If you’re feeling a little depressed that it’s Monday and the winter Olympics are over then perhaps you can seek cold comfort in the news that seven new beers are being launched at the Systembolaget today.

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Three Swedish micorbreweries are among the newcomers, including a welcome national appearance by Gothenburg-based Ocean Bryggeriet with its ecological Eko Pale Ale, which will be available in circa 35 Sysmbolaget stores throughout the country. I haven’t tried this beer yet so expect a review shortly!

I recently wrote about Nynäshamns Extra Stout and today they launch the second of their new 25cl bottle offerings, this time Bötet Barley Wine. This beer is definitely worth putting in your basket and don’t forget it benefits from ageing a couple of years too.

In my opinion the most exciting of the Swedish beers this time around is Mohawk Rye IPA, the first in a Mohawk trilogy of beers being launched over the next few months.

Mohawk Rye IPA is a very Swedish collaboration between beer importer/distributor Wicked Wine and brewer Stefan Gustavsson and has been brewed at Slottskällans in Uppsala.

Mohawk Rye IPA is the beer I'm most looking forward to trying

The use of rye in beer is very uncommon here in Sweden and according to Wicked Wine helps balance out some of the aggression of the hops for a fresher drinking experience.

Sounds very interesting indeed and I can’t wait to review Mohawk a little later today. Check back tomorrow for the low down on what I hope is going to be a fantastic beer.

Moving overseas there are three very different new beers to choose from: a shockingly sour ale from Belgium with vinegar, berry and woody flavours, a stunning chocolate stout from Brooklyn Brewery that is ‘no-brainer must-buy’ considering the price and the weird but wonderful Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock, an intensely concentrated 12% ‘ice beer’ that is so rich and sweet one bottle will probably last you all winter.

Last, but certainly not least, is BASHAH – which stands for Black as S”#t Hoppy as Hell – a self-styled Black Belgium Double IPA from brewing mavericks BrewDog and Stone Brewing in the US that tastes just as confusing as it sounds. Expect a review in the next few days.

The Systembolaget doors have just opened, so what are you still doing reading this? Go get ‘em people!

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.

With its ultra strict policies banning any sort of promotional activities by alcohol brand owners that could possibly incite consumers to drink more I can’t help but smile when the Systembolaget embarks on its annual Christmas beer clear-out by dumping prices to encourage quick sales.

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It might smack of hypocrisy but it does result in some great deals for beer lovers who like to plan their drinking a year or more ahead. As Christmas beers in general are higher in alcohol than other seasonal brews they often benefit from aging, so there’s no danger of bottles of Christmas ale you buy now going bad before next Christmas. Indeed many of them will only get better and some can keep on improving for many years to come.

So while you’re out shopping to exchange all those spikemattor for something actually useful why not pop into the Systembolaget and pick up a real bargin. Hurry though. This offer’s only good while stocks last!

It only seems like yesterday that a whole heap of seasonal and Christmas beers were released at the Systembolaget, yet today it’s time to pay another visit to your local store and get your hands on some fresh beers.

A total of 13 new beers become available as of today and some of them are just too good to miss.

You can read all about the beers here (you’ll need Adobe PDF Reader and then skip straight to pages 13-14 for all the beer releases). If I had to pick just three I’d go for Péché Mortel Imperial Coffee Stout, Stone Vertical Epic 09 09 09 and Midtfyns Bryghus Imperial Stout. Any one of these should help keep out the cold and will make your ears glow!

However there are a few more gems in the latest list of releases and some more detailed reviews are on the way. Just got to squeeze them in among all the Christmas beers I’m sampling right now……..(violins not necessary but appreciated).

After 10 years of living in Sweden I still don’t know what to make of the Systembolaget. Is it really the evil ‘Beer Brother’ that many of us make it out to be or is it in fact your ultimate drinking buddy – reliable and always there when you need it (as long as that’s within opening hours of course) with a great selection of beers to offer you?

One thing I do know. Not only does the Systembolaget bring some fantastic beers into Sweden it also stops a lot of downright weird beers from ever reaching these shores.

Here’s three bizarre beers that you shouldn’t expect to see on a Systembolaget shelf near you anytime soon:

1)Bilk

I suppose judging by their weirdo game shows the Japanese can be a little bit ‘eccentric’ but they’ve reached a whole new level of odd by combining beer and milk to create Bilk – a supposedly sweet tasting drink that’s proving big in Japan.

The idea behind the beer came from the Japanese dairy industry which had a huge surplus of milk and didn’t know what to do with it. Of course the obvious thing was to create a beer – with one-third of Bilk made up of cow’s milk.

(トイレ/薬局) はどこですか？ (that’s ‘where is the bathroom” in Japanese).

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2) Kwispelbier

Now I don’t know who was smoking what over in The Netherlands but the inventor of Kwispelbier – a beer for dogs – is clearly barking mad.

The beer is made from beef extract, comes with its own ‘Belgium-style’ chalice glass and contains absolutely no alcohol – so there’s no chance of getting your pooch pissed.

Want to learn more. Check out the video here!

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3) KidsBeer

I wonder if it’s possible to count the number of Swedish laws that would be broken should Kidsbeer (a non-alcoholic beverage for children that apparently looks like the real thing) was to ever find its way over here?

I can already picture the queue of shocked Swedish government ministers lining up for interviews to condemn this drink, which looks and foams like a beer but tastes like cola.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough check out Kidsbeer’s catchy slogan:

”Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink.”

Now I understand why there are only two beers from Japan currently available at the Systembolaget. Perhaps the monopoly isn’t that bad after all……………………..

One of the most comprehensive and informative pieces of beer blogging I’ve seen recently is an analysis of the Systembolaget’s launch plans for beer during 2010.

It’s not exactly light reading but Ofiltrerat’s Magnus Bark has saved you the trouble of wading through the Systembolaget’s 47-page document and done a fantastic job of summarising what to expect to see in the beer section of the state monopoly’s stores next year.

If you’re interested in beer (and if you’re in here reading this you should be) and can read Swedish then get started here.

Some years back I made a list of 7 things I loved about  living in Umeå. You can read it here.

I think it’s about time I added another reason – there are never any queues at the Systembolaget for new beer releases.

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Cancel the paper and start packing your things…………………

There’s no better way to kick off a Monday than with the release of some great beers at the Systembolaget.

Here’s a list of what’s coming to a shelf near you from Monday, November 2nd:

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There are some incredible stand-out beers in this list so my advice would be to get your coat on, get down to the SB when it opens today and order at least one bottle of each.

However if you’re suffering from a lack of fridge space or money (or both) my top picks would be:

Beer Geek Brunch Weasel – an imperial porter brewed by Mikkeller at Nøgne-Ø in Norway using coffee containing the droppings of the weasel-like civet cats. These south east Asian animals apparantly eat only the finest coffee berries and after passing through their digestive system workers collect their droppings to flavour this exceedingly rare coffee. You’re reading this right – there’s cat crap in this beer! If you can work past this then this porter is absolute world-class and a must try!

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Brewdog Paradox Isle of Arran – an imperial stout matured in selected Islay malt whisky casks. Expect this 10% ABV monster to be huge, with smoke, vanilla, chocolate and peaty notes.Not for the faint-hearted.

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Fuller’s Vintage Ale – An annual classic that’s always worth waiting for. Some years it can be exceptional, other years ‘merely’ a great English strong ale. It’s worth buying more than one bottle so you can keep some in the cellar for a couple of years.

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Hog Heaven is a robust barley wine beer from Avery Brewing Company in the USA with an insanely hoppy aroma and sweet, sweet caramel malts. Avery recommends cellaring this beer for up to three years. A real treat at the Christmas table when the cheese is passed around.

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Norwegian Wood is an ale from Haandbryggeriet in Norway that is a throwback to a time when malts were fire-kilned and therefore beers traditionally tasted smokey. Flavoured with juniper berries too. Fascinating stuff.

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Thomas Hardy’s Ale from the UK is the very definition of the barley wine style of beer. Bottle-conditioned to mature like the finest of wines this beer will continue to improve with age for at least 26 years! So if I’ve done my sums right you’ll be able to open this 2005 vintage in 2031. Of course you might not be able to hold out that long, so buy a few bottles to drink in the meantime.