I’m spending a few days in the Swedish mountains around Åre trying to discover whether the rumour that Englishmen can’t ski is really true or not.

Although it’s too early to make a judgement call yet there is one thing this particular Englishmen is without question exceptionally good at, and that’s finding beers in unusual places. You can only imagine my delight when I hobbled into the ‘White Reindeer Cafe’ on the top of Renfjället to see that they not only served the standard after-ski fizzy lagers but also had a few bottles of Jämtlands Fallen Angel gathering dust on the shelves. I use the past tense as if you go there today hoping to try some you’ll be out of luck – we drank the lot of them.

The good news is the cafe owner is going to buy some more and drag them all the way up the mountain for us. Now that’s customer service!

After all the Fallen Angel was gone we resorted to the next best beers – a couple of Zeunerts. The decent Höga Kusten, described as a mix of lager and altbier, would probably have been forgotten by now had it not been for the fact I sat drinking it on a balcony overlooking some stunning mountain scenery as the bright April sunshine warmed my face.

The slightly skunky Merke on the other hand will unfortunately stay in my mind as being a boring little beer that I hope I never come across again.

More news from the slopes to follow……….

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I want to wish everyone a very Happy Easter and to take this opportunity to thank you all for supporting BeerSweden over the past few months.

It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago there were only a few hundred of you visiting the site every week when now there are thousands from all over the world – with more joining in the beery fun every day!

We’ve come a long way but we’ve only just started! April is going to be an amazing month with a trip overseas to one of the world’s most talked about breweries (from where I’ll be filming a very special episode of BeerSweden TV) and yet another first for BeerSweden as we go ‘mobile’. More details to follow soon…..

But right now I’m going to pack my skis and head for the Swedish mountains. Does this mean though that things are going quiet here at the blog over Easter?

Of course not! Mountains will not – quite literally – get in my way of tasting some exciting new beers, including the very special one featured in this photograph. Can you tell what it is?

I’ll also be posting an ‘Alpine Edition’ of BeerSweden TV so be sure to stay tuned for that!

Have a wonderful, safe Easter break everyone!

Cheers and Beers

Darren

Yes I know I took a picture of a bottle of St Eriks last week but I can’t help myself. It’s just so easy to photograph (compared, for example, to a bottle of Sailor).

For just 15.90 SEK you not only get yourself a very contemporary and highly drinkable American-style pilsner but you also get an elegant vase to put your Easter flowers into thrown in for free!

Swedish microbrewery Sigtuna Brygghus isn’t putting all its Easter eggs into one basket this year as it gets ready to launch not one but two Easter beers at the Systembolaget next month.

BeerSweden is thrilled to be the first blog anywhere to try them out almost 5 weeks before they go on sale on March 15th!

This Easter it basically comes down to a choice of colours. Do you prefer yellow or red?

Choose red and you’ve got yourself an American amber/red ale by the name of Sigtuna Röd Påsk. Brewed with an equal split of Centennial and Amarillo hops it pours a glowing sunset red and despite its 65-70 IBUs (international bitterness units) has a wonderfully balanced sweetness courtesy of dark crystal malts. At 6.2% ABV it has all the ‘weight’ and richness a red ale should have. Watch out for this one!

However, pick yellow and you’re in for a real treat. Sigtuna Easter Ale may not have the most imaginative brand name but I’m going to stick my neck out here and predict this is going to become one of the most popular Swedish beers launched this year.

Why? Well because it exemplifies everything Sigtuna Head Brewer Mattias Hammenlind believes a beer should be – big but balanced.

He’s taking a calculated risk by moving away from the British and US hops Sigtuna normally uses and instead has experimented with New Zealand Pacific Gem and Riwaka hops, the latter of which has achieved something of a cult status down under where it is considered by many to be more than a match for US favourites like Centennial and Cascade.

But boy was the risk worth taking! Open a bottle of Sigtuna Easter Ale and the aroma will literally demand your immediate attention. The Riwaka hops burst out of the bottle with thick, oily, luscious smells of tropical fruit, sweet lychees and lemons. The taste of this 5.6% ABV beer is as invigorating as rolling around naked in snow, with lots of fresh citrus flavours and a welcome and assertive bitter finish.

It’s simply amazing stuff, and together with a beer from another Swedish micro I recently raved about is yet more proof that Swedish craft beer isn’t only catching up with the US and other craft brewing nations- it’s leaving some of them behind.

Put the date of Monday, March 15th in your diary right now so you don’t miss the chance to try these two colourful Easter beers from Sigtuna Brygghus.

(BeerSweden spent a great afternoon at Sigtuna Brygghus earlier this week, sampling new beers  – some of which haven’t even been named yet – and talking about the brewery’s explosive growth and exciting plans for the future. Full coverage of the visit will being posted very soon here at BeerSweden!)