Stockholm Beer Festival '98

The most positive thing this year was the diversity and quality of the new beers form the new Swedish microbreweries. Our overall favourite as well as one of my personal favourites was Slottskällans new Belgian style double dark ale Kloster. A fruity, well made with banana notes, attempt on the style. 4.40 is an excellent score. Also Tärnö's new ale NO:6 Ale, which was less an experimental taste explosion and mopre of a traditional British ale, than the earlier ales from this brewery, was liked by everyone, and scored over 4. Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri is a micro with very limited distribution, and their beer was to most of us a new sensation. Besides two very good ales, an India pale ale and a bitter, and a mead, we had a lovely witbier spiced with orange shells , which was myfavourite beer of the festival. Bredaryds Wärdshus served a good bockbier, and from the new micro Ölkliniken we tried a contract brewed version of Bernard, which was as good as the Czechish original.

Sadly the imported beers didn't reach the same wuthering heights as last year. Our favourite was an aged version of Traquair Jacobite Ale, a strong spicey Scottish ale. The flvaours seemed to have melted together nicely over the years. Another winner was the new Irish microbrewery Dwan's in Tipperary. Their jovial brewmaster used to work at Jämtlands bryggei and are very much responsible for some of the best Sewedish beers. Both their Irish ale Rich Ruby and their fullbodied Extra stout An Dubháin as well as their Irish stout Black Pearl were of very high quality, IMO better than their more famous competitors versions.

Also the best cask conditioned beer we rated were Scottish, Harviestoun American Red, which was somewhat along the lines of an American style red ale. We also had Harviestoun Schiehaillion a cask conditioned lager(!). Sadly two beers were served in bad condition, which the staff did not admit. Our apologies to the brewers of Golden Arrow and Champflower, I'm sure their fine beers when fresh, but the ones we had was more like vinegar. Now a bottled ale became the best scoring English beer: the spicey and interesting Daleside Morocco Ale.

Of the Germans Matltezer Weissbier, a fresh tart wheat beer was the winner, while the draught version of Westmalle Dubbel scored the best of the Belgians, and Brroklyn Brown Ale was the best American beer we had. Of the more unusal countries we had Famosa from Guatemala, a not too bad tropical lager which gave us country #72. We also had three less exciting Spanish lagers as well as Topvar Valhall, a usually good Slovakian beer in terrible shape.