Brewery: Oppigårds
Country: Sweden
Size: 33cl
ABV: 5.2%
Price: 19kr
Systembolaget: 1490
When I thought about putting together a craft beer tasting session, the first brewery that leapt onto my list was Oppigårds. The are the definitive big boys of the Swedish craft scene. A report I recently read stated that Oppigårds produced more beer by volume than the combined second, third and fourth biggest craft breweries. That is indeed a lot of beer. So it was only fair that they were represented. I went for their golden ale as it is actually their first beer they released and as it’s still going strong today, I considered it a safe bet.
It was bright metallic gold in colour with a very crisp look to it. There was only a slight amount of bubble evident but the white head held quite well. The aroma was big hits of malt. Biscuit, grain and honey were at the forefront along with a slight lemon peel and uncut grass. The robust, nicely rounded honey malt continues into the tasting. Behind that hides a small amount of bitter peel that permeates and builds into the aftertaste. There was a long grassy bitterness that lingers on the back of the tongue until the next sip.
I found it became more enjoyable the more I drank as the mouth got acclimatised to the big malty notes. It had a nice solid body to it but wasn’t cloying on the palate. If I’m honest (as always) I liked it but it didn’t blow me away. I could see this going very nicely with a juicy burger though to really pair those big malty notes with the burger bun and succulent meat. Defintely one to file under the category of “good food beer”.