I’ve finally put several thousand SAS Eurobonus points to good use and booked my flights over to the UK to visit the Great British Beer Festival.

The GBBF is a show I both worked at and visited as a ‘free spirit’ throughout the mid and late 90s when it was held at Olympia in London before I moved here to Sweden.

I still clearly recall marvelling at the way an army of sweaty GBBF volunteers would scurry around the hall trying to keep thousands of casks of beer at cellar temperature for a whole week in August in a building that essentially resembled a giant green house.

Since 2006 the self-styled ‘biggest pub in the world’ has moved to Earls Court and this will be the first time I’ve seen it here. From the pictures it looks far more grandiose, with the entrance to Earls Court the sort of place I could easily imagine a star-studded red carpet film awards ceremony taking place.

I do hope however the standard beer festival dress code of jeans and “Frunk as Duck” T-shirts still applies as drinking beer with a suit on ruins the experience for me.

I have already written about how to survive a beer festival and taking some of my own advice I’m currently making a list of things I want to do while at the GBBF. While still in its infancy here are three of my key must-do’s:

1) Do everything in my power to ensure that the festival organisers succeed in breaking the 2009 record of serving over 125 pints per MINUTE during the 5 days of the event. When it comes to beer I am, after all, a team player.

2) Try not to get too parochial when visiting the 12 new regional county ‘bars’. I will attempt to resist spending too much time in the pouncy soft southerner counties and try some drinks from the more northern parts of Britain – even if lots of car-stealing welfare abusers do come from there.

3) Beers I simply must try – Saltaire’s Triple Chocoholic (4.8 per cent ABV), Fuller’s Brewers Reserve No.2  (very rarely available in cask) and Twickenham Fine Ales Naked Ladies (4.4%ABV) because it’s a cool name for a beer and I like naked ladies. Plus around 300 other beers.

I note that the Bières Sans Frontières (BSF) bars will once again be at the GBBF, this year serving beers from Germany, Belgium, Italy, USA, Czech Republic and The Netherlands.

I see that not one single beer from Sweden will be available which is not only a huge shame it’s a big blow for the ‘beer Sweden’ brand in an increasingly competitive international craft beer market where you have to been seen to be anyone.

Italy, like Sweden, has a comparatively young craft beer scene but some of its upcoming breweries will be in London riding a wave of positive online buzz, with Norway’s top beer blogger now somewhat famously calling “Rome the new California”. Good for them.

Imagine though being able to fly over to London next year and sip on a glass of Oppigårds or Sigtuna at the BSF bar while proudly and rather too loudly telling everyone you come from Sweden?

I’d almost be prepared to put a suit on for that.

Almost.