The idea is simple – to interview the biggest characters in world brewing using the wondrous power of Skype.

Unfortunately the unpredictability of bandwidth means that not everything in this first interview went exactly according to plan. It turned out that the internet connection at Boston Beer Company wasn’t quite fast enough to handle high quality video calls but we decided to carry on with the interview regardless.

And I’m so glad we did because Jim Koch has to be one of the most infectiously passionate beer personalities on the planet. I challenge anyone to spend more than a few minutes in his company without wanting to go and grab a cold glass of beer.

Due to the technical issues this video interview freezes in several places. I was contemplating releasing just the audio track of our conversation but decided to upload the video as well (figuring you just need to shut your eyes to get the same effect!)

A new interview with another beery celebrity coming soon!

Today sees the publication of the first of a new monthly beer column at The Local in which I’ll be doing what I love doing here – raving about great beers – but over there to the English/Swedish newpaper’s 500,000+ monthly visitors.

If you’ve just come from ‘over there’ then welcome! Please come in, kick off your shoes and make yourself at home. Here at BeerSweden you’ll be able to catch up on all the latest beery goings-on in this country, including reviews of the latest Systembolaget releases, interviews with some of the leading brewers on the planet (watch out for a BIG announcement coming soon) and of course all the beer-related news concerning Sweden you’ll probably ever need to know.

Being an English language site I hope you’ll enjoy coming back regularly. If, like me, you can’t get enough of your beers, then for even more regular beery updates get yourself over to BeerSweden’s Facebook page and click the ‘Like’ button.

In today’s article I taste a beer that was once the most expensive beer in the world – Samuel Adams Utopias. Although it lost that title a while back it is still a hefty 1,150 SEK per bottle (but what a bottle)! So just what does a beer that costs the same as a return flight to London taste like?

Click here to find out!

An amazing tasting of this very special beer coming soon!

It’s been a while since we last had a competition here at BeerSweden so we’re getting back on track by giving you the chance to win these stylish metal signs from two of America’s most iconic breweries.

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If you’re a fan of US beers (and lets be honest who isn’t these days) then all you have to do to win these two stylish signs is to send me your favourite summer beer photo. A tip would be to not just take a snapshot of a bottle beside your kitchen sink – the winning photo is more likely going to be the one that really captures the mood of summer (and makes me thirsty at the same time).

Send your picture to me at darren@beersweden.se before the stroke of midnight this Sunday (July 11th) and please try to keep the file size to under 300K to avoid mailbox meltdown.

I’ll announce the winner on Monday 12th July and publish their photo right here on the blog. Good luck everyone and I hope you’re all having a great beery summer!

Today I wheeled out the BBQ I bought in a sale at a motorway service station a couple of years ago and rather carefully placed it on the little patch of wooden decking outside the front of my house.

I say rather carefully because my ‘Made in China’ BBQ started to rust the very first day I broke it out of the packaging, managing to shed the nuts and bolts that keep it together seemingly by itself until it now barely manages to stand on its three independently minded metal legs, wobbling precariously like someone who has been drinking pints of barley wine on an empty stomach.

When it comes to buying BBQs I’ve discovered that people fall into two main camps. The first group go ‘all-in’ and buy a top-of-the-range Ferrari of a BBQ complete with infra-red rotisserie cradle, warming rack, utensil holder, a thermometer that measures up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (in case you should want to incinerate your food) and essential add-ons such as a wine/champagne bucket and GPS.

(I made that last feature up, but amazingly not the ones before it. Some of these luxury ‘outdoor kitchens’ (”oh darling BBQ is soooo common don’t you think”?) are so over the top they come with everything and the kitchen sink).

I on the other hand have my tent pitched in the camp that treats BBQs like disposable razors. I use them. abuse them, leave them out in all weathers, let them rust, then tip them and buy another one.

Once I had arranged the legs of my latest BBQ in the correct position so that it wouldn’t fall over and scatter glowing charcoal on the decking I set about trying to scrub the dried food remains and rust from the year before off with a wire brush but quickly gave up, reasoning (as I do every year) that the flames will kill any bacteria. And anyway it all just adds to that delicious ‘outdoor flavour’.

Whenever I’m busy working the BBQ – and any man will tell you just what hard work it really is – I always need a beer in my hand. Without it I feel slightly naked, as though my manly ritual of ‘provider of food and master of fire’ is somewhat lacking.

But I really never need to be because BBQs and beer go together like Linda Rosing and plastic surgery – and there’s a fantastic selection to choose from this summer at the Systembolaget.

Some of the best BBQ beers are those with some malty sweetness to them that pick up on glazes and honey-based marinades and work together with crispy, salty skin to add that little touch of contrasting sweetness. Try Samuel Adams Honey Porter (Systembolaget Art No 1580. 18.90SEK. 330ml bottle) or even go one better and make a marinade out of it! Here’s how:

BeerSweden’s Porter Marinade

(Works wonders with beef steaks and lamb)

1 bottle           Samuel Adams Honey Porter

65ml               Olive oil

2 tbsp.            Dark syrup

2 tbsp.            Balsamic vinegar

1 tsp.               Instant coffee (yes, that’s right, instant coffee!)

6 cloves          Garlic, crushed

2 tbsp.            Chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp.             Chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp.               Cracked black pepper

1 tsp.               Crushed red chilli peppers

Combine all these ingredients in a bowl and then marinade your meat for between 4-6 hours before cooking. You can also brush the meat while on the grill to help stop it drying out and boost the beery flavours.

Beers with a pronounced roasted malt bitterness to them also add interest to BBQ-d food, being powerful enough to mix it up with the burnt, caramelized meat flavours of steak and beef burgers. Samuel Adams Black Lager (Systembolaget Art No 1535. 15.90SEK. 330ml bottle), with its specially roasted caramel and chocolate malts is just the job, as well as being a refreshing and more flavoursome alternative to the ubiquitous BBQ lager.

But perhaps the most trendy BBQ beer this summer is American Pale Ale, bursting with hoppy tropical fruit and grassy pine flavours that slice through fatty chops and steaks like a knife through butter. These beers are great to drink on their own or combine with grilled food, where their herby, spicy notes have a party with meat and vegetable skewers that have been drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with herbs. Try Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Systembolaget Art No 1525. 22.90SEK. 355ml bottle) or Red Seal Ale (Systembolaget Art No 1503. 22.40SEK. 355ml bottle).

So if you haven’t already done it then what are you waiting for? Dust off the BBQ and get grilling – with some tongs in one hand and a beer in the other of course!

What sort of Christmas present does 1,290 SEK buy you these days? Well, for starters how about a handy Dewalt sanding machine, a bottle of exclusive Chanel No.5 perfume or not one, but two Phillips waffle-making machines.

Alternatively why not go crazy and go all in for one of the world’s most expensive bottles of beer? Just 30 bottles of the ultra-rare Samuel Adams Utopias goes on sale at the Systembolaget as part of a batch of 10 new beers being released today.

At 27.3 ABV, Utopia turns the Swedish APK theory on its head but having been lucky enough to try this ‘beer’ on a few occasions I’d recommend trying to get a bottle – if there’s still one left that is. After all, nothing says Christmas quite like an excessive display of consumerism.

A full list of all the beers hitting the Systembolaget shelves today can be found over at Schnille och Schmak.

Personally I’ll be buying bottles of the Port Brewing Older Viscosity, Lost Abbey The Angels Share and Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special 30 Reserve, an old ale that has been aged in a Highland Park 30 year old malt whisky cask.

All these beers are world-class and would make ideal presents for anyone who likes beer, whisky or just wants to have an exciting new drinking experience.

However for those of you feeling the economic pinch and who want to give away a more affordable bottle of beer I give you day 15 of BeerSweden’s Advent Beer Calendar 2009!