We say goodbye to Raspberry Wheat, announce our competition winner and launch more new beer – Weekly Update
We shall call this the week after holiday recovery week. Things are getting back to normal, the bottling line’s been busy, the canning line is warming up and we’ve kegged a new Berliner. Adam has gone on paternity leave, just as Richard came back from paternity leave. Perfect timing, like a well oiled canning line 🙂
Richard preparing to offload a pallet of cans.
A fresh shipment of cans has also been delivered this past week. We’ve been really happy with how the beer drinking public has accepted our beers in cans. There’s obviously still those that prefer bottles, hence us still doing some beers in the bottle, and that’s the way it’s going to stay for the foreseeable future.
We do however want to do more beer in cans, that’s why part of this shipment has included some blank cans. We’d like to can and label some smaller batches, and that means avoiding the costs of getting a whole shipment of pre-printed cans.
As you lift the cans from the truck, is when you realise that it’s a none argument when you discuss transport costs, cans vs. bottles. Not saying they weigh nothing. But compared to bottles there’s a big, big difference. Plus Richard is less nervous with a full pallet of cans on the forklift than he is with a full pallet of bottles.
Saying goodbye to Raspberry Wheat
We’re a brewery that brews a lot of different beers. 164 at the last count, and that in 3 years. So we have a lot of beers that have come and gone in that time. Beers that we’ve brewed just once.
Raspberry Wheat however does not fall into that group, it’s part of our standard range. It’s the ninth beer we’ve brewed, so it’s pretty much been with us since the start. But the time has come to say goodbye.
Living in Sweden, we have to contend with the fact that we have only one bottle store to sell our beers in, the state owned Systembolaget. Raspberry Wheat has been one of our first beers to go into that shop, along with Black IPA, Christmas Nights, Bobek Citra and Hip Hops. We’ve increased the amount of beers we have at Systembolaget, to eleven at the last count, and although we’re going to stay at that amount for now, we’re looking to add to it in the future.
Raspberry Wheat has also been through the changes of our brand platform and label design. The original label had the picture of the Älvsborgs Bridge on. The bridge is close to our original Sockerbruket Brewery, which is now our Sour Brewery.
The label has always been pink, just because of the colour of Raspberry puree, so changing it to fit into our new profile has actually been easy. Personally it’s my favourite label, as it stands out on a shelf.
On the new labels we’ve also started adding the numbers for each beer to the main part of the label. They are also on the old labels, but much smaller. Have a look top left on the old labels in the pink line. Now you know where to look if you find a bottle with the old labels.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, my journey into beer came because Adam introduced me to beer that would intrigue me as someone who loves wine. I’ll still write about that one day.
But for most people there’s always a craft beer that we can call their gateway into the world of craft beer. If you like chocolate, try a chocolate stout. Like Cider, then try a Berliner. Just a beer that would be similar to that which they already like and drink often.
When we launched Raspberry Wheat, we did it at the start of summer, and that is when Rosé wines become very popular here in Sweden. Hence the tagline that accompanied the launch. 30% Wheat and a lot of Raspberries. The perfect Rosé for summer.
There’s less than a pallet of bottles left at the brewery, and when they’re gone, then it’s gone forever. The video below was the second last time we packaged the beer.
When we decided on the beers that we’d like to put into cans, Raspberry Wheat was included. It went all the way to the design and pre-printing phase. Personally I think it looks great in the can. Now that we’re saying goodbye to it, I am going to miss the colour pink in our portfolio.
Why get rid of it you may ask? Well, we’ve always tried to bring new and exciting beers to market, and although we’ve enjoyed making this beer, and having it as part of our standard range, it feels like it is time to move on.
Another aspect we’re aiming for is always trying to improve as we go along. That means improving our recipes where we can and brewing better beer where we can.
We hope that everyone that reads this has had a chance to try Raspberry Wheat. We also hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have enjoyed brewing it these last three years.
As I mentioned, there’s still bottles left, so if you live in Sweden, you can still order some through Systembolaget.
I know I still have some bottles left from three summers ago. They’re more for show than for consumptions, and now that it’s the end of the road, I am going to hold onto them.
And the winner is…
The winning photo in our #FreshestCanInTheLand competition is from eyeofthe_beer_holder
Congratulations to eyeofthe_beer_holder for winning our #FreshestCanInTheLand competition. It was a close race, with some great entries, but in the end, there can only be one winner. Thank you to everyone for entering, especially to our other four finalists, marcus_wanna_be_er_nerd, bcnbeerfest, johannorling81 and _mly_.
The other four finalists in our #FreshestCanInTheLand competition.
Berliner number six out soon
Next week at the Brekeriet & Friends Beer Festival, we’ll be launching our sixth Berliner. The name is a secret, but I must say, it tastes lovely 🙂
Now to finish the label illustration.
Our sixth Berliner is out soon.
We hope to see a lot of you at the Brekeriet & Friends Beer Festival next weekend. We’ll also have our Brekeriet/Beavertown/Beerbliotek collaboration Lovechild at the festival, so don’t miss out.
That’s it from me for this week, until next week.
Keep well.
Webshop
If you’d like to get hold of the same Beer T-Shirt Henrik is wearing then you’d need to get to our webshop soon. We have limited stocks available.
But fear not, we’re releasing our new merchandise range soon, so keep watching this space.
Festivals
Brekeriet Bar with friends – 13 August 2016
Join us as we head down to Malmö for the ”Brekeriet Bar with friends”. They have invited 11 friends to join them behind the bar and we just happen to be one of their friends.
The other breweries that will join us are Malmö Brewing Co, BrewDog, Remmarlöv Gårdsbryggeri, Hyllie Bryggeri, Constant Companion, Brewski, Alefarm Brewing, Stockholm Brewing Co., Dry & Bitter Brewing Company and Charlis Brygghus.
Each brewery/importer will be represented with two beers and a staff member working the bar. This year Darryl and his fiance will be pouring the beer, so come and say hi.
For more information on the festival and getting hold of your tickets, have a look at their website.
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
Have a look at our Systembolaget page, where you’ll find a map that features the stores that 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 to your closest store.
Folköl (Low ABV Beers)
Visit our Folköl page if you’d like to find out which Stores & Supermarkets, such as ICA & Hemköp stock our low ABV or “folköl” across Sweden.
You can also follow us on Instagram
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