Here’s the first peek at Spendrups new Pistonhead Summer Brew – the second beer out of the Pistonhead ‘garage’ going on sale in the Swedish Systembolaget from May 3rd.

Pistonhead Summer Brew is the follow-up to Pistonhead Hot Roddin’ Lager which I tasted and wrote about a while back.

This time Spendrups have packaged Pistonhead in a stylish ‘metal and motor’ 330ml can and once again I’m giving full credit to the Swedish brewing giant for the way it’s presenting this macho-man-and-machine concept.

It remains however to be seen whether the beer itself is as impressive as the flaming skull motif and the press release I received in the mail today in which Spendrups’ Head Brew Richard Bengtsson promises us as beer with”a pronounced hoppy character with suggestions of blackcurrants and a distinct bitterness that will suit anyone who wants a fresh, tasty lager this summer”.

Spendrups (in my opinion somewhat awkwardly) are using ‘petrolhead’ lingo and encouraging drinkers to ‘stay low and slow this summer’. I’m sure they’ll be hoping this doesn’t also apply to sales of this quirky brand.

I’ll be reviewing Pistonhead Summer Brew the moment I get hold of a can so check back soon!

I really wanted this to work.

I’d taken home a quarter pounder with cheese for dinner and Bruce Springsteen was whipping the crowd into a patriotic frenzy as he blasted out Born in the USA on Spotify.

Conditions were as ideal as they could be considering I’m sitting 400 km south of the Arctic circle in Sweden to try my first ever glass of Spendrups’ new US-inspired Pistonhead Hot Roddin’ Lager

The bottle’s flaming skull motif was fairly eye-catching, as was the incorrect (brewed on…) and clumsy English (no bling??) on the back label. But these, I hoped, were merely scratches in this beer’s hot rod bodywork and that there was still a high performance brew revving up underneath the hood.

However instead of this……

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I got this.

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There’s no easy way to say this. Pistonhead is about as genuinely American as Arnold Schwarzeneggar. Spendrups promised a beer with attitude but delivers a lager that barely gets into first gear.

Appearance-wise Pistonhead is unspectacular – perhaps a shade more amber than most pale lagers with a bleached white head. The first clear sign that it has very little in the tank is the smell of it. American hops are known for their distinctive and explosive aromas of grapefruit, citrus and pine needles. Despite the fact that Pistonhead uses more than one US hop variety I just couldn’t locate them underneath thin smells of vegetables and butterscotch.

Taste-wise things went from bad to worse. Hash, metallic, raw malt flavours that thankfully vanished in one of the shortest aftertastes I’ve experienced in recent years of drinking beers. As for the hops…..they simply failed to turn up.

There seems little point in carrying on. In a previous post I gave kudos to Spendrups for seemingly breaking the brewery mould and daring to launch this beer. I still think they should be applauded for doing so, although I am hugely disappointed they didn’t give it the horsepower needed to make it worthy of the hype.

The back label proclaims Pistonhead comprises “only high quality parts and a lot of torque”.

Unfortunately it should read “a lot of talk” instead.

Pistonhead Hot Roddin’ Lager

A lager from Spendrups Brewery

5% ABV

Systembolaget Article Number: 1432-03

The Systembolaget is making this particular Monday a little easier to get through with the release of 12 new beers going on sale from this morning.

The Swedish micros are particularly well represented this time round, with beers from Nynäshamn, Oppigårds. Sigtuna and Dugges hitting the shelves. Big brother brewery Spendrups is also there with it’s eye-catching and quirkily named Pistonhead Hot Roddin’ Lager.

Expect a review of all these beers over the coming days!

From the US comes Double Bastard Ale from Stone Brewing and Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale – both big, bold and critically acclaimed beers. The US invasion continues with a beer that “bites like a rattlesnake looking for a fight” – Hop Ottin’ IPA and an altogether tamer wheat ale from Good Islands Beer Company that feels a little out of season with the thermometer currently dipping below -20 degrees here in Umeå.

A pair of English style beers from Stensbogaard Bryghus in Denmark almost complete the new line-up; a dry IPA (India Pale Ale) and a coffee-tasting stout.

I said almost because Estrella Damm launches its non-alcoholic lager today. Now in fairness I haven’t tasted this one, only the ‘normal’ strength version. However if it’s a paler copy of that I warmly recommend you drink something (read ANYTHING) else instead.