Style: Smoked bock lager
Brewery: Nils Oscar
Origin: Sweden
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 7.2%
Price: 37kr
Systembolaget: 32469
Founded in 1995, Nils Oscar is named after the founder’s grandfather and is based in central Nyköping. Every year, the Swedish Home Brewers Association organizes the SM in home-brewed beer. The winner gets the opportunity to brew a beer together with Nils Oscar and in 2023 Fredrik Olsson and Mikael Andersson won with a smoked bock called “Smokepeace” and this is the resulting collaboration brew. First brewed in Einbeck in the 14th century, Bavarians adopted the style in the 17th century but due to their accent pronounced the town as “Ein Bock” or “a goat”, hence the styles’ association with goats. Midsummers is synonymous with BBQ and grilled meats, so when I found this beer, I knew it would be an amazing pairing for the slider that I was going to be giving out at the tasting. It must be said, this may be one of the best food and beer pairings I’ve ever had in an event!
This had beautiful ruby and amber colours emanating the glass when held to the light, with the thin beige head rapidly disappearing. The aroma was lovely, with crispy smoked bacon, toffee, raisins and brown sugar all coming through delightfully. All these aromas continued into the taste, with the smoked meat notes prominent on the palate, with a hint of blue cheese coming through in the aftertaste. Low in carbonation and medium bodied, this also had notes of dark malts, licorice and tar. The beer transformed to another level though when eaten with the slider, with the smoke lifting the meat and working superbly together.
This was a glorious smoked beer that paired wonderfully with the slider burger. The smoke wasn’t overpowering, allowing room for the other characteristics of the beer to shine through. This was a winner from Nils Oscar and a beer I will look out for more in the future. If you are looking for a great food beer to try over the summer, I would highly recommend this.