Rosé wine and alcohol-free drinks were (as predicted) the summer sales hits in the Systembolaget according to a report just released by the monopoly.

Sales of alcohol-free drinks rocketed by 42% between June and August compared to the same period last year, while rosé wine for under 70 SEK a bottle recorded growth of just over 41% to 5.9 million litres.

Sales of other types of alcohol were fairly flat with total beer sales up just 0.8% (although this figure is top line doesn’t show us the performance of the Swedish craft brewers who I am confident out-performed the category). Spirits were the only type of alcohol to show a drop in sales, down 2.3% on last year.

The report also reveals that we paid 31.6 million visits to the Systembolaget during the summer months. I was personally responsible for several of them.

The Systembolaget’s Press Officer Lennart Agén said it was “extremely pleasing” that more and more people are discovering alcohol-free products.

“In order to meet this growing demand we will continue to increase our alcohol-free range”, he said.

It may not quite be alcohol-free (although it almost is) but I feel compelled to finish this post with two words. Nanny State.

The smell of wet grass after a cleansing thunderstorm, the feeling of warm wind on your face as you bike to the beach or the pleasurable pain of hot sand between your toes when you finally get there are just some of the things that make summer my favourite season of the year.

Not only is summer a time for relaxing and disconnecting from the internet while reconnecting with family and friends but it also provides us with the opportunity to savour one of life’s most pleasurable moments – the act of drinking a cold beer on a hot summer’s day.

Beer is not only deliciously refreshing it is unquestionably the most sociable summer drink there is. How many beers have you already cracked open standing in the garden with your Crocs on surrounded by good friends? How many times have you already had a chilled beer bottle in one hand and a pair of BBQ tongs in the other flipping burgers while jokingly moaning that the weather is too hot and you’re looking forward to winter? How many beers glasses have you already ‘chinked’ with a mate while sitting outside your favourite pub as the last rays of evening sun fade over the rooftops and you chat about life while staring at passers-by from behind your sunglasses?

Capturing that moment when beer and summer come together was the challenge I issued for last week’s ‘Give Me a Sign’ competition in which two stylish metal beer signs from a couple of America’s most popular ‘craft’ breweries were up for grabs.

After sifting through the pictures sent in to BeerSweden HQ over the weekend I have picked a stand-out winner that I think really evokes the joy of drinking a beer on a summer’s day.

So a big beery congratulations to Carl Ljungberg for this great shot. I’ll let Carl tell you the story behind it in his own words:

”Cyklade iväg en sväng här på lördagskvällen, utåt Uppsala högar. Vad passar då bättre än en utmärkt öl, dessutom bryggd i Uppsala? Det var varmt, men svalkan kom när man kände historiens vingslag både från den klassiska Imperial stouten och platsen i fråga. En iskall lager i all ära, men en trevlig Imperial Stout kan verkligen sätta guldkant på en het dag som denna!”

I loved the bike resting against the wooden fence in the background Carl as it really captured the mood of your moment with the beer.

An honourable runners-up spot has to go to Anders Thomas for this picture which could be entitled ”The Summer Beer Blues”.

As Anders himself wrote: ”It´s hot, I’m off work, the Mrs is away, the beer is cold and plentiful. I just can´t play the blues.”

I don’t know if coming second is going to make you feel any better Anders but I’m sure a cold beer will quickly cheer you up!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter and look out for another BeerSweden competition coming your way soon.