In the second of my series of Beer Geek Brunch Interviews with some of Europe’s most important brewing personalities I talk with Christian Skovdal Andersen from Beer Here about his incredible journey through the Danish craft beer revolution and why he now wants to brew for ‘regular’ beer drinkers.

Christian Shovdal Andersen - one of the pioneers of the Danish craft beer scene

BeerSweden: Christian, your story as a brewer really charts the early days of the Danish craft beer scene. Tell us about it

Christian: Well it’s a story that’s had its ups and downs. It started in around 2004 when I started Ølfabrikken together with my business partner. It was only meant to be like a hobby project.  We had a computer company at the time and wanted to make a little beer on the side. So we went ahead and bought a used brewery from Manchester in the UK.

Then all of a sudden we had this brewery with two 800L fermenters and thought ‘S##t!’ what are we going to do now because we didn’t have anywhere to put it so we built it in the corner of a barn that was owned by my business partner’s dad.

It wasn’t long before the brewery took off because we made some unusual beer styles for that time. It seems a long time ago although it really isn’t! We were one of the first, if not the first, to brew ‘extreme’ beers, even thought I personally hate that expression.

BeerSweden: Just what sort of beers were you brewing back then?

Christian: Well we did a small range of beers including a Rye IPA, a hoppy brown ale and a wheat beer but then we did a lot of experiments all the time because the system was so small you could make a batch of 600-700L and as long as it wasn’t infected you could always sell it.

It went really well for a while until we ran into a series of infections. For several months we couldn’t sell anything which was really hard for a start-up company. However we had the computer business which saved us from having to put any bad beer out and we got a reputation within Denmark because while the other smaller breweries would put out lots of infected beers we stayed true to our principles. We did the right thing.

BeerSweden: So what happened to Ølfabrikken after that?

Christian: After around 4 years I guess we were outgrowing the barn and the brewhouse was too small. So we made a deal with a much larger brewery – GourmetBryggeriet – which bought half the shares in the company. And pretty much from there on it went downhill.

BeerSweden: What happened?

Christian: Because the system they brewed on was much bigger – 50 HL brew tanks – and in order to sell a lot they thought you had to cut down on ingredients and make the beer more and more mediocre and mainstream until we couldn’t agree on it any more and I decided to leave the company.

BeerSweden: Is that when you started Beer Here?

Christian: Well I took six months off (Ed Note: also known as Gardening Leave) which was probably good at the time as I was pretty fed up with the whole beer industry. Then I founded Beer Here.

BeerSweden: You call it a Danish Brewery Project. What exactly is that?

Christian: Well I won’t call it a brewery because I don’t have my own system. I brew 90% of the time in the north of Jutland in a brewpub in Aalborg. Then I brew a bit with Nøgne ø in Norway mainly for the US market and I’ve also brewed a few times at BrewDog.

This label, produced especially for the Swedish market, is Christian's personal favourite.

When I started Beer Here I wanted to do something very different from Ølfabrikken. I wanted to produce a range of beer that were a ‘bridge’ between regular beer drinkers and craft beer drinkers. Beers that were really tasty but without being extreme. I have done a few extreme beers of course but the focus has to be on lower alcohol, flavourful beers, which are the types of beers I like to drink myself.

BeerSweden: I’ve got to talk to you about your branding. Your labels are famously ‘provocative’. Is that a deliberate marketing ploy or is that just you?

Christian: When I was younger before I went to university I wanted to be a comic artist and was drawing comics all the time. Then I kind of forgot about it for 15-20 years until I had to do the labels for Beer Here and thought it would be fun to start drawing again.

BeerSweden: What’s you favourite label to date?

Christian: I’m kind of proud of the label I did for Sweden for Höst Citra, which is my interpretation of an old painting from the 1700s.

BeerSweden: You’ve got two beers in the Systembolaget right now (Ed Note: Höst Citra and Höst Stout). Anything else in the pipeline you can tell the BeerSweden community about?

Christian: Well I’ve offered a beer for the Easter release so we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s based on the Hymn to Ninkasi and I’ve tried to follow the original ancient recipe with spontaneous fermentation. I’ve also used grapes and honey to make a kind of blonde, pale ale. I’ll release it in Denmark anyway, whatever happens.

BeerSweden: Well I’m certainly looking forward to trying it so good luck and thanks for talking to BeerSweden!

Next up I share a beer with the most famous (and prolific) flying brewer on earth, Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, the man behind Mikkeller!

It may only be a few hours ago that it went ‘live’ but I’m already prepared to throw my hat into the ring and say that the new S:t Eriks website is the best branded Swedish beer site on the net.

Followers of this blog will of course know that I am a huge advocate of putting beer online. It’s the axis around which this blog spins because although no-one can confidently predict the future of craft beer what we do know for certain is that it will be somewhere online.

Which is why I have always been more than a little frustrated that the majority of the Swedish beer industry has yet to totally grasp the importance of providing good-looking, engaging and updated content to us, the growing legion of virtual beer drinkers.

And which is also why I almost jumped off my chair with excitement when I clicked into the new S:t Eriks website. Finally here’s a site with back stories, character, an elegant and sophisticated design and usable content in the form of in-depth product details (it even has handy tasting spider graphs). Throw in an in-built blog, a picture library and much more and this isn’t just a home-run for Jessica and the team – they’ve gone and knocked it out of the park!

Other beer brand owners and importers take note. This is the kind of way we want to see our beers look online. This is more like how we want to be informed, educated and (this is important) entertained about our favourite drink.

Congratulations to Jessica and everyone else behind putting this great-looking website together. Today you’ve just raised the beer bar a little bit higher.

I have to confess the news that the British Government is set to slash the tax on beers of 2.8%ABV and below by 50% from October 1^st this year put a very large grin on my face.

After all I’ve had friends from the UK coming to visit me for years and have had to listen to many of them moan about the injustice of only being able to buy low-strength beers at the shops.

Well now it seems it’s the UK’s turn to get a taste for folköl, with several of the larger UK breweries (like Fuller’s) busily test-brewing recipes so they are ready when the new tax break is introduced.

But then, just as my smug grin had started to subside and I began to think the news through a bit more I suddenly released this development could have profound implications for the beer scenes in both the UK and Sweden.

The 2.8% beer market in Sweden is considerable. In 2009 the ‘folköl’ category (2.25-3.5%ABV) accounted for 150.5 million litres and practically every single litre of it tasted exactly the same.

Could this beer soon be putting out the thirst of drinkers in Britain?

A yellow, fizzy, watered down version of an often fairly anonymous tasting beer.

As a market it was entirely uninteresting for UK breweries who could never get close to the critical volume mass required to enter the highly price-competitive Swedish retail sector.

But that’s all about to change.

With more UK breweries creating beers to hit the 2.8% tax threshold at home it won’t be long before some savvy export manager sees the opportunity and creates a can or bottle that satisfies the authorities in both countries.

I suggest that come this time next year the 2.8% beer category in Sweden could look very different indeed, with the sight of low-strength ales and IPAs on your local supermarket shelves a very real possibility.

Is folköl, for many of us the most unattractive beer category going, about to become sexy?

Of course flip this idea and there’s a new market opening up for Swedish breweries too. And I’m not talking about the likes of Spendrups or Carlsberg Sweden who I’m sure are already salivating at the synergies of it all.

Who is to say we won’t see bottles of Dugges Brandmästare Andréns Törstsläckare, Sigtuna Doktorns Pale Ale or Ocean Ljusa being snapped up in supermarkets throughout Britain or sold by the pint in London pubs?

Low-strength they may be but 2.8%ABV beers could be of high interest to breweries trying to capture new volumes in the Swedish and UK beer markets.

In part one of this article we took a look at the first three of six common defaults in beer. To complete the set in this final post I’ll be covering three more faults that can make your beer smell and taste like paint, sweaty socks or the contents of your spice rack.

But before we begin chances are that some of you reading this might not be able to detect one or more of the offending aromas listed above because you’ve got specific anosmic, which means you are unable to detect certain odours. Considering some of these defaults really make beer stink it’s entirely up to you to decide if this is a good or a bad thing!

Acetaldehyde:

Science: An intermediate compound produced by yeast in the formation of alcohol it is present in all beers but considered an off flavour at high concentrations. Positive contribution to the flavour of some beer styles but can also be an indication the beer is too young and needs more time to condition. Indicative of high O2 levels in packaged beer. Can also be formed by contaminating bacteria.

Straight talk: It may not be that easy to pronounce but the smell of bruised green apples and emulsion paint is pretty unmistakable. Generally unwelcome in beer although Budweiser famously has low levels of it in its flavour profile. Nuff said.

Isovaleric:

Science: Isovaleric acid is a short-chain fatty acid commonly found in cheese that can find its way into beer if the hops used are old or degraded or more rarely through a Brettanomyces infection.

Straight talk: If you follow this blog you’ll know I think cheese and beer can be a magical combination but not, under any circumstances, do I want my beer actually tasting of cheese. Isovaleric acid can also conjure up smells of BeerSweden Trev’s sweaty socks, shooting it straight to the top of my list of most unpleasant defects in beer.

Phenolic

Science: The most common source of phenolic flavours in beer comes from yeast. Some yeast strains produce phenolic flavours as a normal part of their metabolism and are welcome in some beer styles, particularly wheat beers.

Phenols can also react with chlorine to form chlorophenols. Some of these have very low taste thresholds. Chlorophenols smell like band-aid and have a distinctive plastic/medicinal aroma.

Straight talk: It might be unfair to label phenols as defects when their ‘clove and bubblegum’ characteristics are an integral part of classic beer styles such as hefeweizens and Belgium witbiers. However bacterial contamination caused by sloppy sanitization of brewing equipment can also be to blame for your beers smelling like the Accident and Emergency ward of your local hospital.

To clarify: BrewDog Rip Tide is currently available to buy in cases of 24 x 330ml bottles from the beställningssortimentet of the Systembolaget. It will however be available to buy by the bottle in the ordinary assortment from October 1st 2011.

*Transparency Statement* As many of you know I spend some of my time travelling around Scandinavia tasting and talking about BrewDog beers. It’s no secret I think they are all generally amazing but I still strive to keep all my reviews objective, regardless of where the beer comes from.

At its best beer is a drink made with natural ingredients capable of beguiling us with flavours ranging from fresh tropical fruits to bitter chocolate and aromas that can hint at everything from honey and creamy caramel to freshly baked bread.

But sometimes things go wrong on a beer’s journey from the mash tun to your glass and beer goes bad. To try and understand why this happens I’ve compiled a list of six of the most commonly found defects in beer.

Diacetyl:

Science: Diacetyl is a natural by-product of the fermentation process and can also be formed by contaminant bacteria when brewery hygiene standards aren’t up to scratch. It is detectable in beer at concentrations as low as 50 parts per BILLION.

Straight talk: So what does Diacetyl taste and smell like? At low levels Diacetyl is actually acceptable in some beer styles, giving beer a slick mouthfeel. Too much though and the beer becomes buttery to the smell and taste and as levels rise can become more butterscotch-like and finally gives off a vibe of rancid butter.

Oxidisation:

Science: An off flavour associated with aging that is formed during beer storage. To what level it develops is largely dependent on time, storage temperature and the oxygen content of the packaged beer.

Straight talk: We’ve all probably done it. Found a dusty bottle of lager in the back of the cupboard with a Best Before Date of 2003 but drunk it anyway. Can you remember the smell of wet cardboard and black printer ink cartridges? If you’re getting either of them chances are your beer has been spending too much time with oxygen. However in some beer styles, like Barley Wine, this off flavour can contribute to an aged Sherry note and is welcomed at low levels.

Lightstruck (or Skunked)

Science: Lightstruck or ‘skunked’ beer has been exposed to ultraviolet and visible light. This light causes riboflavin to react and break down isohumulones, a molecule derived from hops that contributes to the bitterness of beer. The resulting molecule is similar in construct to the musk-borne mercaptans that are a skunk’s natural defences.

The rate and intensity of this reaction is determined by the intensity and length of time a beer bottle is exposed to light. Bottled beer can become lightstruck in less than one minute in bright sunlight, after a few hours in diffuse daylight and in a few days under normal fluorescent lighting (so the top-illuminated shelves at the Sytembolaget are actually turning your beer bad!)

Straight talk: Skunks? There’s skunk juice in my beer? Well no, don’t worry, the term only refers to the sulphur-like smell you find in struck matches, stink bombs and, well, skunks with a point to prove. Probably the most misunderstood and overused complaint about beer and widely cited by US beer drinkers who have an almost unhealthy aversion to drinking any beer unless it comes packaged in brown glass bottles. The reason for this is that brown glass is most effective at blocking out UV rays and can therefore reduce the onslaught of ‘skunking’, followed by green glass. Many would have you believe breweries that put their beers in clear glass bottles should be made to print the word ‘skunk’ among the ingredients.

To avoid your beer being or becoming lightstruck you might want to choose beers packaged in brown glass or cans, store your bottled beers away from a strong light source, drink them on draft (light can’t get into kegs or casks) or just drink them quickly after you’ve bought them (but responsibly and not at lightspeed, OK?)

In Part 2 – I tackle three more common beer defects that can turn your favourite drink into something that smells like old French cheese, sweaty socks or green apples mixed with paint. I also ask the question: Are you anosmic?

The inspiration for this article grew out of a fascinating session hosted by FlavorActiV at the European Beer Bloggers Conference 2011 when I also attempted to learn how to whirl beer at arms length in order to create the perfect sniffing conditions. Once again I would like to apologise to all the other people sitting at my table for the mess.

With the temperature outside right now nudging 30 Degrees Celsius and the air so thick and heavy you feel the only thing missing is the sight of camels lumbering past you searching for water there’s perhaps never been a better time to name my After Work Friday! beer.

Black Isle Brewery located in the stunningly beautiful Scottish highlands near Inverness has a very clear message about its range of naturally made beers – ‘Save the Planet, Drink Organic’. Seems a perfectly reasonable bit of advice to me.

Browsing this little-known Scottish brewery’s website I was tickled at some of the comments from brewery founder and Marketing Director David Gladwin, especially his take on the ‘rustic’ image of some organic beers.

”The labelling and packaging is deliberately contemporary and styled to, in some small way, help dispel the sometime commonly held notion that ‘organics’ is all about slightly cranky, no-knickered, tepee dwellers living off brown rice and lentils” he writes on his site. Nice one David!

The beer itself is the first Black Isle beer to make its way into the Systembolaget and is available in the ordinary assortment at least until the spring of 2012. It’s a golden ale at 5.6% ABV that is said to be packed with floral hops (although yet again a brewery doesn’t quite go all the way and tell us which ones).

However they do tell us the beer ”is full of vitamin B and good for you”. I’m not sure if the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs would put their name to that claim but I’ll go as far as to say that a glass or two of this beer shared with good friends after a long and hot working week is a great way to slip into the weekend.

On a serious note though do remember that if you’re planning to drink beer this weekend drink plenty of water in-between and keep yourselves cool. Drinking any type of alcohol while dehydrated may contribute to heat exhaustion and other heat stress related problems.

So as the Aussies used to say back in the 80s Slip, Slop, Slap (and Pop open a nice cool beer too while you’re at it!)

Have a great weekend everyone.

Cheers and beers!

Darren

Seriously, this beer is THIS big!!!

This week’s exclusive ‘middle of the month’ launch at the three posh Systembolaget stores has once again bought into question the way exclusive beers are released at the monopoly.

According to one eyewitness there was “stress, chaos and confusion” this Monday at 10am as the doors opened at the Systembolaget in Regeringsgatan in Stockholm – one of the monopoly’s three ‘vinkällarbutikerna’ where exclusive releases currently take place.

Hurry up driver! We've got to get to the posh shops before all the beer is gone!!

Amid scenes of elbowing, queue-jumping and general disorientation that you’d normally associate with catching a public bus in Bombay customers jostled their way to the checkout with their trolleys laden with bottles of rare beer.

In Regeringsgatan staff were apparently even indiscriminately handing out 6-packs of BrewDog’s latest Abstrakt 05 in order to ease their workload, despite the fact only 720 bottles of this much sought-after beer ever made it to Sweden. *

In doing so they unwittingly condemned scores of beer fans living in other parts of the country to the familiar fate of being told “sorry, that beer is out of stock”.

I’m unclear how smoothly things went at the other two vinkällarbutikerna in Gothenburg and Malmö but judging by the feedback from several BeerSweden followers (both over at our Facebook page and in angry e-mails I’ve received at HQ) it’s abundantly clear the monopoly needs to urgently review its procedures for selling exclusive beers.

This really isn’t anything new (I only moaned about the elitist vinkällarbutikerna set-up last month) but my gut feeling is this isn’t a problem that’s going to fix itself. In fact I’m determined it’s only going to get a lot worse as we beer enthusiasts swell in numbers and naturally start searching out more exclusive beers to try.

The whole debacle has been nicely summed up by Mr Mohawk Stefan Gustavsson in his recent post (and comments) that I broadly agree with. I can only echo his insistence that the monopoly is obligated to operate a system in which everyone has an equal opportunity to buy the beers it sells – and not one that favours those people who live or work near three of its ‘exclusive’ stores in the big cities.

This week’s experiences have once again shown that the ‘små partier’ system doesn’t always work. However rather than just bitch about it we as consumers also have an obligation to act by telling the Systembolaget what we think and suggest ways in which their processes can be improved.

I’m confident they will listen too, because despite this mess (oh and this one) there is a lot of great work going on at the Systembolaget these days and in my personal dealings with the people there a genuine desire to see the status and selection of beer improve.

So here’s my idea about how to go about ensuring all beer enthusiasts are treated equally when the rare stuff goes on sale:

1)   Take geography right out of the equation: for the first week after a limited edition beer goes on sale the only way to get hold of it would be to place an order via the monopoly’s website. A centralised ordering system would record the exact time an order is placed and orders would be dealt with in strict chronological order. This is then truly a ‘first come, first served’ system which in my opinion is about the fairest option we have available to us.

To ensure a greater ‘spread’ of bottles among customers a maximum number of bottles per customer should also be imposed during the first week

2)   After the first week any remaining stock can go onto the shelves at the vinkällarbutikerna or any other Systembolaget store that considers it has sufficient consumer demand for such beer(s). At this stage there is no limit to the amount of bottles a customer can buy.

What do you think? Do you have a better suggestion? If you do then please share you thoughts with the rest of us by commenting below. I have it on good authority the Systembolaget will be watching!

*I could hardly believe my eyes when I read about this. Unfortunately it doesn’t surprise me that some people will greedily grab as much as they possibly can without any consideration for others but the Systembolaget CAN and SHOULD control such behaviour by implementing a ONE BOTTLE PER CUSTOMER rule on the first day, starting right now with the next launch of exclusive beers. Not a perfect solution I know but it goes a long way to levelling the playing field for those of us who don’t live near the posh shops.