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. It is similar to gruit.
It is similar to an everyday drink used during the Viking Age in most Nordic countries. The tradition of brewing drikke has survived on Gotland, a process that was originally carried out exclusively by women.
Difficult to produce for commercial distribution, it has become a cultural marker for Gotlanders. An annual drikke brewing world championship is held in Gotland each autumn.
The brew
Drikke is a traditional, homebrewed, fermented, unfiltered and unpasteurized alcoholic beverage made on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. The main ingredients are juniper boughs, malt, hops, yeast, water and sugar. The taste is smoky, bitter-sweet, full-bodied and spicy with a significant juniper flavor. Usually dark yellow to golden brown, sometimes with a pink tint and somewhat turbid, it is usually consumed while it is still young and fermenting. Drikke is a perishable product that takes about a week to ferment and should be consumed within another two weeks. After that the taste usually deteriorates, depending on the recipe and the brewing technique. Because of the brew's sweetness, it can be hard to appreciate its alcohol content, which is anywhere from 3 to 12% depending on the amount of sugar added, usually 4-5%.
History
The name gotlandsdricka literally means "Gotlandic drink". Gotlanders take great care to distinguish between drikke and ale or beer. 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. In pre-industrialized Sweden, these drinks were made from malt, juniper, birch sap and honey. The drink made from juniper was considered the poor man's drink and the birch sap even more so. Malt drinks were regarded as the best and were served at special occasions. Simpler drinks made from honey were not brewed like mead. After the honey had been extracted from the honeycombs, they were boiled in water. After cooling, the wax was removed and the remaining honey water left to ferment. Only two of these are still frequently used with meals: svagdricka and gotlandsdricka.
Since the Viking Age up until the time of the Industrial Revolution, brewing ale and drikke on Gotland was traditionally done by women. Men could help fetching water, wood, juniper or making the necessary equipment but the brewing itself was strictly for women. A farm's reputation was often at stake when it came to making good brews for the people who worked on the farm and for guests, and a matron would take pride in her brewing skills.
Gotlandsdricka is essentially the same everyday brew that the Vikings drank. Brewing techniques have been updated through the centuries, but the ingredients and taste remain the same. Originally this kind of brew was made in all Nordic countries, but the widespread tradition of its brewing has only survived into modern times in small more isolated areas, like the island of Gotland. When hops were introduced in Scandinavia during the 13th century, these were used to compliment drikke'''s juniper boughs as flavoring. Gotland, as well, retained the tradition of using juniper although some hops were added to recipes, as it was a better preservative and added more flavor. The main flavoring was still juniper boughs and sweet gale. During the 20th century, sugar became a substitute for honey as the sweetener in drikke, but it is still brewed with honey, or without any additional sweetener at all, in parts of the island. Gotlandsdricka is closely related to the Finnish sahti, and Norwegian kornøl which is made using the same ingredients and techniques.