Comments on Swedish beer
Comments on some of the beer in Sweden
Disclaimer: These are my opinions. I do not consider myself an expert
in any way, and I only speak for myself. Ratings mentioned are my own,
and from the OMH-pages (I used
only the average rating, not the score. For explanation see the info on
those pages). My rating here doesn't necessary have to be the same as I
rated them in the the OMH rating. The ratings ranges from 0 to 5, where 5
is the best. A "+" or a "-" could follow, but I won't insult your intelligence
with explaining the meaning of that...
For ratings on Swedish beer with a more scientific approach check out
Alun's Beer Tasting Notes - Sweden .
A light brown, well hopped Pale Ale. The hoppiness is unfortunately not accompanied
with the body necessary to make it really great. It's a bit thin and metallic, but
still nice.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.33
A light coloured lager from this new westcoast micro, with small head. Interesting beer.
Not very bitter, but still fairly hoppy and complex. Like a Czechish style pilsner.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.17
The 1996 vesion was a dark brown, top fermented, chocolate smelling Julöl,
with good body and rich taste for only being 5,0%. Fairly bitter. Unfortunately
the 1997 version didn't quite live up to it's predecessor.
1996 version: My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 2.57
1997 version: My rating: 4-
An unpasteurized unfiltered cloudy lager, AFAIK only available on tap. I was expecting more
from this. It was not as complex and lively as some of the other unpasteurized lagers, on the
contrary it was thin and one-dimensional, and with not much bitterness.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 3.00
A pale lager. A bit malty, and with some bitterness. Not exciting,
but tasty.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.67
This is a dark lager, possibly a Münchner Dark, with a better than average body,
a fair amount of bitterness and a burnt flavour. A genuine, nice beer.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 1.50
A standard lager with medium body but almost no detectable bitterness and almost
repellent hop aroma. Clearly below average.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 2.67
A standard lager on the dark side. Medium bitterness and body.
Nothing special, but fairly good.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.33
A deep golden lager with some bitterness, but not much body. Rather one-dimensional
and boring.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 3.00
A dark brown-red Julöl. Tasteless for the style. Boring.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.50
A pale lager, with fresh taste, medium bitterness and very aromatic. A good lager!
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 2.75
A dark christmas lager. Nice spiceyness, and some bitterness, but
unfortunately a bit on the thin side.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: Not yet rated
A light amber lager that tries to obtain some kind of wilderness macho image.
Like most of these beers with an attitude it's completely dumbed down and
lacks every hint of character. A thin and extremely dull beer.
My rating: 1 ; OMH: 2.60
A standard lager. A bit thin and sourish, but still not unpleasant. Some after-bitterness.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.60
This beer has a very informative label that makes it easy so comment it.
The backside simply says: "Light lager beer, bottom fermented. Malt: Pilsner- & Münchner.
Hops: Aroma- and bitter. Yeast: Hürliman. Wort strength: 12%. Alcohol: 5%"
The beer itself is golden with a creamy head, a bit malty and it has medium bitterness.
It is fairly good, but too neutral and unexciting to be really great.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.67
This bock will supposedly be available all year round at the brewpub.
It is fairly dry with good bitterness, and the colour is invitingly black.
The owner, Lars Schweitz, also nearly promised a weißbier and other
interesting seasonals later on when I spoke to him at Stockholm Beer Festival.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.71
Bredaryds Pubbryggeri is one of the new brewpubs in Sweden which is situated in
the forest covered southern part Småland that had a good repuataion for serving
good beer long before it became a brewpub. The beer they serve, Färsköl,
is an unpasteurized, unfiltered lager that varies with the time of the year. The version
we tried at Stockholm Beer Festival was, I guess, their autumnn beer. It was deep golden,
malty, very complex, full of flavours, with good bitterness. and outright delicious.
Their other versions is supposedly a darker Christmas lager, a lighter summer lager
and another version during springtime. I wish I lived closer to Bredaryd...
The autumn version: My rating: 5- ; OMH: 4.50
A dark red lingonberry lager brewed especially for Stockholm Beer Festival '97.
To my disappointment I found it terribly unbalanced and sour. I though the
lingonberry taste was too prominent, and it felt more like sour lemonade,
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 3.00
Ystad, situated on the southernmost tip of Sweden, has now a brewpub on their
own to be proud over. This brewpub is in fact the only real brewery in Skåne
at the moment. At this brewpub you can not only drink their excellent beer, they
also serve exciting local dishes such as eel, fallow-deer and so on.
This beer is a rather light unpasturized and unfiltered lager which is smooth
and malty and has medium bitterness. Maybe a bit on the "kind" side, but
still tasty.
I found great looking 1000ml bottles of this brew on Systembolaget at Norra Station
in mid November, so now it's available outside Ystad. Thanks for that!
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.67
Ysta's second beer is a quite dark unpastuerized and unfiltered lager. When poured
up it looks deliciously hazy and rich, and I thought the taste was quite reminiscent
of a lighter version of the schwarzbiers I tried in Nürnberg. It had the same,
rather earthy and very malty character, and though it was not very bitter I truely
appreciated it.
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.33
The Christmas seasonal from Ysta was distributed in magnificent 1l bottles.
The contents were almost as magnificent as the bottle. Dark, hazy, complex and a bit burnt,
but not as sweet as manyother Christmas lagers. Quite like the dark lager they served at
Stockholm Beer Festival.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.43
A brewpub, or bar brewery hoping to sell their first own beer
in the beginning of November 1998, which is supposed to be a
pils. Earlier this place was nextdoors to Gamlestadens Bryggeri,
but since they moved to Herrljunga, they could no longer offer
good local beer. As the owners had developed a genuine beer
interest they decided to start brewing their own beer instead.
They hope to brew beers in a wide range of styles and mentions
ale, rauchbier, steamer and dark lager as the most likely ones
to follow their pils.
Falcon's version of Carlsberg's original get-drunk-fast beer.
Better than most of the usually horrible Danish strong lagers though.
The maltiness covers up pretty well the alcoholic flavour, and it
is quite drinkable but certainly not interesting.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.17
A license brewed version of this beer that calls itself "probably the best beer
in the world". I wonder in what world this is the best beer? Certainly not in
mine. Typical industrial clean lager, not much body, some bitterness. Nah!
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 4.00
Falcons version of this Carlsberg brew. Industrial, a bit too sweet and lacking
all character there is to miss. The least alcoholic and most boring of the Carlsbergs.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 2.87
As all the Carlsbergs (perhaps especially Falcon's versions) this beer is extremely
clean and one dimensional but apart from that it is a decent copper coloured lager.
It is fairly sweet and thick. The alcohol doesn't dominate all that much.
The best of Falcon's Carlsberg versions.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.20
Another boring industrial adjunct lager. A beer without character, but easy
drinkable. A typical beer for beginners.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 4.00
A fairly malty Vienna style lager. Decent bitterness, but not very complex.
Nice, but not exciting.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 4.00
A standard lager. Despite being labelled all malt it tastes
like a tgin adjunct lager, and there is not sign of any hops
to be found. Very boring.
My rating: 1 ; OMH: Not yet rated
An unnecessary stronger version of Falcon Bayerskt. The alcoholic
content is higher but the rest of the beer stays the same, resulting
in that the alcohol dominates this beer. Not recommended.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.67
A rather boring industrial lager. Low in bitterness as well as body.
Still not really unplaasant though.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 3.00
Julmumma is a mix between beer, lemonade, spices, and some other stuff
(I'm not really sure what). Whatever it is it's pale brown coloured,
sparkling like Coke, very sweet and spicy (cardamon I believe).
Personally I can't take the sticky sweetness of it.
When we rated this for OMH it was called Familjen Skantzes Julmumma, but
since then it's been renamed. Does anybody know if they also changed the
recipe since then?
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 1.50
A pale bock, light in taste but fairly bitter. Otherwise with no special
qualities. Won a bronze medal at The Brewing Intustry International Awards
Strong Beer Competition.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 1.80
A dark, strong and warming Christmas lager. Malty, a bit fruity and fairly balanced.
A fairly good Julöl. but not very complex.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.87
A Dortmunder style lager. The taste is "round" and rather clean. Not much bitterness,
but a bit more malt, which I guess is pretty much what a Dortmunder should be like.
Perhaps too sweet for my liking.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.33
A very dark lager aged at least three years before it's sold.
Not much head. Raisiny and mature like a port and well balanced.
Comes in a pitch black bottle, and an opener with the year of
the vintage noted is included. Sadly Falcon has discontinued
the brewing of this beer, so grab some bottles while you still
can of Falcon's flagship.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 4.50
The most classic of the Christmas brews. A dark lager. Sweet, and with lots of flavours
that melts together nicely and makes it feel round. More body than bitterness.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.60
A standard lager. I guess there are adjuncts used in it, because the
taste is very round, but since I was extremely thirsty when trying it
I found it quite enjoyable. Some bitterness. Certainly not exciting,
but a good thirst quencher.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.00
Yet another extra strong version of a popular lager. Thanks to many bad
experiences with this type of beer I wasn't expecting too much, but I
found this beer to by almost tasty. It is dry for being 7,2%, but yet
a bit fruity. It has some bitterness, lots of body and feels like an
at least decent bock. Quite one-dimensional though
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.67
A thin and boring industrial lager. Low in bitterness as well as body.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 3.00
A Pripps Blå rip-off that now sadly has returned to the market
after having being gone, but not missed, for a couple of years.
It comes in cans looking as like Pripps big seller as they can without
getting sued, and they've even tried to copy the foul, sweetish,
chemical and boring taste without bitterness. However Falcon failed a
little here. The original is even worse.
My rating: 1 ; OMH: 2.00
A darkish, full-bodied bock with a lot of taste.
My raying: 4 ; OMH: 3.00
A standard lager from this small brewery. In my opinion too much of a
middle-of-the-road beer.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 1.33
A strong lager. Rather malty and bitter, but with somewhat weird
and not too pleasant hop character. Robust, but not very tasty.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.60
An unpasteurized, quite lively pale lager. Fresh and tasty.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.67
A pale lager with nice creamy head and nothing more. Almost no body and
a somewhat repelling hop character.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 2.67
Fors has invented a new kind of marketing jippoo. This beer is especially brewed
for drinking in a sauna. I tried it on a really hot day, but I guess that heat
wasn't enough because I found the beer to be sour, boring and without a hint of hops.
The label, featuring a wood relief was cool though...
My rating: 1 ; OMH: 2.20
An unfiltered and unpasteurized pale lager from Stockholms only brewpub.
At it's best it's very aromatic and rather complex. Like a bohemian pils
with less bitterness. The bottled versions contains some yeast sediment,
and only lasts something like 30 days.
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.33
An amber christmas lager, just as Gamla Stan's other beer
it's unfiltered and unpasteurized. Rather discrete and balanced with
toffee flavours, and not very much bitterness. Not as complex as their
lighter version, but a nice brew.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.56
This seasonal is only to be sold a couple of weeks around midsummer.
It is a fairly light bodied and lightly hopped, but yet complex, pale lager,
designed to be served to fresh boiled potatoes and traditional midsummer
dishes. Very good as such, and I even tell myself I feel the taste of dill.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: Not yet rated
An unpasteurized and unfiltered version of Gamlestadens Pilsner. At Göteborg Beer
Festival it won the award for "Best Swedish beer - all categories".
The bottled version contains some yeast sediment, and comes out really cloudy, and with
not too much head. The taste is dominated by hop bitterness, but I was a little bit disappointed
in that it was not more complex. Still it's a good beer...
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.67
A nice Czecish style pils with lots of hop bitterness.
My rating: 4 ; OMH 3.57
A dark yellow, fruity bock with creamy foam. Really full bodied, and with nice bitterness.
A great bock!
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 2.33
A dark brown Julöl with almost no head and an overpowering smell of hops.
Contrary to '95 the '96-version was bottom fermented,
It was fairly easy drinkable, with an obvious tone of toffee. The hoppiness wasn't
quite as obvious in the taste as in the smell, unfortunately.
The 1997 version is still as dark, but felt a lot maltier with a chocolatey aroma,
and decent bitterness. A well balanced and a little bit unusual lager.
My rating 1996: 4+ ; OMH: 3.00
My rating 1997: 4+ ; OMH: 4.00
A fairly low alcoholic lager, a bit on the thin side, but with decent bitterness
and good aroma. The least exciting beer from Gamlestaden.
My rating: 3 ; OMH 2.80
A dark, powerful beer, that the brewery claims to be a Märzen, which I'm
not sure about. It is darker than the German Märzens I have tried, and
not as thick. It feels more like something in between a Märzen and a
Bavarian Dark. Whatever it is, it's great... (Seasonal: spring)
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 4.00
A nut brown, well hopped strong ale. Rather nice!
Not produced at the moment, but might return later on.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.00
A deep copper-red double bock. Lot's of nice hop bitterness, and all
kinds of flavours. At 7.7% the alcohol gives a warming, but not unpleasant
addition to the taste
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 2.17
A brown-red Julöl with medium bitterness. One dimensional, boring and thin.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 2.43
A golden coloured lager with medium bitterness and body.
Fairly complex. Not standing out, but nice.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.29
A golden coloured standard lager with medium bitterness and body.
Unexciting, but fairly nice.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.00
Bandit is a radio station in Stockholm that has lots of attitude and plays
100% rock. Consequently the beer that bears their name is bland, commercial
and watered down...
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 2.33
This golden-coloured strong lager with a nice robust head has been named after the
big mountain just south of the mining town Gällivare. The taste is very clean,
fairly malty and just a hint of alcohol. Too clean I think. Nothing there too make
it exciting, but apart from that it'a nice beer.
A peculiar thing with this brewery is that they import their hops all the way from
New Zealand.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.83
A standard lager of good quality from Swedens northernmost brewery, situated
north of the Arctic circle.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.00
A dark brown Julöl. Quite nice, but a bit unexciting.
Too thin for a Julöl.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.57
The last decades there was a trend that small local berweries were bought
and shut down by larger ones. Now the trend has turned, and local breweries
are emerging around the country. Another part of that is that the names of
old local beers are taken by other breweries. This appears to be a way of
simulating a local connection. Usually these beers are crap. Of course there
are exceptions, but this is hardly one of them. It is thin and has too little
bitterness. Gellivare Bryggeri can do better than this!
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 3.00
I tried this new brew at the later stages of an evening at the Stockholm Beer
Festival, so my memory's of this one may not be really accurate...
It was pitch black with a creamy, but smallish head and had a burnt flavour.
A bit sweeter than Guinness, and not as smooth.
In any case it was the first time I ever tried a draught Swedish stout, and I
wasn't at all disappointed. Gotlands Bryggeri is an experimental brewery
entirely owned by Spendrups. Brewed on license from a Scottish brewery.
My rating: 4 ; OMH:3.00
A dark brown, rich and flavourful christmas lager. It has a burnt and
coffeeish aroma that goes well with a fairly high alcoholic content (6.0%).
Will most likely end up at my table for christmas...
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.33
A golden top fermented unpasteurized and unfiltered beer. The use of
wheat in the malt, and the fairly high alcoholic contents gives a hint
of being a Belgian style ale. Lately they have reduced the alcohol,
and seemingly dumbed down the beer. It is now a long time ago since I
found a real good Klosteröl.
At it's best it has a complex, almost Duvel-ish character and a gorgeous taste.
But far too often it's a bit bland, especially on bottle. For the third year
in a row it recieved awards at the Stockholm Beer Festival in '96.
Draught 1996: My rating: 5 ; OMH: 4.00
Bottled 1997: My rating: 2+ ; OMH: Not yet rated
The logic behind Gotlands Bryggeri's releases escapes me. They really has the
ability to surprise. After making a golden ale in Belgian fashion, and then a
cask conditioned stout, a lager wasn't what I expected. Before I opened the bottle
I assumed there must be something unusual with this beer. I was wrong. Except for
being an excellent lager it's nothing special. The colour was deep golden with
not much head. There was some maltiness and bitterness, and the flavours was
all over the place. Really complex.
The brewery says it is a filtered but unpasteurized Dortmunder style lager.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.14
A pale yellow German style pils. Dry and bitter. Refreshing! Should be even better
with even more bitterness.
My rating: 4 ; OMH:3.43
A dry German style pils, with creamy foam, nice bitterness, crisp flavour and
a pale yellow appereance from this new west coast micro. Bohus' beer were
initially brewed by Moss in Norway, but since the brewery now are bought by
Grebbestad bryggeri it will be produced there instead.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.25
The name of this brew from this new westcoast micro makes me assume it would
be a robust a malty lager, and the deep golden colour adds to that impression.
Unfortunately it is fairly thin and a bit metallic, and there isn't much of
either bitterness or maltiness. A disappointment.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.86
A dark amber Julöl with fine maltiness, no detecteable spices and not
very much bitterness. Being somewhat discrete it's well balanced and complex.
I'd say it's one of the better Christmas beers this year!
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.11
A nice, rather complex lager with a fair amount of bitterness. Somehow it felt both malty
and a unfortunately bit watery in the same time. I thought those were opposites...
Ohh well, a decent beer at least...
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.00
The first new beers since the move to the new location of the brewery is another experimental
brew. This pale lager is flavoured with juniper berries, and the smell is all juniper
with it's typical woody, smokey bitterness. I would have liked a more powerful beer
to it though, since once you taste it it is nearly thin, and the juniper flavour are
not very visible.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.33
A blue-red coloured (what else?) blueberry lager with blueish head that I found quite interresting since this is,
to the best of my knowledge, the first fruit- or berry flavoured commercial beer in
Sweden. The blueberry taste is accompanied by a well brewed lager, but after a while it gets overwhelmingly
sweet. I think it's a mistake to sell it only in 500ml bottles. Behind the massive blueberry taste
there is just a hint of bitterness.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 4.00
A very different beer. This lager has blueberry extract and Glögg*-spices
added into it. It should then be served warm, and in small amounts I found it reallt tasty.
It also happens to be the strongest Swedish beer around at 10.0%, and is now (97-11-17) available at
Systembolaget.
Glögg* - a traditional alcohic drink made from wine, spices, spirits
and some other stuff - served warm. Quite a lot like Glühwein.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.75
A pale lager with a bit cloudy appaerance. Surprisingly thin for being microbrewed. In fact it
is one of the most tasteless Swedish beers I've ever come across. A cruel disappointment.
My rating: 1 ; OMH: 1.80
A lager spiced with "älgört" and "skvattram" (sorry, don't know the names
for these herbs in English) as well as hops, which produces a distinct
smell, and an aromatic taste.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 2.80
A top fermented brew in which wheat are included. Tastes more like a
quite bitter lager with a touch of wheat.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.67
One of the many new lagers that Hallsta produced during the summer of '98.
A fairly dry average lager with decent bitterness, and the description
Pils is not that far off. OK.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.00
Another lager from Hallsta with the typical pale yellow appearance
of a pils. Rather similar to Birger Brosa Pils, but if my memory serves
me right it is a little bit less dry.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.67
A dark brown, lively and strong Julöl. Lots of body and rather sweet.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.86
One more in Hallsta's endless row of new labels. Don't bother,
they're all the same.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 1.80
A nut brown medium bodied Julöl with a hint of citrus.
Pretty average Christmas brew.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.67
A boring standard lager. Rather malty, but very one-dimensional.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 3.33
Hallsta Bryggeri has the bad habit of not giving out any information
on their bottles which I sometimes find a bit annoying. Supposedly this
is a Kölsch, but as such not really as success. It has some body,
is a bit sweetish, and has very little bitterness
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 2.14
A very pale German style pils. Dry, with nice hop bitterness and a bit
bready. I like this one!
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.00
A dark lager made for Easter. Fairly fruity and with some bitterness.
Unfortunately I find a bit too sweet and a bit one dimensional, and
it also a bit watery. I remember the '97 version as better.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.00
Since June '97 all the beers from Hallsta are brewed by themselves. This is a
rather malty and smooth Octoberfest beer. Unfortunately it feels a bit soapy
for which I deduct some points. I guess it's brewed under license to a German
brewery, but Hallsta doesn't like informative labels it seems...
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.71
A very normal pale standard lager. Medium bitterness and medium body.
A moderately interesting new beer that gets a medium rating from me.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.00
These three beers appears on the market at approximately the same
time. The colour is identical, the smell is identical, and also
the taste is identical. My conclusion is that Hallsta have
released the same beer with three different labels.
My question is: why??
Anyway, the beer is deep golden rather fruity and possibly
also a tad maltier than the other new Hallsta beers.
Unexpectedly good, though not overly exciting.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.67
Yet another new label from Hallsta. Couldn't really bother
to guess which beer it really was. Anyway.. Pale, fairly bland lager.
Drinkable, but without character.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.00
A pale lager brewed by Hallsta for Deje Bryggeridepå
with bready smell, and a predominantly sweetish sour taste.
Very little hops. A useless second rate lager, can
perhaps be used as sweet & sour sauce to chinese food.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: Not yet rated
A light coloured lager. A bit maltiness but not much bitterness.
Rather one-dimensional.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 3.00
Really weird. Within one month two beers with almost identical names from two
different breweries emerges, this and Örebro Slottsöl. IMO it would be a good
idea to withdraw one of them, namely this one. It'slike chinese style food: sweet & sour...
This boring lager also gives a highly industrial and one-dimensional impression for coming
from a small brewery.
My rating: 1- ; OMH: 2.67
On Stockholm Beer Festival '97 there was a weird place called The Bitter End Brewery.
Dressed as devils thay served only one beer - HELL Lager, and were very reluctant
to give out any information at all. However from their website
it stood clear that beyond this creamy, complex and fairly bitter draught lager stood Jätlands Bryggeri.
The beer itself was a real nice effort.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.67
Jämtland's Festival Ale for the Stockholm Beer Festival '97 was a full bodied
warming Strong ale, nicely balanced by the fairly high alcohol contents, but the
hop aroma was not as visible as in my favourite beers in the style. Still a great beer.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 4.00
Jämtlands Christmas ale, a robust, buttery and complex ale that IMO
measures very well to British Christmas ales such as Young's and King & Barnes.
The label features Storsjöodjuret, the Swedish cousin to Loch Nesses Nessie.
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.71
A neat complex unpasteurized lager with nice bitterness and lots of flavours.
(Was that some Cascade hops there?) Rather low in alcohol but a good thirst-quencher.
Available at Systembolaget.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 4.00
A microbrewed Pale ale from this northern microbrewery with hoppy smell, nice
aroma, some hop bitterness and medium body. A lovely ale!
It has also been seen in a cask-conditioned version but I have unfortunately
not had the opportunity to try it myself.
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.50
A wonderful Porter, presumably dry hopped with Cascade's. Earthy, full bodied,
bitter and very reminiscent of one of my favourite beers - the American
Sierra Nevada Porter. Certainly one of the best beers in the country!
Available both in bottles at Sytembolaget, and draught at selected pubs.
There is also a rare cask conditioned version. When I finally was able to
locate it I was slightly disappointed. Surprisingly it wasn't as fullbodied
as the bottled version and had a slightly metallic tone. Still it was complex,
bitter, hazy and really good.
Highly recommended!!!
Draught - My rating: 5+ ; OMH: 4.17
Bottled - My rating: 5
Cask-conditioned - My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.33
A pale yellow, lively and malty unpasteurized lager with a lot of flavour.
Fairly complex. The head is generous and airy, but vanishes quickly.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.33
1997 version: An ale brewed for easter. I have tried this one from tap (keg) only. It was nut brown,
fruity and rather complex. I thought it was very tasty, except for being too carbonized.
Still this brewery shows again that they are to be considered as being one of the best
micros in the country.
1998 version: A strong deep copper coloured potent lager. This is a big beer.
Lots of malt and lots of hoppiness. The initial bitterness is massive (by Swedish standards),
it is astonishingly complex and the Cascade hops shines through in the finish.
Yet another succesfull brew from Jämtland. These people deserves international recognition!
1997 version (draught) - My rating: 4 ; OMH: Not rated
1998 version (bottled) - My rating: 5 ; OMH: 3.67
I was told by the staff at Akkurat that this summer seasonal is a mix between a lager,
an ale and a wheat beer. The draught version I tried came out pale yellow as a lager
with a really creamy head. The taste was discrete but yet complex with a lot of nice
bitterness. A fairly succesful thirst quenching experiment.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: Not yet rated
The second new beer from Jätland since their former brewmaster,
David Jones, went back to Ireland and Dwan's brewery is a strong ale.
This ale, which i ssupposed to be available at Systembolaget later on
is all dominated by malt. Ths big maltiness is accompanied by some sweetness,
and IMO too little hops. Good beer, but I want more hops!
Draught - My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.00
An unpasteurized wheaten lager, easy drinkable with nice taste from the wheat
and good bitterness. I believe it will only be available on pubs and restaurants.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 4.00
Åbro seemed to have started a new trend in naming beer when they named a beer
after Sweden's most usual family name Andersson, which caused a lot of people
to buy the beer that had "their" name. Now Kopparberg has done the same. As expected
from a beer with a "smart" name like this it is not too special. Typical middle-of-the-road
lager. Low to medium body and bitterness, some aroma. Not too bad, but no hit.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 3.00
A beer with a carefully designed bottle featuring an elk-warning sign of the type
that German tourists seems to love to steal from our roads. Looks to have copied the
Canadian Moosehead's image a bit, and unfortunately it is just as bad a beer as Moosehead is.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH 2.20
A lager named after the soccer team GAIS, that is in a severe financial crisis,
and has due to poor results during the last years been relegated to the third level.
The income from this beer is said to go directly to the club.
The beer itself is nothing special. A lager with rich head, thin body and medium
bitterness. Not unpleasant but not in any way exciting.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.43
A beer, origining from Bamberg in Bavaria, that is brewed under license by
Kopparberg. I didn't find as full bodied and malty as an Oktoberfestbier should
be, and also a bit sour. I have never tried the original version of this, but
I hope it is a lot better. (Seasonal: autumn)
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.33
A standard lager, tasting like it was megabrewed. Thin and quite tasteless.
Lacking in aroma, but with decent bitterness. Almost no head.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 3.00
A dark and fairly rich Julöl, rather malty and toffeeish.
Good - but not too exciting.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.33
At 7,5% this is one of the strongest Julöls around. It is totally
filled up with flavours, not all of them pleasant though. A syrupy sweetness
dominates, and it is thick and complex. My overall opinion is positive.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH:2.71
A pale standard lager. A bit thin, but with nice hop aroma.
Not much bitterness.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.60
A strong lager. Not a hint of bitterness to be found, which makes it
a bit peculiar. Very fruity and round, very easy to drink, but maybe a bit
sweetish and one dimensional.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.00
A classic stout, with a well balanced burnt coffee taste and, of course, a pitch black appearance.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.33
Equalling Östgöta Maltglögg in being the strongest Swedish beer this golden
lager weighs in at no less than 10.0%. Pale lagers at that strength are rarely drinkable
(Just think about all those strong cheap Danish lagers. Yuck!), so I was a little
bit surprised that this beer actually was almost OK. It's rather fruity with a notable but
not completely dominating warming alcoholic flavour, but not much bitterness. I was expecting
worse. If you drink just to get wasted this is a beer for you!
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.00
The small Uppland town Norrtälje is turning whatever-hundred-seventyfive
this year. Somebody must have thought that is enough cause for celebration, because
here is their anniversary beer. A fairly malty but otherwise lame standard lager with
half decent bitterness and a not too wonderful hop aroma.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 3.00
Then name of this beer means "Girl beer", and it claims to be made especially
for women. I guess that if I claimed that I actually liked this beer I would
be classified as a wimp or something, but I must say it's better then I thought.
It is light bodied, but fairly crisp and not very bitter. In fact the main difference
from the macho style beers like Fagerhult and Eagle is that those are sweeter...
Conclusion: Silly name, half decent beer.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.60
When I first tried this beer it was lovely: An aromatic and malty pale lager.
I was therefor really disappointed when I had one recently. It was as thin and
uninteresting as any industrial lager. I hope this was just a bad bottle
I got hold of.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 4.00
A sand yellow label featuring a crocodile crawling over a map of Australia
decorates this bottle. A clear indication that this beer is meant to be a
Fosters substitute. On the small label on the backside the brewery brags
about recieving a gold medal at the Brewing Industry International Awards.
Personally I don't care about how many gold medals some professional jurys has
given this beer. I will never buy it again. It is, just as Foster's, a third
class boring tasteless adjunct lager. No matter how perfected their brewing
technique may be.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 2.00
Ingo, that is the former world heavyweight boxing champiom Ingemar Johansson,
has now been given the honour to have a beer called after him. As all beer
with this kind of trendy marketing most of it's character outside bottle
rather than inside, because this is one of Krönlein's more boring offerings.
It still has a little bit of that freshness that I like with Krönleins though.
The story behind this beer can be read at
http://www.hammerbeer.com, which I recommend
probably more than the beer itself.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.29
A full bodied license brewed Octoberfest beer. Falcon used to brew the Swedish
version, but nowadays it Krönleins that has the opportunity, and I think
they're doing a great job. Lot's of maltiness well balanced by hte bitterness makes
this beer a treat.
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.75
A pils brewed under license from the Bavarian Schlossbraurei Kaltenberg.
This beer was previously brewed by Falcon, but apparently Krönlein
has taken over now. I wouldn't call this beer a pils, it lacks the bitterness,
and is too fruity for the style. Whatever it is, it's a pleasant beer, but I liked
Falcons version better.
My rating: 4- ; OMH (Falcon): 3.86
A dark Bavarian style lager that is brewed under license to Kaltenberg. It is
a bit thinner than I recall the original version, and a bit one dimensional.
Still it's a rather good beer.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.80
A pale lager, slightly cloudy. It has a plesant aroma, only
too little of it... Not much bitterness, and just a little bready.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 1.80
An aromatic pale lager with medium bitterness and a hint of burnt sweetishness,
just like in Sofiero's beers. Clearly an above average lager.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.00
A boring lager trying to sell under a fancy name.
My rating: 2 ; OMH 3.00
It has the same rich aroma as Three Hearts All Malt, but unfortunately it is dumbed
down by using corn or whatever, which makes it thin. Would maybe be a good beer
for warm days, but in that case it is brewed in the wrong country...
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.60
A pale, aromatic, fresh lager with a distinct flavour and nice bitterness.
As far as I'm concerned this is a near perfect lager.
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.33
A strange lager. Despite being very strong, and not with too much body it
the alcoholic taste doesn't shine through too much. I found it to be
quite fruity with lots of hop aroma, and some bitterness.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.67
A well balnced nut brown Julöl. Fairly light bodied, yet complex
with a fresh hop aroma and some toffee flavours, but less bitterness.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 2.67
A dark brown/red-coloured beer. The brewery claims that it is a Double bock,
and I'd say that it is pretty close to the style. It has a nice head, powerful
bitterness and feels rather "thick". Tasty!
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 2.17
A brown/red Easter lager. When I compared it to other Påsköl it came out short.
It is not as dark and fullbodied as some other, and I'm also not too fond of the
aroma
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.67
A brown ale that is close to the definition of the style. Light brown
colour and not too much hoppiness. The cask-conditioned version is really
nutty, and very complex. I love that one!
Bottled version - My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.14
Cask-conditioned - My rating: 5- ; OMH: 4.25
A Christmas ale with a watery nose and an overwhelmingly sweet finished.
The hop flavours are almost undectable, but the notes of burnt sugar
in the finnish is rather enjoyable. Still not a beer worth buying.
My rating: 2- ; OMH 2.20
A rather light bodied amber colured fruity ale, a summer seasonal I believe
that is rather complex and a bit unusual. A couple of years ago I found
it almost undrinkable, but since then either the beer or my taste has
improved a lot... Recommended!
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 1.40
When I first tried this beer it was one of the worst beers I ever had, probably it was
infected, which lead to that I for a long time avoided the brews from Källefall,
and this Pale Ale especially. When I tried it again it was much better. It is a typical Pale Ale,
fruity, with not very much head and aroma, but some bitterness.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.33
An ale brewed for easter.
The cask-conditioned version is lovely.
It is a cloudy, medium-brown ale, extremely fruity (apples?), aromatic and complex. Great stuff!
The bottled version lacks the complexity, and some of the aroma is lost as well. Still it's pretty OK.
Bottled version - My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.00
Cask-conditioned - My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.75
An ale that is rather hard to define, thirst-quenching and light bodied. Pale brown colour.
Like a brown ale, but a bit fruity. Quite nice without any special qualities. Like most brews
from this brewery it has improved a lot since I first tried it.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH 1.83
Maybe not the best of strong ales, but with a charcteristic flavour. Full
bodied and "thick".
The cask-conditioned version feels even thicker. I found it more bitter and complex, and
certainly more envjoyable,
Bottled version - My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.20
Cask-conditioned - My rating: 4
A lager named after the ship Kalmar Nyckel which was one of
very few Swedish attempts to become a colonial power by starting a colony in
present Delaware.. Unfortunately this beer isn't brewed by the brewery itself,
but rather imported from Germany...
OTOH it's a nice, crisp and bready lager - which I guess is the most
important thing after all..
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.00
It's about time that Skåne got some breweries again. First out was
the brewpub in Ystad, and now also the Malmö Grip has started selling beer,
According to The Online Beer
Guide to Lund and Malmö their beer will be contract brewed in Flensburg
in Germany to begin with. In -98 they will startbrewing their own products
Skåne Lager is one of the two pale lagers they start with
It's not too exciting, rather neutral and has medium body and bitterness
but still a fairly nice beer.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.33
A strong unpasteurized lager. It hasn't really got body enough for being a bock,
but instead it's fairly fruity. The alcohol does shine through, but is mostly
accompanying the flavour. However Melings bryggeri is now out of production,
and this beer is unlikely to return.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.60
A standard lager, but very well made. Medium body and bitterness. Reminds verymuch of "German
style" lager. Export? Good without being exciting. Unpasteurized. Melings bryggeri is out
of "production" (they never really brewed the beer themselves, Fors Nya Bryggeri did that
I believe), and it's not very big chance to see this beer again.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.14
Another beer that actually is no more than a relabelled import from
Flensburger Brauerei in Germany. The labelling are at least
honest, but that is unfortunately the only thing positive with
this beer. It is thin (or rather watered down), slightly metallic,
and has probably not even seen hops on TV. Terrible.
My rating: 1- ; OMH: Not yet rated
Inside a heavily designed bottle dwells a semi-dark, pretty bold lager.
The apple aroma characteristic for Munkbo's beer mixes with flavours
of burnt sugar t give it an a little bit unusual feeling. OK!
My rating: 3 ; OMH: Not yet rated
A dark amber unpasteurized Christmas lager with light toffee flavour.
Well balanced and fresh. A nice quality beer, but not among the more exciting Christmas
beers.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.22
An unpasteurized lager from the latest in the number of small breweries in Bergslagen.
It has medium body and a fair amount of bitterness. I found it tasty and a bit complex,
though there was an annoying metallic taste.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.50
An unpasteurized lager from the latest in the number of small breweries in Bergslagen.
It has medium body and a fair amount of bitterness. I found it tasty and a bit complex,
though there was an annoying metallic taste.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.50
A less alcohlic version of Munkbo Lager. A little less body, but fairly complex.
Reminded me of apples. Overall an OK beer, perhaps need some more maltiness.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.67
A slightly darker lager than Munkbo's other ones. Malty, a bit fruity and quite nice.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.50
A designed beer from an idea from some marketing company. These beers are
usually awful,but this is an exception. Even though it's a middle of the road standard lager
it has some flavours, decent maltiness, and a fair amount of hop bitterness. Not bad.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.00
Wallmans is an old established resaturant/night club in Stockholm celebrating
some anniversary by letting Munkbo brewe a beer with their name. The beer is
typical for Munkbo; a pale fruity lager with obvious apple aroma. It feels
fresh but perhaps a bit on the thin side, and with below average bitterness.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 1.80
Traveling through the town of Örebro I decided to go for a beer in a pub near
the train station. To my surprise I found a new Swedish beer I haven't heard of.
The beer was Örebro Slottsöl from Munkbo, a pale unpasteurized lager.
I found it not very malty, and not as fruity as the other Munkbo's, but it was
very refreshing, complex and with good bittrness. Rather enjoyable.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.33
This pale yellow mead has left me confused. The very citrusy and sweet taste is not really
unpleasant, but reminds me a lot of lemon washing-up liquid... On the other hand
I have met people who prefer this mead to anything else. It has not been available
the last year or so, and I very much doubt that it will return.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 1.60
Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri is a number of enthusiastic homebrewers starting a microbrewery. Their first beer, Bedarö Bitter,
was released during July '97 on pubs and restaurants on draught, exclusively in Nynäshamn.
However the try to get pubs in Stockholm to carry their products as well, and they should
be available at Gröne Jägaren.
I first got to try their first brew at Statt in June the year after, and was mighty impressed.
By Swedish measuresit is heavily hopped, and the brewers seemed to have aimed more towards US microbrews
than traditional British bitters. The whole beer seem to rely on the grapefruit aroma and bitterness
from the Cascade and Chinook hops, though there is a body there to balance it, and it really does work.
Hats off!
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.25
The next beer from Nynäshamn will be a Czechish style pils.
Not yet rated
The first Swedish India pale ale I've encountered is more of a British style
ale than American like Bedarö, and it is dominated by Fuggle hops. It is more
fullbodied than Bedarö and also more bitter, perhaps from the dry hoppping.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.29
This mead is most likely a one time offer, brewed especially for a party at
a local golf clubI believe. It is sweet. aromatic and spicey (cardamom I believe?),
and also fairly strong.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.00
The first Belgian style wheatbeer (witbier) brewed in Sweden.
Unfortunately I have never tried really fresh witbier before,
I realy must go to Belgium and compare, because when I compare
this nectar to the Hoegaarden or Blanche de Namur I get here
it wins hands down.
Served draught at the Stockholm Beer Festival it came out pale,
nearly white, and hazy. It was light and refreshing with vanilla and citrus,
and a strong but balanced coriander flavour. The best witbier
I've tried, and surely one of the best Swedish beers around.
My rating: 5 ; OMH: 3.88
The Czech brewery Bernard are co-operating with a restaurant in the small north swedish
village of Pajala to start a brewpub/microbrewery. They served their beer at Stockholm
Beer Festival 1996 I believe, but didn't get the fundings needed to go through with this
project. When speaking to the staff from Tracona Trading who sells Bernard in Sweden,
the idea didn't appear to be entirely dead, but not likely to happen in the near future.
Instead Ölkliniken in Linköping has started brewing Bernard on licence.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.33
Given my aversion against this brewery this is the suprise of the
year for me. With this new lager Pripps seem to have taken up the
competition with the smaller breweries when it coms to quality,
because it's really excellent for being massproduced. Lots of
caramell malt gives it a robust body and a pale amber colour,
which is nicely balanced with a fairshare of hops. If this beer
is distributed to enough pubs and restaurants I have no longer a
reason to avoid Pripps places. Thanks Pripps, you have found yourself
a new customer!
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: Not yet rated
An extremely disgusting chemical lager. An insult to the inhabitants of
the small town Arboga.
My rating: 0+ ; OMH: 2.40
A strong deep golden lager. Yeasty and chemical taste. No detectable hops.
Sickening insipid and sweetish. Horrific! What's it brewed from? Peas?
There's no way I could finish a bottle of this.
My rating: 0+ ; OMH: 0.33
A low budget foul beer from Pripps coming in terrible cans.
Not very surprisingly it is thin, chemically sweetish and
laks bitterness. Not the worst of Pripps beers, but near
awful all the same.
My rating: 1- ; OMH: 1.00
The name alone put me off. But after seing the terribly designed can
advertising the 8.0% alcohol contents I was getting really worried.
I decided to at least try to give it an honest try. Pored it into a glass,
it came out deep golden, but didn't form much head. Too much alcohol I guess.
The smell... I recognized it from somewhere... Old socks? No, thinner perhaps?
Had the first sips. This lager can't be described with usual beer terms
such as malty or bitter. It exists in a beer universe of it's
own. A very unhealthy universe poisoned by chemicals and pollution.
My face started turning green as my stomach revolted, and I ran to the sink
pouring what's left down the drain hoping the sewege treatment works will
forgive me.
My rating: 0! ; OMH: 0.60
A pale ale available on tap only. Not too bad, but unfortunately not very interesting either.
I would like som more maltiness, aroma and bitterness.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: Not yet rated
Pripps used to sell an aged version of this porter. I wouldn't recommend
anyone to try a bottled Carnegie Porter that hasn't aged, since it is rather dull
and lacks the hoppiness and thickness that I like in a bottom fermented
Porter. Partly this may be a result of the for the style unusually low alcoholic
content. If it ages for some years it will get a distinct character of raisins
and chocolate. Also the draught version is a lot better than the bottled,
but can not measure with the rarely seen cask-conditioned version.
The cask version feels really salty, and fairly bitter. A lot like liquorice.
It is also stronger (5,5%).
Bottled version - My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.25
Draught version - My rating: 3
Cask-conditioned - My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.50
Bottled, Aged 5 years - My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.83
A poor lager with an American image. More taste than in
the typical American mega-Budweiser-swill, unfortunately since the taste is
sweetish and not pleasant.
My rating: 1 ; OMH: 2.75
Pripps version of the notorious Australian corn swill. The original
swill must be better I hope.
My rating: 1 ; OMH: 1.50
This is thankfully the only ice-beer brewed in Sweden. No body whatsoever,
a bit sweet and a little chemical.
My rating: 1- ; OMH: 1.67
Almost as disgusting and chemical as Pripps Fat.
My rating: 0 ; OMH: 1.83
A dark brown Christmas seasonal. Surprisingly fullbodied and
heavily, but not overwhelmingly, spiced with clove (I guess).
Well balanced, but rather one-dimensional.
It tastes like a cross between a top and a bottom fermented beer,
though I suspect that it is top fermented (the label only states
that a "special" yeast have been used.)
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by this brew. It's nice to
see Pripps experiment, and in this case it was also rather successfull.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 2.44
Like most of the Pripps pale lagers it's most prominent flavour is a
nauseous, chemical sweetness.
My rating: 1- ; OMH: 2.17
A dark lager, very boring and one-dimensional. Too sweet
for my liking.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 2.71
Alcoholic, chemical and foul. Stay away!
My rating: 1- ; OMH: 2.00
One of the most disgusting beers I ever had. It tastes like leftovers
from a chemical plant that has been artificially sweetened. YUCK!
My rating: 0 ; OMH: 2.00
This is probably my favourite of Pripps brews. In their Julöl
the sweetness that I usually dislike in Pripps beers is much more
welcome. It has a quite spicy taste, but is still maybe a bit
one-dimensional.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH 3.00
A medium brown strong Julöl with just enough sweetness for this
type of beer. Unfortunately the rest of the beer doesn't go with that.
The bitterness is not there, and it is rather one dimensional.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.14
I dislike just about everything labelled "light", and this is certainly
no exception. It doesnt even feel like drinking beer, more like some
chemical soup, and the few flavours that actually exists in this sad
excuse for a beer is best described as plastic.
My rating: 0+ ; OMH: 1.33
Brewed under license from Norways largest brewing company, Ringnes. (Well,
actually Pripps and Ringnes together form a Nordic megabrewing company.)
This beer is light coloured, has almost no bitterness, and certainly not
much character.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 1.67
An American style Amber Ale. Red coloured and roasty. Pretty OK!
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.60
Sarek is a national park in the highest and wildest part of Sweden
well above the arctic circle. This area is called "the last wilderness
of western Europe", and is known for being undestroyed and clean.
This beer are certainly not as wild and uncommercial as the national
park, but it gives surprisingly fresh to come from Pripps. A standard
lager eith no outstanding features, but also lacking that chemoical
taste I usually associate with Pripps.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.67
A beer that sells a lot on nostalgy. That is probably the only way
to sell it, because it is industrial, boring, sweetish and lacks just
about everything that I like in beer.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH 3.40
Sprity, chemical and sweet. NOT nice!
My rating: 0+ ; OMH 1.80
Also known as Norrlands TOP this is Pripp's way to try to steal market
shares from their rival Spendrup's big seller Norrlands Guld. Hopefully
it's a failed attempt, because this beer thoroughly sucks. It is the same crap
as most other light Pripps lagers, maybe even a bit worse than their average
swill. It's chemical, skunky and sweet. Don't drink!
My rating: 0+ ; OMH: 1.50
Pripps' version of the famous Danish brew lacks the aromatic
taste of the original. It is replaced by a hint of that typical Prippsy
chemical sweetness, but still it is probably one of Pripps best light
lagers.
According to Carlsberg themselves Tuborg's beer will also
been brewed under license by Falcon starting from the autumn '98.
My rating: 2- ; OMH 3.86
Another Danish beer that Pripps has managed to screw up
completely. Sure,the original maynot be one of the worlds best
beers either, but at least it's a decently aromatic adjunct lager.
This aroma is replaced by Pripps trademarked plastic flavours.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH 1.67
These are good news from Uppsala. Slottskällan has brewed
a Belgian style abbey ale, a double dark, which is supposed to
be available at Systembolaget from October 98. It is dark brown
and hazy, smells intesely of banana and tastes like a whole fruit
garden, very complex, well balanced and outright delicious.
My rating: 5 ; OMH 4.14
Slottskällans christmas ale is due to come in good time before Christmas,
and will be a slightly spiced dark ale. Other news from Slottskällan
might include a witbier, but they seem to have a lot of other ideas as well.
Not yet rated
Slottskällans Bryggeri, Uppsala's new micro starts by introducing a
summer ale, which is designed to be near a lager in taste.
It is available on pubs and restaurants in Uppsala from June, and
at Systembolaget in the beginning of August.
Premiär comes out slightly orange coloured and has a complex
smell. It is remarkably "round" and has tones of vanilla and
cream, which is nicely accompanied by some bitterness.
I'd say that Slottskällan is up to a great start,
at least when it comes to the quality of their beers.
An unfiltered draught version was available at Stockholm
Beer Festival which was perhaps more complex and creamy,
perhaps with a slight metallic tone.
Bottled - My rating: 4+ ; OMH 4.00
Draught unfiltered - My rating: 4 ; OMH 3.71
A beer in the borderlines between porter and stout. Too
sweet for a typical stout, but too dry for a porter.
The availability of this brew will be approximately the same,
with the possible addition that some pubs in Stockholm
also have shown interest of serving it.
Svart (meaning "black") is a very suitable name for this
pitch black porter. Like I was hoping for it is (by Swedish
measures) remarkably bitter and has tones of liquorice.
If I were to complain about anything that'll be that
it is a tad simple, and not really as complex as the best
porters I've had.
Bottled: My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.67
Draught: Myrating: 4 ; OMH:3.80
A lager, on the thin side but, fairly complex and with
nice hop aroma. Like a less bitter version of a Czechish pils.
My rating: 3 : OMH 2.67
A strong but not too malty lager. That kind of strong lager where
the extra alcohol is just there to make you drunk. Too litte
body and bitterness, but a fairly nice aroma somewhat saves it.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.00
A bock, for which wheat malt partly has been used. This along with the
fact the it's brewn over open fire gives it an unusual touch. Tastes of
burnt sugar.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.00
A ginger spiced lager. Light brown colour, and very little head. I think that
the ginger taste dominates too much, and is almost sharp. Interesting idea,
but not a success.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 1.67
A well made lager, with an interesting character coming from the copper vessels
heated over open fire.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.00
It seems a bit odd that a small brewery renowned for making specialty brews
comes out with an "American style corn lager". At least there is no hypocrisy
and the label clearly states the use of corn and that it is supposed to be
an easy drinkable beer. The beer itself is actually better than I supposed,
the typical burnt sweetish Sofiero taste is there, as is some bitterness.
Not the most interesting of beers, but it is at least miles better than
most of the adjunct lagers I've tried.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.67
A light brown Julöl, that is too sweet for my liking. Despite it's relatively
strong alcoholic contents it lacks the body to match the sweetness. Tastes of
honey and toffee.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 1.67
A mead brewn with honey which creates a sweet aromatic flavour.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 2.50
A Münchener Dark. Dark colour and a roasty flavour. Maybe a little one-dimensional.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.67
A well hopped pild with nice bittterness, and the body to back that
up. Sofiero's chracteristical burnt flavour adds an extra touch to
what is a good solid lager.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: Not yet rated
A dark and fairly malty Easter brew. A slight tad of swetness is followed by
a mild bitter feeling. The new version seems to be less alcoholic and far less sweet than in
previous years.
1998 version: My rating: 3 ; OMH: Not yet rated
I've never fancied Shandy very much. This is no exception. This mix of
lemonade and beer is far too sweet for my liking, I can hardly sense that
there is beer at all in there. Tastes like alcoholic lemonade to me.
My rating: 1+ ; OMH: 1.40
A pale bock made out of whisky malt. Pleasant and full bodied as a bock
should be. Unlike other whiskey malt beers it's not smokey.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.00
A beer brewed underlicense from the British Whitbread brewery. Why anyone would
license brew an English lager escapes me. Also the fact that the beer comes
in flashy, designed bottles makes me suspicious. And and I wasn't all wrong...
It has that pleasant, burnt and
a bit sweetish aftertaste that is typical for Sofiero's beers,
but apart from that is is pretty thin and tasteless.
My Rating: 2+ ; OMH: 3.67
Clearly a mislabelled beer. This is certaimly not a pilsner. I might not be a
too bad beer, but a pilsner should at least have a hint of bitterness. This hasn't.
It does however feel just a little bit malty, and has a slight hint of hop aroma.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 2.00
Clearly a mislabelled beer. This is certainly not a pilsner. I might not be a
too bad beer, but a pilsner should at least have a hint of bitterness. This hasn't.
It does however feel just a little bit malty, and has a slight hint of hop aroma.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 2.00
Carbonated water with some disturbing off-flavours. Could that be hops?
No, can't be... A legendary crap beer.
My rating: 1- ; OMH: 1.40
The stronger follow-up to the legendary awful Bullephant took
me with some surprise. It is semi dark, thick and syrupy.
The alcohol dominates way too much, but there are some toffee flavours
as well. Not very good, but not as disastrous as I thought it would be.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.57
A particularly vapid beer. Low to medium bitterness, low to medium body.
As one dimensional as it gets. Even though it bores me to death, I have
to admit that at least there is nothing wrong with it.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 3.00
A thin and tasteless soapy lager with no qualities worth mentioning.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 3.20
A draught lager served from nitrokeg a la Guinness which I found
to be remarkably thin and uninteresting when I sampled it at
Stockholm Beer Festival. However it was served way too cold, and
it was really impossible to judge it properly.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 2.00
A new beer from Spendrup's designed for Stockholm's year as the
being "the cultural capital of Europe" (an EU gimmick).
It is a beer containing as well bottom fermenting and top fermenting yeasts,
resulting in a beer with a slightly metallic nose, medium to low
body and a harshly bitter but somewhat complex finish. I was expecting
a bit more, especially more maltiness, but it's still an at least decent beer.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.00
A license brewed Oktoberfestbier which wasn't amongthe top brews in the style.
I would have preferred more maltiness, and I didn't like that sourish tone.
However it's still drinkable and thirst quenching, which I suppose is two
or the main characteristics for an Octoberbfest beer..
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 3.20
A license brewed Müncner Helles that I found very close to the original.
Being very malty and decently bitter it's in fact one of the best beers Spendrup's
make.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.00
A pretty good "Scandinavian style pils". A fresh aromatic hop taste is very
visible and a hint of bitterness. I guess the fact that it is sold in
exclusive looking bottles adds to the impression that this is a good beer.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 4.14
This label has the most laughable advertisement I've ever seen. It claims that
3.5% ABW is the alcoholic content for which beer tastes the best. Bullshit!!!
A way of tricking people into believing that this is a good beer, and if they
don't like it, it's because they suffer from bad taste.
Perhaps influenced by my aversion to the label I think that this beer sucks!
It gives a quite plastic feeling in my mouth, and is too low in bitterness.
"Unfortunately" it is saved by some half decent maltiness.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 2.67
A brown-red Vienna style lager. IMO not roasty and bitter enough for
the style. Otherwise OK.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.86
A Münchener Dark. A bit on the thin side.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 3.25
Despite it's name it's not a Double Bock, but merely a copper red bock,
where the use of 100% aroma hops makes it lack the bitterness, that I
like in bocks. If the purpose is to try to hide the high alcoholic
content, it is a success, but apart from that it is quite non interesting.
But, well, I have to admit that it still is pretty OK.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.20
A mix between one of Spendrups' lagers and MacLay's Scotch Ale, that
they brew on license from Maclay and Thistle Co. It has a pale brown-orange
colour, I think that they mix quite well, creating a fresh and
round aroma with some bitterness.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.86
Industrial lager, lacking in character, but not with a bad taste.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 3.50
A dark brown Julöl. The low maltiness combined with the fairly high
alcoholic contents creates a rather nasty alcoholic flavour that dominates
this beer. There's a hint of toffee detectable though.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 2.33
Brown-red Julöl. Unfortunately thin, and almost sourish.
Soem roastiness, but the overall impression is not very nice.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.83
A light coloured lager, a bit malty and with some bitternes. Lacking in character.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.73
A Scotch Ale brewed by Spendrup's under license from MacLay & Thistle in
Scotland I believe. I haven't seen it bottled for years, but found a
a draught version recently which was better than what I could remember
of the bottled version. Medium body, medium bitterness, not very remarkable,
but fairly tasty.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.25
A light coloured lager, probably modelled after the likes of Budweiser or
Miller. Very little, and fairly unpleasant, taste. Almost no bitterness.
My rating: 1- ; OMH: 1.40
A stronger version of Mariestads Export, and only slightly better.
At least the extra alcohol gives it some kind of flavour...
My rating: 1 ; OMH: 1.67
An industrial extra strong lager. Like the other beers it a bit fruity,
without much bitterness, but this is more oily and alcoholic. Uninteresting,
but not bad.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 1.87
A standard lager. A bit fruity, not much bitterness. Uninteresting, but
apart from that OK.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 3.80
The most boring Julöl I have ever tried. It's thin body
is accomplished only by an annoying sweetish flavour.
A complete failure!
My rating: 1 ; OMH: 2.22
A standard lager. A bit fruity, not much bitterness. Uninteresting, but
apart from that OK. Same as Norrlands Guld, but with less alcohol.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.80
Industrial lager with a touch of hoppiness. Not too bad.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.80
A quite nice industrial lager reportedly to replace Spendrups of Sweden.
An easy drinkable standard lager not outstanding in any way whichI predict to sell
a lot, and it is most certainly better than most of the industrial stuff.
The draught version seems a little bit maltier.
Bottled: My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.00
Draught: My rating: 3
According to Spendrup's website Steinlager is nowadays imported
straight from Lion Breweries, New Zealand, and thus no longer license brewed.
Licensed from New Zealand. A fairly crisp and clean lager, but very industrial
taste. Not much body and bitterness. OK, not more.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 3.17
Licensed from Interbrew, Belgium. A decent all malt lager. Clean and
not very bitter. Not exciting, but OK.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.43
A brewery that until now only has brewed svagdricka, but
are now preparing to start brewing beer and cider, and
mentions the spring of 1999 as a likely date to see
their first beer, perhaps an unpasteurized lager.
The front label stated to my irritation that this beer was brewed by
Nyköpings Bryggeri. I really do hate this way of pretending that
a beer is a local product in another place. To my delight it seems
like Thimsfors finally decided to put some taste into their beer,
because this is far from as tasteless as for instance Wisby Öl.
It has medium body and decent bitterness. Unfortunately it's accompanied
by some weird phenolic off-tastes which gives an almost plastic feeling
in your mouth.
As a side note I can mention that the bottom of both the bottles I've tried
was filled with dark, big, disgusting looking particles which I sincerely hope
was yeast leftovers. In any case they didn't influence the taste, so it doesn't
affect my rating.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.00
A cold filtered standard lager with medium bitterness.
My rating: 2 ; OMH 2.40
A mystery. Why microbrew a lager that can compete with Corona Extra in tastelessness?
Cold filtered, no flavours to be found except for some unpleasant off-flavours.
My rating: 1- ; OMH: 1.00
A too sweet bock, with not enough hop bitterness for my liking.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.00
Yet another lager with fake labelling. Thi one claims to be from the
phoney brewery "Aros Bryggeriet" (which besides it doesn't exist
isn't even grammatically correct in Swedish). The beer itself
is a pale lager, maltier than I expected, but not very hoppy.
Smooth like an Octoberfestbier, and as such it's a pretty decent attempt.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.57
I read the label. It said "...unpasteurized...cold filtered...brewed according to the
German Reinheitsgebot...". Opened the beer, poured it into a glass. Smelled it, tasted it.
Got confused. Checked the label once again. Tasted it again. Got more confused. Poured
myself a glass of water. Compared the two liquids. No difference! Poured out both glasses
and went for a beer instead...
My rating: 0+ ; OMH: 3.00
A light brown, a bit different Julöl. More like an ordinary dark lager.
Actually brewed by Rostocker Brauerei in Germany under license, I believe for some
bureaucratic reason.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 3.00
Kungsholmens festival beer, brewed especially for Stockholm Beer Festival 1997
i believe, is the winner of a homebrew competition.
This best bitter is a real hop explosion, complex, bitter and tasty. Also it is the
only of the beers from Kungsholmen that I've seen cask conditioned,
and on top of that it is now a personal favourite of mine.
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.17
King's Dog is an English style Bitter Ale that until November '97 only will
be available lightly carbonated and on pubs and restaurants, but after that also
bottled. As usual whenit comes to Kungsholmen's brews they use four different hop
varieties, and this time the Goldings and the Fuggle are the most
prominent. Compared to some of the other brews I tried on the Stockholm Beer Festival
I found it a bit uninteresting, but I found the bottled version more to my liking.
The hop aroma bitterness were more evident, and somehow it felt "fresher" then I recall
the draught version.
Sadly this ale has been discontinued and is not likely to return
Draught: My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.83
Bottled: My rating: 4
The name of Kungsholmen's new autumn seasonal is a parody on festbier and means roughly
translated party beer. It is a dark lager, wildly hopped with four different
hop varieties, whereof I think that the Cascade shines through the most with it's
special oily citrus flavours, but also Czechish Saaz and British Fuggles are used.
It is really bitter but not as malty, and just maybe I find a little bit unbalanced here.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.75
The second beer from Kungsholmens Kvartersbryggeri is not a beer for beginners.
This immensly bitter light summer ale reminds me of a lot of an American microbrew
with it's massive hop bitterness, but less malty character. I've only tried the draught
version so far, and in the beginning I was a bit annoyed about a hint of metallic taste,
but it really did grow on me. A very welcome contribution to the local beerscene.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.33
Stockholms new micro, Kungsholmens Kvartersbryggeri, has produced this great
lager, that I presume is unpasteurized, It is hoppy for being a lager, complex,
rather bitter, really tasty, and comes in weirdly labelled bottles: "By appointment to the
terrible snow-man"???
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.80
The first new beer from Tärnö since the change of owner
and name is a lager. It is slightly darker, and possibly a tad maltier
than Lundgrens Lager (and definitely traditional pils), and is less hoppy.
The malt they use is their own, grown in Södermanland and
malted at Tärnö Mälteri, but the hops are - of course - imported.
Overall it's a good or very good beer, but less exciting than what I was hoping for.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 2.60
Tärnö's new Christmas beer is a Barley wine, the first
of it's kind in Sweden. It is brewed with generous amounts of
four different types of hops from the US and is also supposed
to contain a mysterius ingredient from Mauritius to create
a smell of rum or possibly whiskey.
t comes out dark red and thick, nearly syrupy. Smells good from
hops. My first reaction to the flavour is that it is sweet and malty.
Than the hop bitterness rolls in, but it is not as heavily hopped as
some US barleywines, and last comes a warming feeling from the alcohol.
A very good beer, that probably will improve even more by age.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: Not yet rated
A more traditional beer than the previous ales from this brewery.
I would describe it as an ordinary English bitter, well balanced,
light bodied, fairly aromatic and reasonably bitter.
Draught - My rating: 4 ; OMH: 4.00
You'd never know what to expect from Kungsholmen. Being playful as usual,
they have spiced this dark and rather malty Christmas with ginger and cinnamon.
The spice flavours wasn't at all as overwhelming as you might suspect,
but instead fitted in very well, and the brew turned out to be well balanced.
As far as I've understood it will not return, but is replaced with N0:5 Julöl.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 4.00
A strong, thick and tasteful ale. Despite the fact that no smoked malt is used,
and the water is not boiled with juniper branches it reminds very much of
Gotlandsdricke, but thicker. Wheat is included in the malt, and honey is added,
which makes it sweet and a bit mild.
Delicious!!!
My rating: 5+ ; OMH: 2.50
The only commercial version of this traditional brew from the island of
Gotland in the Baltic. Top fermented in open vessels, the malt is smoked and the
wort is boiled with juniper branches, which gives
a heavily smokey, resiny taste and a light brown-red colour. Contrary to
the traditional brew, this version is slightly carbonated. Interesting and brutally
different!
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 2.17
A lightly smokey golden ale with wheat in the malt. Refreshing, but still a weird
taste sensation. A near perfect summer beer.
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.75
Fors Nya Bryggeri is really pushing the limits of the law by this new lager.
The label says nothing about Fors, the only reference is Wermlandia Bryggeri AB.
It also claims to be "the local brewery", and to has been developed for beer connoiseurs
in Värmland. This is complete rubbish, and hopefully also illegal. I really hope
somebody sues them. The beer is sponsored by the commercial Radio City in Karlstad,
and what bad publicity it is for them...
By the way: The beer is as commercial and watered down as the radio station...
No character whatsoever.
My rating: 2- ; OMH: 2.43
This beer supposedly from the fake micro "Wermlandia" is actually brewed by Fors Nya Bryggeri,
a brewery that now is starting to earn a reputation as dishonest, greedy and
not too friendly.
The colour is pale yellow, it smells a bit bready, has medium body and a great
deal of bitterness. Despite the horrible label that makes you think it contains
bubblegum-soda or something I'd say it's a good beer. Unfortunately. I really don't
like faked labels.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.67
A deep copper red, German style Altbier, with lots of hop bitterness and
a very typical earthy Altbier-flavour. Quickly vanishing head.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.33
A typical Swedish Wiener style dark lager. Light brown red colour, and
a fairly good head. Quit bitter, but not very aromatic. Not my favourite
among the brews in this style.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.20
An interesting mix betwee none of their lagers and their Altbier soming
out pale red with a nice head forming on top. Very fruity and quite bitter.
Well worth trying!
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.00
Considering this beer is only 5.1% it's a "big" beer. The apperance
is dark brown, and it features a big malty body with spicey notes,
some banana and lots of hop bitterness. Rather complex, but perhaps
not perfectly balanced it still is my favourite brew from Zeunerts.
My rating: 4+ ; OMH: 3.22
A bready medium bitter, "medium complex" standard lager. A fine beer without
anything special to it.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 3.00
A standard lager. Too thin for my liking, but with a fairly pleasant aroma.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 3.50
Zeunert's choices of beer are very German. They already brew an Altbier,
a German style pils, a Festbier and here comes a midsummer seasonal beer
that in my opinion is very similar to a Helles. It is malty and smooth,
but moderately hoppy. A good summer beer, but not overly complex.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: Not yet rated
A strong lager, not really with bock character. It is fairly fruity, and rather
alcoholic. In my opinion not malty enough. However, it turns out to be fairly
nice anyway...
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.60
This pale yellow beer is a German style Pils. It is dry and bitter, and
the head is rich. One of the better in this style in the country!
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 2.67
A golden coloured Octoberfest Beer. The 1996 version was only
on sale on pubs and restaurants, mainly in the northern parts
of the country, but this years version should be more easy available.
I thought the '97 version was a bit maltier (although of course I've
not been able to perform a head to head tasting) and a bit nore balanced.
It is a smooth, but yet full bodied beer you can drink a lot of.
1996 version: My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.00
1997 version: My rating: 4- ; OMH: 3.00
A watered down lager.
My rating: 1 ; OMH: 1.33
A stronger version of Anderssons. The alcohol produces some nice butterscotchy
flavours, which is nice. Apart from that this brew is mostly characterized by
it's dullness.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: Not yet rated
A lager brewed to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the "Kalmar Union"
between the Swedish/Finnish and the Danish/Norwegian realms. A pretty
lame excuse to make a beer considering the not too good outcome of the
union, but I guess any excuse for making a beer is good enough...
The beer itself is nothing special. Some maltiness but not much bitterness.
A lot better than Åbros two previous releases: Gorilla and
Anderssons though.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 3.00
Until recently I have always appreciated this breweries products, but with
this new thin, alcoholic lager and the watery Anderssons, they have started
to spoil that reputation. Please Åbro, spend more effort on your beer
than the design of the labels!
My rating: 1 ; OMH 1.33
A golden lager with a rich head and nice aroma. Not very bitter.
Brewed under license from the Austrian Gösser Brauerei.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.33
A beer brewed by Åbro under the label Guttsta Bryggeri, which
is a brewery that only makes other, non alcoholic, beverages.
The bottle states that it is a beer with medium body and fine malt flavour,
and I agree completely. A quite nice standard lager.
My rating: 4- ; OMH: 2.80
Another beer brewed by Åbro for Guttsta Bryggeri.
A nice, malty and fairly bitter lager. Rather similar to a German
pils. Clearly an above average lager.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.00
A golden lager with a rich head and nice aroma. Not very bitter.
Brewed under license from the Austrian Gösser Brauerei.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.33
A standard lager with medium body and bitterness named after the song festival
in Västervik.
My rating: 3- ; OMH: 2.40
A German style pils. Fairly dry and with good bite in the bitterness.
An old favourite to me, but nowadays I thimk that there are better
pilsners around.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 4.20
A semi sark Vienna style lager. Rich creamy head, good body, nice bitterness, and
a somewhat burnt flavour. My favourite among the Swedish Vienna style lagers!
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 3.60
A quite good, malty, and a bit fruity bock with nice bitterness. Maybe
a bit lacking in character.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 2.17
Labelled as an "ecological beer". Seems to me like some kind of marketing jippoo.
It's a middle-of-the-road lager, not outstanding in anyway, but fairly good
with medium body and bitterness.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 2.80
For those whose knowledge in Swedish isn't the best I can assure you that
"Fat" means draught and is not the opposite of light... Still I don't like
beers that labels themselves draught when they are bottled or canned (at least
not unless they use the Guinness style draught flow system). Anyway, this is
pretty much a standard lager on the malty side. Very round, without too much
bitterness, but still rather pleasant.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 4.00
Some years ago Åbro had a good reputation. Their beer was
if not exciting always good, solid and malty lagers. Now
they have started dumbing their beer down to hell. First
they released the insipid Anderssons, than the alcoholic and
thin Gorilla, but FAT 21 is by far their worst so far.
There is nothing in this beer resembling to maltiness,
and even less makes me think that they have used any hops.
Instead I taste sackarin and water. Sweetish, very thin and chemical.
Somebody needs to get fired at Åbro!
My rating: 0 ; OMH: 1.20
A light coloured standard lager. Fairly malty, and not without hop bitterness.
Clean and refreshing,
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 3.50
Despite that this only the second the year it's brewed it already feels like a classic.
This dark brown, rich, toffee tasting Julöl has perfect balance between the hop
bitterness and the alcoholic strength.
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 2.83
Dark and roasty Christmas lager the classic style. It's goes
very well to traditional Swedish Christmas dishes, but
are a little on the thin side.
My rating: 3- ; OMH:3.67
A strong lager. Malty and fruity with some bock character and a lot
better than I thought.
My rating: 3+ ; OMH: 1.75
A less alcoholic but unfortunately also less malty version of Åbro Original.
Not too bad, but chose the stronger versions instead.
My rating: 2+ ; OMH: 2.80
A standard lager. Fairly malty, with some aroma. but not much bitterness.
If nothing else, Åbro proves that it's possible to make cheap beer
taste OK.
My rating: 3 ; OMH: 3.33
With a label advertising the use of adjuncts and clear water (would anyone advertise the use
of muddy water?) I was a bit sceptical while opening this bottle. And indeed, it wasn't the
best of beers. It was thin, a bit sweet and with not much bitterness. Some nice aroma
saved it from entering the darkest hell in the bottom regions of my superb rating system.
My rating: 2 ; OMH: 2.40
A new, strong lager brewed for Åre Bryggeri by Jämtlands Bryggeri.
As usual when Jämtland does something they do it well. This well balanced deep
golden and highly aromatic unpasteurized lively lager has tones of butterscotch.
It's not very bitter, nor is it very similar to a traditional German bock. However
it is a darn good strong lager. Try it!
My rating: 5- ; OMH: 3.67
Let's put something straight: There are no brewery in Åre. Hummel
has been brewed by various breweries across the country under false labels.
However recently Jämtlands Bryggeri took over the production, which
at least gives it some local connection, and also now their labelling is
honest and clear.
Over to the beer itself. It a typical "Scandinavian style pils", which means that
the taste is very "round", it has quite a body, medium bitterness, golden colour,
and is crowned by a rich head.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 4.00
Ölkliniken is a new brewery in Linköping which brews
the Czechish beer Bernard on licence, and I must say that they do it well.
It has the same oily, butterscotchy or earthy flavour as the original,
the bitterness. There is no way that I could tell that it
was not brewed in the Czech Republic.
My rating: 4 ; OMH: 4.00
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Updated 98-11-23 Per Samuelsson (Comments are more than welcome)
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