With breweries producing ever more intense , alcoholic beers these days it’s a welcome relief to see that Nynäshamns Ångbyggeri at least agrees with me that good things can come in little packages.

The brewery has fairly recently upgraded its bottling line so that it can handle smaller bottle sizes and Sotholmen Extra Stout is the first beer out in their new rather cute 25cl bottle format.

So little bottle, big beer right? Well, not quite.

Sotholmen is an impressive beer to gaze at. It pours very dark, almost black and has an appetising fluffy dark tan head. The aroma promises much, with a hit of filter coffee and port wine.

However in the mouth I struggled to find the something ‘Extra’ the beer claims to have. If Nynäshamns means extra alcohol then that’s in there, but it fails to give the beer the body and complexity I’m looking for in a strong stout.

This is even more surprising because this beer, like all beers from Nynäshmans is unpasteurised, and I’ve come to take for granted the smooth, full mouth-feel of the ‘live’ beers from this brewery.

Cold coffee with a dash of milk – there’s lots of that and a little bitter chocolate but that’s about all I could find. It feels a little grainy and thin considering the 7% ABV, finishing with a dry, slightly boozy finish.

Don’t get me wrong, drinking a small bottle of Sotholmen is a pleasant way to pass the time. But then so is watching curling at the Winter Olympics. Hardly exciting though, is it?

(footnote: Watch out for another 25cl bottle from Nynäshmans being launched at Systembolaget on March 1st . This time it’s their 9.1% ABV Bötet Barley Wine).

Sotholmen Extra Stout

A Foreign Stout (strong stout) from Nynäshams Ångbryggeri

7% ABV

Systembolaget Article Number: 11723