14
WIZZ MAGAZINE
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2012/13
I
n a red-brick building on the southern
edge of Gothenburg, something
festive is brewing. Along with the
usual lagers, ales and porters, the beer
makers at Ocean Bryggeriet have been
carefully crafting a 5.8%
julöl
(
literally,
Christmas beer) to be sold in bars and
shops across Sweden.
Julöl has been part of Swedish culture
for centuries, but thanks to the dozens of
microbreweries that have sprung up in the
last 20 years, there’s now a much wider
selection from which drinkers can choose.
“
Traditionally, what big breweries
produced as julöl was just colourised
German lager,” said Thomas Bingebo,
Ocean Bryggeriet’s head brewer. “But in
the mid-to-late ’90s, when craft brewers
got into the market, it became an ale.”
Ocean Bryggeriet’s own julöl is a strong,
dark beer with malty tones and a sweet,
chocolatey aftertaste. Around 80 venues
across Gothenburg now stock it, with many
restaurants serving it as an accompaniment
to the traditional Swedish julbord, a kind
of Christmassy smorgasbord that includes
everything from ham and meatballs to
herring and beetroot salad.
“
If it’s raining in Gothenburg and you
head to the pub for a pint or two, you won’t
get too drunk on it. But it combines with
the julbord very well,” said Bingebo.
Most Swedish breweries begin producing
their own julöl in October, with the final
product in bars a month or two later, or at
branches of Sweden’s state-owned bottle
shop Systembolaget, the only retailer that’s
allowed to sell alcoholic drinks with an
ABV of more than 3.5%.
For a more sociable drinking experience,
you can join the friendly crowd at The
Rover (Andra Långgatan 12, +46 (0)317
750 490,
therover.se), which has one of the
city’s widest selections of beers, including
regional brews from across Sweden. At
Heaven 23, the panoramic restaurant
on the top floor of the newly extended
Gothia Towers hotel (Mässans gata 24,
+46 (0)317 508 800, gothiatowers.com),
you can try Ocean’s bottled beers while
drinking in views of the city, such as the
twinkling lights of Liseberg, the theme park
that hosts Scandinavia’s biggest Christmas
market (open until 23 December), located
across the road. Even here, among the
rollercoasters, Ocean’s beers are for sale.
So what’s next for the brewery? “We
want to grow in our own way, organically,”
Bingebo said. “Last year we produced
about 150,000 litres. This year we’ll be
up to about 200,000. We’re looking for
about 20% growth a year.”
oceanbryggeriet.se
SWEDISH SEASONAL SUDS
Words by Steven Vickers
FOOD & DRINK
ILLUSTRATION: VALERO DOVAL/YCN
