Style: Scotch ale
Brewery: Östersundsbryggerier
Origin: Sweden
Size: 44cl
Alcohol: 7.6%
Price: 40kr
Systembolaget: 32982
Jemtehed & Brande was started in 2012 in the form of advanced hobby brewing. As the volume of beer increased, the brewery was transformed into Östersundsbryggerier in 2018. Now based in Brunflo, they brew 2000L batches at a time. This beer won gold in its class and silver at the entire festival at last month’s Beer & Taste. A “Wee Heavy” is another term for a scotch ale, which hails from Scotland in the 18th Century and is a heavily malt forward beer that is usually between 7 – 11%. As this was partly a Christmas tasting, I wanted to have some beers that would pair nicely with traditional Swedish food such as meatballs and sausages. This seemed like the perfect fit, so this went straight into the tasting.
It was deep ruby red to chocolate brown with a thin, mocha head that lasted for a while. The aroma was pleasant, with roasted nuts, toffee, milk chocolate and a hint of metal in the background. The body was hefty, filling the mouth. The taste was big and bold, with sweet caramel, hazelnuts, toasted malt and figs all present. The aftertaste was fairly dry, with the bitterness slowly growing but never overpowering. The alcohol was there in the chest, but it never made the beer feel boozy.
This is a great scotch ale and one that would indeed work well with the meat side of the Christmas dinner. Smooth, warming and toasty, this was delicious and well worth trying again.