21 May Sockerbruket Sour Brewery and some footage from our canning line – Weekly Update
To understand how we ended up with two breweries, maybe it’s time to go back to the start and tell our story a little bit, just for those that might not know.
Beerbliotek was the brain child of two friends, Adam and Richard, who’s from Australia and New Zealand respectively. They used to own a coffee shop, called Doppio, together in Gothenburg. Both of them had a passion for beer and decided to try their hand at brewing it at home, or in their case a small room rented at the Gothenburg Wine Cellar.
A couple of months into this adventure they asked another friend of theirs, Darryl, a South African if he’d like to join. Which of course was an easy decision, as he loves adventures as much as the next person.
After three and a bit years, Adam and Richard decided to open a real brewery, and asked Darryl and another friend Anders, who’s a Swede, if they’d like to join. And so Beerbliotek was born at the end of 2012.
Since the start, the idea was always to keep on brewing as we did as home-brewers, new batches, new beers, trying to improve all whole time. After seven months as Beerbliotek, and running our own companies at the same time, it was time to expand, as we realised we just never had enough beer to sell. So we did, and the Sockerbruket brewery double its production.
Just short of two years after that, we were approached by two other friends Gary, an Englishman and Niklas, another Swede, to see how we can expand for a second time. They became part of the family and we opened our second brewery, just a short walk away from the first one. The production capacity is a lot bigger than when we started, and in addition to the expansion, we also installed a bottling line, and a canning line.
We have now since the start brewed 159 different beers, as we try and build our beer library, and at the same time try and supply new beers to a very thirsty beer market.
We have a standard assortment of around 10-15 beers that are always available. We export to eight countries, and have 10 beers at Systembolaget, the one and only bottle shop in Sweden.
At one time, all beers were sour to some degree. As pure yeast cultures were not available, the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria.
Running two breweries does not come without its own set of challenges. And after we brainstormed it a bit we realised we had the ideal opportunity to brew sour beers.
Sour beer is beer which has an intentionally acidic, tart or sour taste. The most common sour beer styles are Belgian: Lambics, Gueuze and Flanders red ale. At one time, all beers were sour to some degree. As pure yeast cultures were not available, the starter used from one batch to another usually contained some wild yeast and bacteria.
Unlike modern brewing, which is done in a sterile environment to guard against the intrusion of wild yeast, sour beers are made by intentionally allowing wild yeast strains or bacteria into the brew.
Our first sour beer from the Sockerbruket Sour Brewery was called “Sour Berry Quite Contrary”, and has a healthy addition of Raspberries.
There’s two more batches currently in fermentation, which we’re very excited about, so keep your eyes open for when they hit a bar close to you.
With that we hope you have a great weekend.
Until next weekend. Cheers
#FreshestCanInTheLand #Competition
Compete in our freshest can in the land competition and stand a chance to win tickets to the All in Beer Festival.
Name your own beer
Producing so many new beers, 157 at the last count, comes with its own set of problems. Coming up with names. We’ve asked before, but if you’d like to name a beer, then send us your recommendations. Beer name, style and of course your name. We’ll get in touch, and credit you on the label. In the case of “Golden Sour”, our friend Robin Bruhn was first to name this collaboration with Stockholm Brewing company.
Festivals
All in Beer Festival 4-5 November 2016
One of our favourite festivals is the All In Beer Fest. The reason? It’s just about beer.
We’ll be attending again this year, but if you’d like to attend, then there’s two ways to go about it. Buy a ticket, or enter our #FreshestCanInTheLand competition, where you stand the chance to win two entrance tickets.
Finding our beers in Sweden
Systembolaget
In the navigation you can click on the Systembolaget link. There you can have a look at a map, where we feature the stores that will have our beers on their shelves. If you live in other parts of Sweden, then you can follow this link to order the beers directly from Systembolaget.se.
Folköl (Low ABV Beers)
In the navigation you can click on the Folköl link. There you can have a look at a map, that shows all the Stores & Supermarkets, including ICA & Hemköp that already stock our “folköl” across Sweden.
You can also follow us on Instagram
Hello Sweden!
Today we are welcoming our latest beer release, Herb Life.
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Exactly what it says on the can, Herb Life is an India Pale Ale loaded with grassy, herb forward hops, bringing pungent, dank and super fruity aromas and flavours to the brew pot. Sweet vanilla and coconut notes enhance dope, dank flavours with juicy hits of pineapple and a nice bitter, crisp hop bite to end with. Herb Life is the IPA that everyone wants to drink when the weather is improving and the pollen is getting into your system. 🤙
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This is the second beer in our homebrand series, following Malt Beverage, where we challenged our brewers with a two word brief, and where design does not take centre stage, but the beer itself.
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You can get your hands on this dope beer at good bars and restaurants in Sweden. Hitting Systembolaget 1 July.
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Take care, stay safe, and chill out.
#beerbliotek #bryggeri #swedishcraftbeer #craftbeer #beer #craftöl #öl #starköl #systembolaget #bolaget #systemet #sweden #gothenburg #beercans #cans #can #canart #ipa #indiapaleale #happy420day
T H R O W B A C K 🪟 T H U R S D A Y
Hey @skycoolbean remember that time we released a beer at the start of Spring 🌱after a long winter, called “Staring out windows” and we asked you to stare out the window for the marketing photo? You thought we were nuts 😂
We miss you at the brewery by the way 😘 come say hi once in a while.
#beerbliotek #throwbackthursday #lookingback #throwback #craftbeer #craftöl #beer #öl #starköl #sweden #sverige #gothenburg #göteborg
Beer Release Friday 16 April starting 2PM @brewdoggoteborg!
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We’re releasing the first beer to come out of our latest brewery project – beerbliotek experimental brew.
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beerbliotek experimental brew is a project focussed fully on exploration and experimentation. By bringing a small 100 litre brew kit in to play with the go-ahead for pushing boundaries and playfulness in a creative space, our brewers get to go nuts and try ingredients and different beer styles as a smaller batch. It gives them the freedom to experiment, hence the name.
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Linda Bengtström is the creator of the first experimental brew. You may remember Linda spent some time with us in the brewery this year as a portion of her brewing studies. At Beerbliotek, we decided as part of the education process for interns at our brewery, to create the opportunity for them to design their own recipe and brew that beer on our Experimental kit.
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Introducing Hoppy Lemon Sour Ale. This is a special one-time brew and limited beer release. As Linda is the Assistant Manager @brewdoggoteborg , we thought it was only fitting for them to be the only bar to get the batch!
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From the creator:
“I’m always dreaming of warmer days, and I wanted to brew a beer to remind me of summer. Juicy sour lemon haze meets tropical, citrusy hops with a hint of coconut and dry hopped for that extra punch! Refreshing and super drinkable, like lemonade. But better.”
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Join us & @saganomlinda on Friday if you’re feeling healthy 🍻 book a table via @brewdoggoteborg Facebook.
Take Care and Stay Safe.
We are Ombibulous. We see the merit in all drinks, and we enjoy every one of them.
When we founded Beerbliotek, we did it with the dream of doing something different. Brewing new beers every week, always. Now that almost seems the norm.
8 years on, and that dream is still alive. But it's a dream of doing something more.
Over late nights, travel and our love of flavours, we thought why not? Why only beer? We are Ombibulous.
18 months ago we decided to examine the possibility of making a larger array of drinks. Since our first child has now grown up. It’s time to extend the family.
@wetcityspirits is born from our love of these things.
So our first release is a Gin. A Gin we have worked rigorously on for a long time. Striving to achieve our goal of making a Gin for 100 drinks. But our future is more than Gin. Our future is grain to glass. Our future is fermented fruits. Our future, after all, is Ombibulous.
Follow our journey on @wetcityspirits
Photo credit 📸 @drickor
Bottle artwork 🖼 by @thisorthat.art
#gin #wetcity #wetcityspirits #spirits #sweden #sverige #swedishgin #svenskgin #systembolaget #cocktails #gibson #ombibulous #weareombibulous #iamombibulous
Malt Beverage – Amber Lager 5,3%
This is the first beer in our homebrand
series where we challenged our brewers
with a two word brief, and where design
does not take centre stage, but the beer
itself.
A spicy and sweet Amber Lager with a
full malt flavour. Hints of sweet apples and
fig jam on the nose, caramel and dried fruit
notes in the flavour, and a light yeast
character with the perfect bitterness to end it
off. This malt beverage is the perfect
balance between yeast, hops and malted
barley leaving you wanting more.
Now available to pick up and order online at Systembolaget.
Sweden and export release to bottle shops, bars and restaurants from Monday 12 April.
Fancy a Malt Beverage but don’t see it at your local? Get in touch, we’ll try to make it happen.
#beerbliotek #maltbeverage #amberlager #lager #systembolaget #swedishcraftbeer
T H R O W B A C K 🍑 T H U R S D A Y
Hey @jimmy.nilsson remember way back when we brewed a batch of Bobek Citra and decided to add peach to it? Then afterwards you thought it was sweeeeet that we did it, cause it turned out awesome.
#throwback #throwbackthirsday #lookingback #beerbliotek #craftbeer #craftöl #öl #beer #sweden #sverige #systembolaget
Beer Release #300 We don’t count sequentially – Freeze-distilled Wheat Wine 18,0%.
Hello Sweden! 🇸🇪 10:00 today (Wed 7 April) beer number #300 will be on the Systembolaget shelves and available to order online!
This super special beer is super limited. 42 boxes, 1080 cans. Only released in Sweden at Systembolaget. See the selected @systembolaget stores below.👇
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And remember, there are only 1080 cans!
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@systembolaget stores:
• Timmervägen 6 - Göteborg
• Östra Nordstan - Göteborg
• Nordstan - Malmö
• Hansakompagniet
+ @systembolaget online orders.
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#wedontcountsequentially #freezedistilled #wheatwine #beer #beerbliotek #sweden #gothenburg #swedishcraftbeer #systembolaget #cans #can #canart #craftbeer
As we countdown the hours until #300 limited release, We don’t count sequentially, our very first Freeze-distilled Wheat Wine, we’re looking back on some of the things we have done as a brewery, on the way to 300.
On the way to 300, we moved from bottles to cans.
Some of us at the brewery still remember the clinking sound of glass bottles from the early days of capping bottles by hand, yes, one by one. Thinking back, maybe there was a reason we packaged more beer in kegs at that time…
Now we’re living a bit bigger with our very own canning line. The reasons are simple; it’s better for the beer, and the environment, plus metal recycles forever. We think it’s safe to say the beer itself, as well as our brewers, are much happier now.
Buy hey, doing everything by hand did teach us to appreciate our bottling line, and now our canning line. More beer out, in less time. Though some of us still miss the mark on the cap left by the capping machine. The good ol’ days.
Fun Fact! On 1 March 2016, beer number #120, Single Hop Mosaic, was the first beer off our canning line. (A fresh hoppy batch is currently available @systembolaget).
Have you noticed our current cans have the Beerbliotek story hidden underneath? 👀
We will be releasing 1080 cans of We don’t count sequentially, our very first Freeze-distilled Wheat Wine, only @beerbliotek systembolaget 🇸🇪 in selected stores and online. On sale from Wednesday 7 April 10:00.
#frombottlestocans #canart #candesign #cans #bottles #wildgoosefilling #beerbliotek #swedishcraftbeer #systembolaget #wedontcountsequentially #freezedistilledwheatwine #onthewayto300
Hello Sweden! 🇸🇪
Spring has sprung, the sun is shining on us here in Gothenburg and we’re hopping right back into action after a nice long Easter weekend with not one, not two, but THREE beer releases at @systembolaget this morning! (Tuesday 6 April 10:00).
• Bockstreet's Bock, Alright! – 6.8% Maibock
• Single Hop Idaho 7 – 6,5% IPA
• Malt Beverage – 5.3% Amber Lager
❕Don’t forget our 300th beer and first ever Freeze-distilled Wheat Wine, We don’t count sequentially, has a limited release tomorrow @systmebolaget! (Wednesday 7 April 10:00).
Hope you all enjoyed a nice and relaxing long Easter weekend.
#systembolaget #beerbliotek #swedishcraftbeer #gothenburg #craftbeer #bock #bockstreetsbockalright #singlehop #singlehopidaho7 #maltbeverage #amberlager #freezedistilledwheatwine #wedontcountsequentially #300
Happy Friday folks! On Wednesday we release beer number 300, our very first freeze-distilled Wheat Wine! Which we’ve named, We don’t count sequentially.
As we wait for the big day, we thought we would look back at some of the things we have done as a brewery, on the way to 300.
On the way to 300, we have made our beer names wordier.
Coming up with a beer name is an artform, especially when you hit the 300 mark. For us (mainly @adamnorman), the longer, the wordier, the more bizarre and off the cuff, the better. For our designer (@darryl74), however, not so much.
At the start, we used to just call our beers after their ingredients and the style, it was simpler times. But every beer has a story. So for us, the beer name is a small insight to the great, slightly mad, stories we want to tell.
A lot of our beer names are inspired by people we meet at festivals, and experiences we share. (Remember these collabs @wylam_brewery @whiplashbeer @cervisiamno ?) If you want to know what these beer names are all about, or inspire the next one, then see you at a festival in the near future, or drop a comment below, or check out our beer stories on Our Blog.
Our longest beer name (so far) is beer number #280 “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them enjoy the view 🐴 Sorry to any bartender out there who had to write that one on the menu board…
What’s been some of your favourite Beerbliotek beer names? Here’s some photos of ours.
Also, any secret naming genius’ out there? Drop a suggestion below if you fancy naming a beer and getting your name mentioned the label. 10 points for the wordiest.
Limited release of #300 We don’t count sequentially @systembolaget, in selected stores and online.
#canyoumakethebeernamewordier #whoiszippy #beerbliotek #wylambrewery #whiplash #cervisiam #wedontcountsequentially #onthewayto300
