Swedish brewing: from mead to pilsner, decadent pastry stouts and beer brewed from wastewater

The Swedish brewing industry has a turnover of SEK 21 billion per year and employs around 5,000 people. With around 400 active breweries, Swedish brewing is flourishing and praised for world-famous pastry stouts and hyped IPAs with tropical fruits.

The Swedish Brewers Association (Sveriges Bryggerier) is Sweden’s oldest trade association, formed in 1885 when the country had more than 500 breweries. Its members produce beer of course but also cider, soft drinks, water and other brewery products.

The number of breweries in the early 90s was down to just 20, however the industry is flourishing once again with around 400 active breweries with production in Sweden. These days, Swedish brewing has a turnover of SEK 21 billion per year and employs around 5,000 people.

A total of 471 million litres of beer were sold in Sweden in 2023. What might be surprising is that alcohol-free beer is the fastest growing segment. In the last 10 years, sales of alcohol-free beer has increased by over 750 per cent.

Photo: Sveriges Bryggerier

Mead-drinking Vikings and Swedish lager

According to the Swedish Brewers Association, the country’s beer culture dates back to the Viking Age when people drank mead, which had a close connection to religion. Alcohol’s stimulating and intoxicating properties appeared supernatural and mead was believed to possess a divine power that imparted immortality, poetry and wisdom to the drinker.

Eventually, beer became the dominant drink for everyday life and celebrations. During an annual gala dinner in Stockholm City Hall, each participant drank around ten litres of beer. In 1463 and 1468, a whopping 14.5 litres of beer were downed per person at the event.

In the 18th century, spirits increased in popularity and beer lost some of its importance. In the 1840s, the bottom-fermented Bavarian beer was brought to Sweden and over time a new variant was developed, the Swedish lager. It was lighter in colour, had fewer hops and was generally higher in alcohol. In the 1870s, pilsner was introduced and has dominated the market since World War I – not too sweet, rather dry with a distinct hops bitterness, and significantly lighter than other types of beers.

Photo: Carolina Romare imagebank.sweden.se

Beer brewed from purified wastewater

Sweden’s oldest registered brand is Carnegie Porter, from 1836. Carnegie Porter has been the leading porter in Sweden and is still available for distribution. In 2014, Nya Carnegiebryggeriet (New Carnegie Brewery) was founded, as a collaborative joint venture between Carlsberg Sweden and Brooklyn Brewery from the US. In a converted old Luma light bulb factory in Stockholm, the brewery is a hub for beer lovers.

One of its beers has received plenty of attention internationally, a pale lager called PU:REST. This is Sweden’s first beer brewed with purified wastewater, a collaboration between Nya Carnegiebryggeriet, IVL Swedish Environmental Institute, and Carlsberg Sweden. The brewery’s efforts in circular brewing had film crews from around the world coming to find out more. Another of its praised beers is 100W IPA, a West Coast style IPA in celebration of the brewery’s 100th brew.

Church brewery and hyped beer festival

A Swedish brewery that is admired across the world is Omnipollo. What started as a gypsy brewery in 2010, the brainchild of brewer Henok Fentie and artist Karl Grandin, now has three locations in Stockholm. Omnipollos Kyrka is a former church converted into a brewery and taproom in the suburb Sundbyberg, Omnipollos Hatt is a beer and pizza place in the city centre, and Omnipollos Flora is a biergarten in a city park, open in spring and summer.

Amongst Omnipollo’s popular beers is the rich and decadent imperial stout Noa Pecan Mud Cake, which aims to bring back childhood memories. “When I was 12 I dreamed of becoming a pastry chef,” says brewer Fentie on Omnipollo’s website. “Call this a creative outlet for that dream, and a beer that set the spark for similar beers to come.”

Another hyped Swedish brewery is Brewski, founded by Marcus Hjalmarsson in 2014. Its first beer was the fruited Double IPA called Mangofeber, which became the foundation for the brewery’s success. Brewski now exports its beers across the world, and the annual Brewskival beer festival, this year taking place 22-24 August, is a must for the international craft beer community.

Amongst other noteworthy Swedish breweries are for instance Brekeriet Beer, which has a delicious Christmas beer spiced with saffron called Lusse Lelle, as well as Poppels, Stigbergets, and Dugges. And with around 400 breweries, there is much more to explore in Swedish brewing.

Photo: Tina Stafrén, imagebank.sweden.se

For more information, check out the Swedish Brewers Association: sverigesbryggerier.se