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Swedish beer

faded but fine

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I’m getting a little international with this selection, since we might as well. Who knows how long the world will last? It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve picked up a Scandinavian beer, although there was a Lervig not too long ago. I know it’s been some time since I’ve had a Swedish beer, probably the last one was in Taproom many months ago. It was definitely not a sour, though, and not from Brekeriet. This Wrapped In Red is a wild ale, with a collection of fruit of that color, even though black currant sounds like it should be slightly different. If you recall another certain curranted brew, it was so red it was almost purple. I wonder if I’ll get a Kool-Aid in my glass this time?

It looks like a typical sour with a little bit of red fruit, although the color is not especially saturated. It’s sort of a watermelon color. The head also isn’t very resistant, which also is not too unusual for sours. There’s barely any aroma, just a hint of scrubby fruit, I think it’s only strawberry that I can identify. It’s kind of dry and sharp on the tongue, but definitely with a juicy sourness, much like its purported ingredients. I’m not sure if I can tell that there are cherries and raspberries, but the currants and strawberries are front and center. It’s a mellow and light example of a wild ale, not overwhelmingly sour but with just enough to keep your attention. There’s also some sediment in the bottom, so don’t lose focus when emptying the can.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €5.45

not so alarming

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A little spot of light after some dark drinks? A rosy spark of dawn, it seems. Like I say, every once in a while I feel like I should try something different, and The Rowdy Rooster looks like something different. It’s a raspberry kettle sour, not the type of beer I normally pick up, but as summer becomes more evident, it might be a welcome change. The Pine Ridge Brewery out of Sweden might be seeing summers more like Spain’s so a little lightness might go over well even up north. Not only that, I recently learned about more traditional beers of those latitudes being on the sour side, so maybe they’re getting back to their roots.

Rosy red and lightly headed, tangy sour fruit aroma. It seems a little heavy for raspberry, but it is identifiable. It’s one of those dry fruity beers, with little sweetness in the immediate flavor, although it isn’t over the top sour. While bubbly, it’s smooth and easy to drink, very summery. Still there’s a weight of body to it that would also make it palatable for a winter party drink. There’s no weird aftertaste like some sours, no sulfury taste or anything. Long ago I had a raspberry ale from a now disgraced brewery and there’s a certain similarity. I don’t know if the name quite fits, to be honest, but it’s bright and happy enough, perhaps a wake-up call for the afternoon, although not so much for the crack of dawn.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €3.90

plainly labeled

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Despite the temperatures, I cannot contain my hankering for stouts. I got one from Más Que Cervezas, thinking I would hang onto it for lazy Saturday. This isn’t quite lazy, but it is the kind of day that I would rather take to sit with a drink than do most other things. This one does have some fruit content, so maybe I can convince myself that it’s a healthier choice than a more popular IPA or sour. Well, sours do tend to have some fruit too, so I guess my justification falls apart. Oh well, Imperial Chocolate & Cherry Liqueur Stout will be a joy to taste anyway, I predict. This collaboration from The Garden Brewery and Nerdbrewing definitely promises.

It pours out like an otter after its favorite toy and hides under a pretty substantial, dark mocha head. It has mostly a toasty aroma, but there are notes of fruit, not as tart as I would expect a strawberry to be but still identifiable. It makes me think of the old Strawberry Shortcake toys, actually. The beer is stouty and bitter, with a good serving of toast, but also a touch of strawberry whipped cream. The pastry stout maintains its body, but it isn’t as sticky as some of them can get, and the strawberries have been tamed into something smooth and very comfortable in the throat. Even after warming up some, it’s a pleasant weight without going weird in sweetness/tartness/other odd flavors, and while it’s not the best choice (for most) for a seat in the sun, I’m very happy with it in the shade.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €6.05

that stuff’ll kill ya

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I saw it sitting on the shelf behind the bar, raising its glass, winking without eyelids. Burger Burger was not a beer to be rejected. I did have a moment’s hesitation seeing it was a sour, but it was also a milkshake inspired sour, and packed with fruit that make almost anything worth drinking – raspberries, black currants, even the strawberry. A black jacketed skeleton doesn’t seem like the most appetizing choice for the label, but the brewery, Fermenterarna from Sweden, might be making a reference to their ghostly lack of internet presence. There is a Facebook page, but their website doesn’t have much to speak of, except the posts from said Facebook page.

Slightly shocking color, although with the fruits listed I shouldn’t have been. It does give off a little puff of that fruity sour gas, along with some overripe banana. The top layer of flavor is pretty much strawberry milkshake, tangy fruit and fluffy creaminess, but there’s an undercurrent of banana and vanilla too. The raspberry and current are not immediately apparent but I suppose they add to the tanginess. On a relatively cold and wet evening, I might have preferred to pull out a stout that’s waiting in the wings, but there’s also a feeling of fun in a less common style and a creative can design. Also, skeletons totally go with windy, rainy weather. Early Halloween!

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €7.30

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