Pihtla Õlleköök (Taako)

On the island of Saaremaa, the village of Pihtla is home to one of Europe's most precious breweries: Pihtla Õlleköök, which calls itself Estonia's oldest microbrewery, is the main commercial keeper of koduõlu, the island farmhouse ale filtered through juniper branches, a Baltic cousin of Finnish sahti. Brewed here since the early 1990s in a tradition handed down through generations, Pihtla Õlu — hazy, grainy, alive — is best enjoyed at the farm with dried fish, or in a handful of bars in Kuressaare and Tallinn. An essential pilgrimage for anyone who loves historic farmhouse styles, amid Saaremaa's juniper landscapes.