Saku – Das Echte Hefeweizen

GS6A0088

Saku brewery was established in 1820 by the owner of Saku manor, German Earl Karl Friedrich Rehbinder. The first production was in October 1820. The brewery is located in Estonia.

Caused by 1st World War, Saku brewery did not brew from 1914 to 1921. Saku soon after settled as the largest brewery in the northern Estonia as they introduced beer on 0,5L bottles instead of the normal half toop bottles. (1 toop is 1,23 litres).

In 1940 the brewery became nationalized due to Estonia being occupied by the Soviet Union. During the Soviet times the brewery was in 1976 changed to a experimental brewery and was close to closing in 1985, where investments into the brewery was stopped.

A new era begins for Saku in 1991 where a joint venture Baltic Beverages Holding was founded by Pripps brewery from Sweden and Hartwall from Finland. They acquired 75% of the shares in Saku brewery. The brewery was reconstructed and the old equipment was replaced with new machines that produced the new Saku Originaal in 1993. In 2008 Saku brewery was bought 100% by the Carlsberg group A/S.

During my stay in Tartu, Estonia, I found this 500 ml bottle in a supermarket near the hotel at 0,75 Euro.

Light fruit aroma, yellow colour like it should be, head starts out big, leaves a thin layer.

Light fruit taste which goes into weak and watery taste with light speed, a flat CO2 feeling leaves it with no play on the tongue and overall it does not have much taste.

Lots of sediment in bottle to swirl out.

Calling it the real weissbier takes some nerve and will also be its downfall.

Overall rating is 60 / 100

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