It’s a little scary to think that just 39 days ago we were watching Kalle Anka, waiting for Santa and excitedly opening our Christmas presents.

The monopoly has given us a mini-break from releases in January (in the case of the BeerSweden community I like to think of it as time off for good behavior) but now it’s time for the beer year to start in earnest.

In the morning 12 new beers will appear on the shelves of around 30 Systembolaget stores and as usual I’m giving you a short (Ed Note: are you having a laugh?) breakdown of what to expect.

An even better list is available over at the BeerSweden Forum that includes clickable links to RateBeer.com for those of you that want dig a little deeper into the beers as well as lots of lively debate among members about the new releases. In fact every month’s releases are listed in detail on the Forum so I can’t recommend highly enough you become a member there just for this useful feature alone.

So, from the top with the two BrewDog beers (normal disclaimer applies here of course). You can read what I think about AB: 08 here (it’s a real mind-buzz of a beer) and although I’ve yet to review the Jura (expect one imminently) the Paradox range has yet to disappoint so this 15% ABV reincarnation aged in Jura whisky casks promises much – Recommended

I’ve enjoyed the Fullers Brewers Reserve series so far and No 3 sounds fascinating – an English Strong Ale that’s been aged in old Auchentoshan whisky barrels for 800 days!  Recommended

The next beer out, Gouden Carolus Cuvée van der Keizer Blauw 2011, brings back special memories for me. Here’s a cut and paste from my tasting notes dating back to early 2007: Served before the stroke of Midnight on New Years Eve 2006/7. My last beer of 2006 was also arguably my best of the year (and ever). A 2002 vintage……the aroma was quite light, with subtle brandy/caramel notes. It somehow doesn’t do justice to what comes next. A sip reveals a deliciously balanced sweetness of figs, melted brown sugar and nutmeg.  It converted a table of non-beer drinkers to the possibilities of great beer, and for me it was the highlight of a great beer year”.  Must Buy! (and age!!)

Can XX Bitter get any more hardcore? Apparently it can with De Ranke’s Hop Harvest 2011 promising a fix for the hop-heads among us. I’m already addicted, so Must Buy!

The most ‘boutique’ beer of tomorrow’s release has to be the Mikkeller/Three Floyds collaborative brew BooGoop. It’s the fourth time these two rock stars of the brewing scene have jammed together – this time producing a buckwheat barely wine- Great label, cool name and a very solid beer, although it’s just a little too ‘kitchen sink’ * for me. Recommended though!

Lets pick up speed here or this release review will last forever! I tried Oppigårds Ekporter at SBWF 2011 and in my somewhat confused notes appear to have liked it. It’s a porter that uses lots of specialty malts and is then introduced to ‘light and dark’ oak chippings which it happily sits on for six months at 11 degrees. As with pretty much everything from this Darlana brewery – Recommended (and check out the 330ml bottle!)

Next out is a concussing one-two combo from Sierra Nevada. No need to say too much more about their Celebration Ale and their Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop Ale (longest beer name of 2012 so far?) is a much anticipated hoppy opposite to this one. Must Buy!

Leave no Stone unturned at the monopoly tomorrow! Stone Double Bastard Ale is as aggressive as it sounds. The evil big brother of Arrogant Bastard Ale this 10.5% American strong ale’s amazing reputation Stateside makes it a clear Must Buy. On the other hand the Vertical Epic concept is, if I’m being honest, a little odd for me. The last version had me all confused. It’s anyone’s guess what this year’s vintage flavoured with Anaheim chiles and cinnamon will taste like….

Finally a welcome incursion from the Three Amigos from Denmark. The Three Amigos go by the very un-Mexican names of Jesper, Jakob and Lars, all ‘flying brewers’ who created this smoky porter at Fanø Bryghus. Bit pricey perhaps….

Footnote: Cigar City Humidor Series IPA was due to launch tomorrow but due to logistical issues will be turning up next month instead.

* ”Everything But the Kitchen Sink ”

Do I look sad? Well that’s because I am, with the news that has just reached me that one of my favourite beers of all time, the utterly elegant Saison Dupont, is facing the ignominy of a T9 listing and the threat of a slow and painful demise at the monopoly.

T9 is the type of listing few beers want (unless you’ve managed to qualify up from the ordering assortment that is). If you’re a T9-er it basically means the Systembolaget doesn’t have to stock you on their shelves anymore and only local demand will ensure you’re ever seen in public again. It’s where all beers that haven’t sold enough eventually end up. A kind of ‘God’s Waiting Room’ for beer if you will.

Sadly this is now the case for Saison Dupont. I can’t say enough nice things about this beer and I still get goosebumps when I recall stumbling across an uber-fresh keg of it in Biarritz last year.

Saison Dupont is intelligent beer. It forces you to think, wills you into trying to unwrap its spicy cloak of lemon and sweet pears. It a world where so many simple beers give it up on the first date Saison Dupont would have you get down on one knee and offer it a ring before allowing you to go any further.

Saison is a style of beer that hasn’t been explored that much by the Swedish beer industry yet (but when it has been it’s been magnificent) and is perhaps considered a little odd by many.

However as a food beer saisons are hard to better. The sage of beer and food pairings, Garrett Oliver, once proclaimed: “If I were forced to choose one style to drink with every meal for the rest of my life, saison would have to be it.” We should listen to him. He really does know what he’s talking about.

So is this really the end for Saison Dupont in Sweden? Are we listening to the death rattle of a classic beer? Well that’s up to you and me to decide. Only by buying the occasional bottle at our local stores will we keep it from slipping into oblivion.

For this reason alone it’s my AfterWork Friday beer this week and will be every Friday until it comes back to us and reclaims its rightful place on the shelves of the monopoly.

The Swedish alcohol monopoly has today released its figures for 2011 which show a slight rise in overall volumes. However the big news is that Systembolaget customers have never been so satisfied with the monopoly as they are today.

Total sales in the Systembolaget last year were fairly flat compared to 2010.

According to the Systembolaget’s ‘customer satisfaction index’ (nöjd-kund-index) 79 out of 100 customers were happy with the monopoly’s service in 2011 – the highest score ever recorded. The figures also reveal that 68% of customers want the monopoly to remain right where it is.*

“It is encouraging that the Swedish people appreciate the Systembolaget”, says the monopoly’s Managing Director Magdalena Gerger. “It demonstrates that the Systembolaget’s role of selling alcohol responsibly is important as well as that our service and product range is appreciated”.

Despite a tiny hike in total sales of alcohol at the monopoly in 2011 (0.3% on 2010 measured in terms of pure alcohol) it was the brands with little or no alcohol in them that fared best in 2011, with sales of alcohol-free products rocketing by 26% on the previous year.

Another big mover was the ecological segment with demand for eco-friendly products rising by 23% compared to 2010, prompting the monopoly to increase its green range to around 150 items by the end of the year.

Sales of beer were pretty static at 0.6% (although this doesn’t tell us much about, for instance, how the craft beer segment performed) while total wine sales rose slightly by 1.7%.

In addition the number of customer visits to the monopoly rose in 2011 by 1.4% to circa 117 million (of which a vast majority of these visits were from the BeerSweden community – allegedly**)

*Source –  TNS Sifo:s mätningar

**Source – my overactive imagination

Perhaps the children don’t really need that Xbox 360 Kinnect thingy but can jump around outside instead. After all it’s much more healthy.  And the wife could, I suppose, make do with some face cream from the Apoteket rather than that fancy stuff from France. After all it really is all the same stuff anyway, right?

So let's see...that's two bottles of Utopias....

Such Scrooge-like economising isn’t particularly in keeping with the season of giving but nonetheless it might be necessary for many of us hoping to get our hands on the beers being released this Thursday at the Systembolaget.

Once again the monopoly is lavishing us with beery gifts on the first of the month; this time with 10 beers being released in around 40 of the country’s larger SB stores and a further 11* going on sale at the posh shops in Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg.

I’m not a huge fan of lists (to be honest I take ages compiling them and then often just ignore them anyway) so rather than waste time I’m going to suggest you take a look over at the BeerSweden Forum where the most up-to-date list of the beers being released later this week can be found (and not just for December but for long into 2012 as well!). If the information you find here seems a little too dry and ‘listy’ then I’d also recommend you pop round to see ‘Mr List’ himself, Stefan from the eminent beer blog Ölsvammel who has not just broken the list down into where you can find what but has also given his own tips on what you should look out for.

It appears Stefan, like me, is finding it difficult not to name a beer you shouldn’t buy this time around. Personally there’s only one I’m going to pass on and that’s the Samuel Adams Utopias; not because it isn’t a fascinating beer but because I’ve still got some left over from the last time.

But Utopias to one side I thought I might be able to help you prioritise your beer funds by reviewing the next three most expensive beers on the list; Shepherd Neame Generation Ale, Sigtuna Ace of Spades Imperial IPA and Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian IBIPA.

Starting out with Sheps I just can’t help but scream ”AT LAST!!!!!” This is the first new beer from Britain’s oldest brewer for a very long time and as fan of the Kentish brewery (I worked closely with them for over 10 years and grew up not far from Faversham where the brewery is based) I was really excited to try it.

Generation Ale is a strong ale at 9%ABV that has been busily maturing away at the brewery for over a year. The brewery describes it as ” a consummate example of the Brewer’s art….this hand crafted gem has benefited from an extended maturation period to fully allow the many, complex characters to reach their peak”. The idea as I understand it is to release small batches of this beer every year in order to chart how it evolves.

Five different types of malt and five different types of UK-grown hops (including Cascade!) were used to brew it and just 424 bottles are going on sale on December 1st.

So first off – the packaging. This is one impressive looking beer bottle (and one of the reasons why it’s the most expensive beer after Utopias in this release), wrapped in tissue and delivered in a stylish wooden box. It pours much lighter in colour than I would have imagined, a pale amber with a loud fizzy head that evaporates quickly. The nose is all about raisins soaked in Marsala wine, coffee, wood (as though it has been presentation box-aged) and the spice and candy-floss notes I associate with East Kent Golding hops.

What struck me first when I took a sip was just how smooth this beer is. There’s very little carbonation and a silky, medium-sweet body laced with plums, dates and a distinctly spicy hop finish. The beer’s alcohol comes into play the second you swallow it, leaving a warming imprint behind.

For many reasons I was really hoping this beer would be good. After all the man behind it, Head Brewer Stewart Main, is one of the most amazing beery characters I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. You can’t help but like him and I desperately wanted to extend that same courtesy to his beer.

Fortunately this isn’t a problem as Generation Ale is, in my opinion, one of the best beers to come out of Shepherd Neame for many years. It has all the elegance, weight and ‘pondus‘ to match the exclusive packaging and earns the right to sit alongside Fuller’s Vintage Ale as an annual British beer classic. Will be fascinating to see how it ages (the alcohol could do with mellowing out for a couple of years). A real collector’s item and a must buy! (but be quick!)

That's the brewer, in case you were wondering....

Next up is a beer that in some ways represents the new generation of craft beers – Sigtuna’s Ace of Spades Imperial IPA. This monstrously over-the-top beer is brewed using 12 different types of hops that are continuously added throughout the boil – one hop every five minutes for 2 hours! The result is an IPA that packs a 15% punch of ABV, making it one of the strongest beers ever produced in Sweden (the original AoS holds that title).

It pours the colour of cognac (the spirituous associations don’t end there) and on the nose is a riot of pear, flowers, wood and caramel but there’s not as much tropical fruit hop action going on as I’d have imagined. The booze is in there but it’s pretty laid back and only really makes its presence felt a few seconds after the first sip. It’s not like any Imperial IPA I’ve ever had before and I totally get those who say the alcohol takes over and smothers the toffee-tasting malts and exotic fruit hop flavours. However I cannot help but be intrigued by it and spent over an hour sitting, sipping, scribbling thoughts and yet still couldn’t come to a clear conclusion as to whether I liked it or not. In my line of work that’s pretty rare. Interpret that comment how you will. Recommended!

Lastly it’s my third Stone beer in as many weeks here on the blog. Although this one’s not had the Belgo treatment it is very odd nonetheless, going by the name of Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian IBIPA (Imperial Black India Pale Ale). Stone rarely produce wimpy beers but this one’s a real bruiser, pouring the colour of stout with a thick coffee-coloured head. Be sure you’re ready (and preferably sitting down) when you sniff it as you’ll be struck by a massive uppercut of west coast lime-and-pine US hops. The beer’s malty colours try to compete with flavours of dark molasses and burnt caramel but they have to submit to a brutally bitter finish. This beer is loud, arrogant and aggressive – three words that sum up the brewery that produced it rather nicely. Must buy!

* According to the Systembolaget website only 10 beers are actually due to go on sale at the posh shops, with Adnams Tally Ho missing in action……

Although the weather gods don’t appear to be in much of a Christmas mood right now – Sweden is currently suffering from the biggest lack of snow for this time of year for over a century – the Systembolaget is stepping up and doing its bit to create some seasonal cheer with its annual launch of Christmas beers.

Is it Santa? Is it really?

This year no less than 43 (!) beers are hitting the shelves (and there’s even more to be had if you look a little harder) so if you want to try them all it’s just as well there’s still 41 days until Christmas (or 42, if you’re English).

For me there are two good things about Christmas. Firstly there’s Christmas beer itself, which doesn’t actually really exist. You see Christmas beer from the beginning was little more than a cynical ploy from large Humbug breweries looking to fill their profit stockings by taking one of their standard beers, shoving a scrooge-size dollop of sweetness, booze and colour in it, slapping a Santa on the bottle/can and calling it something ‘Christmasy’.

The good news is that in recent years the lack of any real stylistic definition of Christmas beer has led to several breweries making up their own rules, which for us beer drinkers is good news indeed as we can now enjoy everything from a bock and Belgium strong ales to an old ale and even a beer that you can warm up.

The second great thing about Christmas beers is that, like Christmas itself, they come around every year. This means that over the two years BeerSweden has been around I’ve already managed to taste my way through a majority of the beers going on sale today. So here’s a complete list of the 2011 Christmas release in the ordinary assortment at the monopoly together with links to my videos, photos and beer reviews. Remember that there can be some variation in vintages so just because I didn’t personally like a beer in 2009-2010 doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t change my mind this year.

Abita Christmas Ale, USA, 355 ml, ABV 5.5% 24.9 SEK

Anchor Christmas Ale, USA, 355 ml, ABV 5.5% 25.5 SEK

Ayinger Winter-Bock, Germany, 500 ml, ABV 6.7% 29.9 SEK

Brewdog There is no Santa, UK, 330 ml, ABV 4.7% 19.9 SEK

Corsendonk Christmas Ale, Belgium, 250 ml, ABV 8.5% 20.9 SEK

Eriksberg Julöl, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.6% 6.9 SEK

Falcon Julöl, Sweden, 330ml, ABV 5.2% 11.9 SEK

Falcon Julöl, Sweden, 500ml, ABV 5.2% 16.9 SEK

Falcons Julmumma, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.2% 17.9 SEK

Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale, USA, 355 ml, ABV 7.4% 25.8 SEK

Fuller’s Old Winter Ale, UK, 500 ml, ABV 5.3% 22.9 SEK

Gouden Carolus Christmas, Belgium 330 ml, ABV 10.5% 29.5 SEK,

Great Divide Hibernation Ale, USA, 355 ml, ABV 8.7% 29.9 SEK

Grebbestad Julöl, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.2% 20.9 SEK

Jacobsen Golden Naked Christmas Ale, Denmark, 750 ml, ABV 7.5% 55 SEK

Jólabjór, Iceland, 330 ml, ABV 6.5%, 28.9 SEK

Jämtlands Julöl, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 6.5% 26.8 SEK

Liefmans Glühkriek, Belgium, 750 ml, ABV 6% 57 SEK

Mariestads Julebrygd, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.8% 17.5 SEK

Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper, Denmark, 375 ml, ABV 9.1% 43.5 SEK

Mysingen Midvinterbrygd 2011, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 6% 31.4 SEK

N’Ice Chouffe, Belgium, 750 ml, ABV 10% 56.9 SEK

Nils Oscar Julöl 2011, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 7.7% 49.9 SEK

Nils Oscar Kalasjulöl, Sweden, 330 ml, ABV 5.2% 19.5 SEK

Nisse Julöl, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.3% 26.6 SEK

Nøgne Ø Underlig jul, Norway, 500 ml, ABV 6.5% 45.9 SEK

Oppigårds Winter Ale, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.3% 26.5 SEK

Pistonhead Chimney Sweeper, Sweden, 330 ml, ABV 5.8% 13.9 SEK

Pripps jul, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5% 15.9 SEK

S:t Eriks Barley Wine God Jul 2011, Sweden, 330 ml, ABV 8.5% 21.9 SEK

Samuel Adams Winter Lager, USA, 355 ml, ABV 5.5% 17.5 SEK

Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 7% 28.9 SEK

Sigtuna Midvinterblot, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 10.1% 32.9 SEK

Sigtuna Vinterlager, Sweden, 330 ml, ABV 5.2% 19.9 SEK

Snowblind Strong Ale, Sweden, 330 ml, ABV 7.5% 24.9 SEK

Sofiero Julöl, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.2% 13.9 SEK

Spendrups Julbrygd , Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.3% 15.9 SEK

St Peter’s Winter Ale, UK, 500 ml, ABV 6.5% 26.9 SEK

The Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale, USA, 650 ml, ABV 5.9% 34.8 SEK

Three Hearts Julöl, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.3% 15.9 SEK

Wisby Julbrygd, Sweden, 330 ml, ABV 6% 18.8 SEK

Åbro Julöl, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 5.2% 15.9 SEK

Åbro Sigill Julöl, Sweden, 500 ml, ABV 6% 18.9 SEK

I’m not going to be reviewing any of these beers this month but will be saving them up and revealing the most interesting 25 of them in BeerSweden’s Advent Beer Calendar 2011, starting live right here on December 1st (and hopefully making it all the way to December 25th). This year no expense is being spared and BeerSweden Trev is, with the help of his little elves, currently hard at work building our Christmas studio. Can’t say too much more right now but I can reveal there will be candles, there will be jingle bells, there will be silly hats, Ho-Ho-Hos and polyester Santa beards. Don’t miss it!

Hind·sight  (hndst)

n.

This post has everything to do with the first definition (and thankfully nothing to do with the second) because a wave of 15 new beers crept into the Systembolaget over the weekend largely unnoticed.

As October 1st fell on a Saturday this month I failed to give the launch the attention it deserved during a week that was dominated by all the action from the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival. This post is my way of setting the record straight.

Lets take a look at the 15 beers that are now available in selected Systembolaget stores for at least the next year:

A few potential diamonds among some lumps of coal in my opinion. I was delighted to see Adnams in the monopoly again with a 4.1% version of their Southwold Bitter which is a slightly fatter version at 4.5% in the UK and which I’ve drunk many a pint of for its honesty, Britishness and the fact it is dry hopped with Fuggles.

Moving down the list we come to BrewDog Riptide, a smooth Imperial stout of 8% brewed with muscavado sugar that I reviewed on BSTV a while back.

Like buses it was only a few weeks ago I was moaning about how few Dugges beers we get up here in Norrland then Höstbrygd came along and now another beer from the Gothenburg craft brewery appears on the shelves! This time it’s an impressive T1 listing (which means almost all the Systembolaget stores can order it) and it’s for Dugges Gustaf’s Finger, a strong bitter forged with dark caramel malts to give it body and flavoured with Chinook, Brewers Gold and Cascade hops for a snappy bitter bite.

Mahou Negra is a dark lager in the Dunkel style brewed by Mahou Brewery in Spain, and comes at an attractive price of 13.90SEK a bottle. For this I think you’re getting a pretty good sweetish beer (in a pretty smart looking bottle) with soft coffee and roasted notes that could make it a good companion to food. I will review it shortly to find out!

Old Tom from the UK’s Robinsons Brewery is a beer that has been crowned (by whom I’m not entirely sure) the World’s Best Ale. There is no doubt it has scooped a raft of prestigious international beer awards. I actually got a sneaky taste of it over the weekend and my reaction  was more positive than a TV-shop presenter. This 8.5% British strong ale oozes elegance and charm, with rich red and blackberry hints and a thick, treacly finish. A must try!

Then come the two Pistonheads, Kustom Lager (kool name) in a can and Plastic Fantastic in a squeezy PET bottle. I’m hoping to try both, seriously and objectively, at the SBWF later this week where I also hope to have a chat with the team from Brutal Brewing, so check back for an update!

Svart is a distinctly dry roasted (and ecological) drinking porter from Slottskällans that reflects perfectly the type of beer I want to drink as I stare out of the window at the trees as they drop their leaves.

Finally the Russian beer Zhiguli Barnoe is interesting for the fact it is Russian but I’ll reserve any further judgement until I’ve tried it.

Good things, they say, come in threes, so Swedish beer fans should be feeling really good about themselves as the Systembolaget launches not one but three releases of new beers this Thursday (September 1^st).

Following the monopoly’s re-jigging of the way it launches beers over the summer (the more ‘exclusive’ middle-of-the-month releases are now history and have been lumped together with the ‘start-of-the-month’ releases) you’re going to need strong arms and a big wallet if you’re going to take home a bottle of everything coming your way later this week.

That’s because the combined temporary seasonal and exclusive launches are coinciding this month with the annual release of Octoberfest beers, bringing the total number of new brews going on sale to a whopping 34!

To avoid exceeding this blog’s storage limit in a single post I’ll break the beers down into their respective releases:

Temporary Seasonal Release September 1^st (Autumn release)

This smoked beer from Jessica Heidrich is a great introduction to the style.

Falcon Pilsener (SB nr 11606-03) Sweden 12,90 SEK
Mohawk Rye Lager (SB nr 95370-01) Sweden 26,90 SEK
Sigtuna Dunkel Lager(SB nr 11236-03) Sweden 17,90 SEK
Dugges Höstbrygd (SB nr 11703-01) Sweden 27,50 SEK
Beer Here HöstCitra (SB nr 11733-01) Danmark 37,50 SEK
Sigtuna Höstporter (SB nr 11806-01) Sweden 24,90 SEK
Beer Here HöstStout (SB nr 11803-01) Denmark 37,50 SEK
S:t Eriks Rauköl(SB nr 11705-03) Sweden 23,90 SEK

You can read and see what I think about Sigtuna Höstporter, Sigtuna Dunkel Lager and S:t Eriks Rauköl by following the links. The Beer Here Höst Citra is a name-change for Danish brewer Christian Skovdal Andersen’s risqué Karma Citra brown ale. Check out the details – if you dare!

Similarly Beer Here Höst Stout is a re-working of its Ammestout, a sweet stout whose original label (depicting a mother swigging beer out of a bottle while breast-feeding) would have been disqualified faster than Usian Bolt at the Systembolaget.

I’m really looking forward to some Dugges up here in Norrland but I think I’ll pass on the Falcon.

Octoberfest Beers (availability will vary)

Black, moody and perfect for the colder Autumn nights.

Flying Dog Dogtoberfest Märzen (SB nr 11231) USA 355 ml 25,90 SEK
Herslev Bryghus Oktober Bock (SB nr 11229) Denmark 500 ml 39,90 SEK
Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier (SB nr 11298) Germany 500 ml 19,90 SEK
Kaltenberg Oktoberfest (SB nr 11278) Sweden 500 ml 18,50 SEK
Löwenbräu Oktoberfestbier (SB nr 11210) Germany 500 ml 19,90 SEK
Oppigårds Oktoberfestbier (SB nr 11238) Sweden 500 ml 25,90 SEK
Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier (SB nr 11250) Germany 500 ml 20,90 SEK
Red October (SB nr 1246) Sweden 330 ml 15,90 SEK
Samuel Adams Octoberfest (SB nr 11261) USA 355 ml 17,90 SEK
Sigtuna Black October (SB nr 11262) Sweden 500 ml 23,90 SEK
Spaten Oktoberfestbier (SB nr 11281) Germant 500 ml 19,90 SEK
Weltenburger Kloster Oktober-Festbier (SB nr 11290) Germany 500 ml 23,10 SEK

I recorded a BSTV show last year that features two of these beers (Hofbräu and Samuel Adams) plus gives you a bit of the background behind the world’s biggest beery knees-up. To be honest Octoberfest beers aren’t my favourite style, tending to be somewhat bland. I either go traditional (only breweries located within the city limits of Munich can truly call their beers Octoberfest beers and be served on tap at the festival) or totally the other way and look for contemporary spins.

Special mentions here for Flying Dog Dogtoberfest Märzen (coolest name of the release), Sigtuna Black October and Oppigårds Oktoberfestbier.

‘Exclusive’ Release September 1^st (in around 30 selected stores)

10,000 bottles of Ingrid will go fast so you'd better be quick!

Black Rooster The Hoptimizer IPA (SB nr 11021) Denmark 500 ml 49,90 SEK
Bröderna Andersson´s Brutal Oak Edition (SB nr 1404) Sweden 250 ml 79,90 SEK
Caracole Ambrée (SB nr 11019) Belgium 330 ml 26,90 SEK
Fuller’s Past Masters Double Stout (SB nr 11018) UK 500 ml 34,50 SEK
Hello My Name Is Ingrid (SB nr 11177) UK 330 ml 36,90 SEK
Jai Alai India Pale Ale (SB nr 1596) USA 750 ml 109,00 SEK
Maduro Brown Ale (SB nr 1547) USA 750 ml 99,00 SEK
Nils Oscar Jubileum 15 (SB nr 11022) Sweden 750 ml 99,00 SEK
Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale (SB nr11025) Norway 500 ml 49,90 SEK
Shipyard Smashed Blueberry (SB nr11740) USA 650 ml 69,00 SEK
Saint Amatus (SB nr 1626) Belgium 330 ml 59,90 SEK
Thisted Black Ale (SB nr 11017) Denmark 330 ml 24,90 SEK
Thisted Limfjordsporter(SB nr 11237) Denmark 330 ml 23,10 SEK
Tournay Noire (SB nr 11020) Belgium 330 ml 29,80 SEK

Of these Fuller’s is a given, as is the Nils Oscar Jubileum (I have a thing for saison-ish beers from NO) and Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale. Neither can I resist a bottle of Saint Amatus from the acclaimed De Struise Brouwers in Belgium or (checking my wallet) the big bottles from Cigar City (Jai Alai and Maduro).

Which leaves lastly, but not leastly, our dear Ingrid. I don’t think there’s very much left for me to write about her is there, but I’ll sign off this monstrously long post by saying I’ve tasted old and new Ingrid side-by-side (video coming very soon) and can only echo the words of BrewDog James when he said: “”The new batch of Ingrid rocks – better than the first”!

Good luck on Thursday everyone. I hope you get the beers you’re after

If you haven’t already bought your beers for midsommar you’re not alone – over 1 million of us are expected to pay a visit to the Systembolaget to stock up the day before midsommarafton.

Ahhhh - a typical midsommar scene. But where's all the booze?

In what is the busiest day of the year at the Systembolaget sales of beer this week are expected to rise a whopping 100% to 7 300 000 litres compared to a normal week at the monopoly.

And it’s not just beer we’re putting into those little blue and purple plastic bags – sales of kryddat brännvin (spiced liquor) are expected to reach 175,000 litres (a colossal rise of 1 400% on a normal sales week), wine sales to top 4 900 000 litres (+50%) and alcohol free drinks increase +200% to 60 000 litres.

Which is why Rebbeca Blomberg, Press Officer at the Systembolaget is recommending you get to your local store as early as possible this week to ensure you get the drinks you want.

“Even if it is often the weather that determines when we shop I advise people to shop early this week if possible”, says Rebecca.

Last year 2.5 million customers paid a visit to the monopoly stores during the 4-day long ‘midsommar week’ compared with 2 million people during a normal 6-day week.

In total they bought 1 300 000 litres of pure alcohol, an increase of 77% on a standard week, making this by far the booziest Swedish national holiday of the year.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who just got a little bit of tax money back then you might just have enough cash to buy a bottle of each of the six beers being released at the posh Systembolaget stores* in the morning.

I say might because this is one of the most expensive releases for some time at the monopoly – adding up to a grand total of 907.70SEK to be exact.

Of course if you’re like me and only get letters from the tax office asking for more money rather than ones where they give it back to you the question “are they really worth it?” becomes even more important.

Let’s start at the top of the list with BrewDog’s Abstrakt 06 which is an 11.5% ABV triple hopped Imperial Black IPA which those shy and retiring Scottish craft brewers say boasts the most amount of bitterness and more hops than any beer they’ve brewed to date. This says a lot from a brewery that often hangs out on the other side of the 100 IBU (International Bitter Units) barrier so if you’re not a fan of ultra-hoppy beer then this one comes with a big fat red flashing warning.

However if you, like me, occasionally like the sensation of hops as they sandblast the lining of your mouth and throat then this latest Abstrakt beer could well be for you. Check out this article about how it was made (and check out the amazing amount of malts used too).

Amager Bryghus is one of my favourite Danish micros and their latest beer at the monopoly needs no words of hyperbole to get across the message of its massiveness. Amager Colocoff is a 12% ABV Imperial Coffee Porter that uses malts from Denmark, Germany and the UK, coffee from Kenya and hops from the USA. As if this wasn’t enough the beer is then aged for 28 months in whisky casks from a craft distillery in Denver, Colorado.  All I will say is that I hope you’re sitting down when you drink it.

Next out is the first of two beers from US Uinta Brewing Company based in Utah called Crooked Line Cockeyed Cooper. At a thumping 11.1% you might be able to understand why this barley wine can send your eyeballs into a spin but remember there’s a lot more to this beer than just the booze. It’s aged for months in bourbon casks so expect lots of hot oak, vanilla, dark chocolate and dried fruit.

Uinta’s second beer from their Crooked Line range of high alcohol beers designed, as they put it, to be savoured and shared is Crooked Line Labyrinth Black Ale. This is an Imperial Stout (or porter, depending on who you ask) with a capital I. At 13. 2% it’s the heavyweight in a battle royal of big beers being released today.  Get lost in huge bourbon and malt flavours. If you like liquorice you’ll particularly like this one!

Let’s for a second step back to a place where the A in ABV stands for Attitude rather than Alcohol. At a ‘mere’ 6% Drie Fonteinen Doesjel is certainly no lightweight when it comes to flavour. It’s a gueuze in style and blends lambics that are 1, 2 and three years old. It’s typically tart and sour and displays notes of grass, horses, sour apples and oak (to name just a few).  If you like Belgium ‘wild’ beers then don’t miss this one.

Finally we arrive at a beer with one of the greatest stories behind a beer name I’ve ever heard – The Angel’s Share from cult US craft brewery Lost Abbey.

Legend has it that whisky distillers in Kentucky and Scotland coined the phrase ‘the angel’s share’ to explain the evaporation of spirits in oak casks as they age.

Every time a cask is filled a proportion of the whisky is drawn into the wood, never to be seen again. However rather than being lost the distillers like to think it goes to the angels instead.

Lost Abbey The Angel’s Share is a burgundy coloured barley wine at 12.5%ABV that has spent no less than 6 months in oak. An almost sinful amount of dark caramel malts has been added for texture and balance. It’s not cheap stuff but if it’s good enough for angels……….

*These beers go on sale at the Systembolaget’s vinkällarbutikerna in Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg but you can order a bottle of each on release day at your local store. Good luck!

The beer reviewed in today’s episode of BSTV is bound to leave a sour taste in your mouth, which is of course entirely intentional.

Mariage Parfait from the respected Boon brewery in Belgium is an intoxicating union of young and old lambics which have been stepped in sour cherries for months to allow the ferocious wild yeasts that define the lambic style time to eat away at the cherry flesh and develop the lemon-and-lime-juice acidity and almond flavours they are famous for. The result is a captivating beer that tastes wild and yet refined, sweet and yet sour, with the effervescent tingle of fresh lambic breathing new life into its older, more cultured (and altogether more sour) partner.

It’s the first bottle I’m recommending from tomorrow’s modest but high quality release of new beers in around 30 Systembolaget stores. Here’s the complete list of what’s coming your way in the morning:

Staying with the ‘pink drink’ theme Oud Beersel Framboise is another fruit lambic beer that favours fresh whole raspberries rather than sour cherries – 250 grams for every litre of beer to be exact – to create the taste of a dry raspberry flavoured champagne. In fact that’s exactly how I like to treat this beer, serving it in fluted glasses to unsuspecting guests as an aperitif. If you’ve popped cherries but never raspberries then it’s about time you started. Recommended!

No need to pinch yourself - you're not dreaming. It's a multipack at the Systembolaget! Is this the start of a new beer trend at the monopoly?

The launch of BrewDog’s IPA is Dead four-pack is one of the most significant in recent years, not so much because of the individual single hop beers themselves (although as you’ll see from my video they are all pretty amazing) but because this is, by my reckoning, the first time the Systembolaget has ever made room for a multipack of beer in the ordinary assortment. Only 6,000 4-packs will be available and I’d urge you to consider buying one, not for the obvious reason that I help out BrewDog in Sweden (Ed Note: that’s a transparency statement by the way) but because if this multipack flies off the shelves the chances are the monopoly will look favourably upon future multipacks from other breweries. I for one can’t wait for the day we regularly see mixed selection of beers from the likes of Flying Dog, Mikkeller and our own Swedish craft breweries in the Systembolaget stores, can you?

For a second opinion on the BrewDog IPA is Dead 4-pack check out Schnille and Schmack’s latest slick video. A third one is here! Recommended!

I fell head over heels for Brooklyn’s Sorachi Ace when I first tried it over a year ago and this time around the sparks flew again for this invigorating farmhouse ale wrapped up in one of the most stylish looking beer bottles I’ve seen for ages. Think midsommar, think matjessill, think fresh potatoes dripping in butter and sprinkled with chopped chives and then think about washing it all down with sips of lemony Sorachi Ace. Need I say more? Recommended.

It took at least 3 minutes rummaging around Google to find out what Soft Dookie means (that’s ages in Internet time). The answer came from the Urban Dictionary (which, worryingly, I seem to need to refer to more and more these days) as: brown pasty substance from one’s asshole.

Hmmm.

In my opinion there’s two ways to look at a beer named after poop. Firstly you can dismiss it as a crass and attention-seeking stunt or you reason that the brewers of the beer are so supremely confident of their art and the beer itself that they can call it shit and people will still go out and buy it. Considering the Evil Twin in question are none other than the Bjergsø brothers (with one of them being the Mikkel of Mikkeller) I suspect the latter scenario may be true. Haven’t tried this beer yet but Mikkel’s last poop beer was pretty special wasn’t it!

If you’ve been praying for a huge US Belgium-inspired quadruple beer (haven’t we all) then your prayers may just have been answered in the form of Avery’s The Reverend. With a rather unholy 10% of ABV and ”as many authentic imported Belgian speciality malts as the brewers could cram into their mash tun” this beer promises to be sinfully sweet and sticky. Amen to that.

Lastly comes a beer I know very little about, Bière Nouvelle Sur Lie, although I do know I am a big fan of the Bière de Garde style, typically strong pale ales brewed in farmhouses in the northern regions of France during the winter and spring in an attempt to avoid the problems caused by over-excited yeast during the hot summer months. Like saisons there’s an almost tangible connection to the land with beers like this, with earthy, musty aromas and light fruit estery hints of apples often detectable. It’s a shot in the dark but I’ll be buying a bottle and pairing it with some home-made feta cheese cream spread on freshly baked knäckebröd.

Reading back over this post it seems that once again I appear to have recommended you go out and buy everything.

Quite right. Quite right.