Collaborations between breweries across borders are an exciting part of beer culture. Brewers get to share ideas, invent a new recipe, and often brew the beer together onsite. And consumers get to taste something new and unexpected. Recently, a friend told me about a few Spanish-Swedish brew collabs that are worth checking out.

Drunken Bros, a brewery based in Zamudio, Basque Country, released a collab with four other breweries in November last year. Together with Laugar, also from Basque Country, and La Grua, from Cantabria, they joined forces with Bustad Brewing Co from Lidköping and AKiA Brygghus from Kungsbacka in Sweden.

Described as super ultra mega drinkable, their vibrant hazy IPA called Marvin is brewed with three types of hops: Citra for bright citrus and tropical fruit notes, Kohatu for some stone fruit and a herbal touch, and Nelson Sauvin for a white grape character. Referred to as a liquid celebration of the collaborative spirit, Drunken Bros states: “It’s the kind of beer that can only emerge when several hands, minds, and hop lovers align.”

In March this year, Madrid-based Oso Brew Co brewed a Double IPA together with Brewski from Helsingborg. The beer, called OSKI, is an aromatic explosion of grapefruit and lime, ripe mango and passion fruit, plus a hint of pine resin. A tribute to modern hop culture, this DIPA is bold yet surprisingly drinkable, or as Oso Brew Co states: “once you try it, there’s no going back.”

Collaborations between Swedish and Spanish breweries is not a new thing though. For instance, Naparbier, located in Noáin, Navarra, and Beerbliotek, from Gothenburg, jointly released two beers in 2018. First out was a West Coast IPA called Stop me if you think you heard this one before, brewed in Spain. Their second collab beer, brewed in Sweden, was a dry farmhouse-style IPA named Hacerse el Sueco (meaning to pretend not to hear or notice).

Apart from creating beer magic together, collabs like these go beyond brewing. They offer opportunities for brewers to experiment, but they also grow communities, strengthen bonds, and might even surprise and delight consumers.

Malin Norman Booking.com

Read the feature on issuu