Home-brewed barley beer drunk through the midsummer Jāņi night, with caraway Jāņu siers cheese and bonfires until sunrise. It is brewed for the solstice specifically and is traditionally the work of one household for the whole gathering.
Home brewing of alcohol is licensed or restricted in most of the atlas’s readership, and this one is made unfiltered and drunk within days by design.
What goes into it
- barley malt
- hops
- yeast
- water
How it is made
Barley is malted, mashed and boiled with hops, then fermented warm and drunk young — often within a week, still cloudy and lightly sweet. It is not made to keep; it is made for one night, and what is left over is not expected to survive.
How long it takes: about a week from mash to the bonfire
How it is eaten
From a jug at the Jāņi bonfire, with Jāņu siers and songs until sunrise.
History
Brewed for Latvia’s Jāņi solstice, drunk with caraway Jāņu siers around bonfires until sunrise.
Frequently asked questions
What is Jāņu alus?
Jāņu alus is a wine & spirit from Latvia: home-brewed barley beer drunk through the midsummer Jāņi night. Brewed for Latvia’s Jāņi solstice, drunk with caraway Jāņu siers around bonfires until sunrise.
How is Jāņu alus made?
Barley is malted, mashed and boiled with hops, then fermented warm and drunk young — often within a week, still cloudy and lightly sweet. It is not made to keep; it is made for one night, and what is left over is not expected to survive. It takes about a week from mash to the bonfire.
Can I make Jāņu alus at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Home brewing of alcohol is licensed or restricted in most of the atlas’s readership, and this one is made unfiltered and drunk within days by design.
What goes into Jāņu alus?
Barley malt, hops, yeast, water.
How is Jāņu alus eaten?
From a jug at the Jāņi bonfire, with Jāņu siers and songs until sunrise.
