhagen has succeeded in extracting the ingredients of the 170-year-old beer and producing a fresh version. Stallhagen Historic Beer 1843 - a reconstruction of the oldest preserved beer in the world.
Supporting each other in the small scale
In total, Stallhagen comes out with between 12-15 products annually. The brewery has 10 products that belong to the basic range and are in continuous production. In addition to these, an Oktoberfest beer is also released in connection with the annual Harvest Festival in Åland and a Christmas beer.
- We also produce 2-5 customer-specific beers per year, says Mats Ekholm.
On board the M/S Eckerö, you can buy Stallhagen's beer in the duty-free shop, restaurants and bar.
- Stallhagen cooperates with everyone in Åland who values their local producers and Eckerö Linjen is no exception. We simply support each other in the small scale, says Mats.
Beer tasting and good food in Pub Stallhagen
Adjacent to the brewery is the cosy Pub Stallhagen where you can taste all the beers that the brewery currently produces. Here you can also enjoy good food made from local ingredients.
In summer you can sit on the pub's sunny outdoor terrace and admire the views of the beautiful rural environment. The pub also leads to the farm shop where you can buy Stallhagen's beer, Åland delicacies, crafts and gifts. Those who wish can combine a visit to Stallhagen with a round of disc golf on the course that starts next to Stallhagen's car park.
Read more at stallhagen.ax
Address: Getavägen 196, 22410 Godby
