Brewery: Heavy Metale / Nääs Gårdsbryggeri
Country: Sweden
Size: 33cl
ABV: 5%
Price: 140kr (box set)
Systembolaget: 80710 (box set)
When I was searching around for rock inspired beers I looked into buying in the Opeth three pack that I had bought for myself a couple of months before. Opeth have been a massive influence on many bands throughout the world, so I was really interested in getting one of their beers for the tasting. I realised though that maybe it would be a bit boring to try three beers brewed by the same people and linked to the same band. After talking to the nice people at Heavy Metale I was allowed to buy in just one sort of beer from the multipacks and so I went with the pilsner as I wanted a nice, easy beer to start the tasting with.
The artwork on the bottle is rather unique, just like the band itself. The strange label consisted of a tree with the band faces appearing to grow on it. As I opened the bottle I hoped the pilsner wouldn’t haunt my nightmares like the label still does today. The beer itself was light golden in colour with a slight cloud. The head disappeared directly even with some carbonation noticeably present in the glass. A quick swirl showed that it had a rather light body which was to be expected of course. The aromas were quite mild but consisted of hay, malt and a light citrus tone. It smelt very smooth, especially with the pleasant malts coming through. The taste was very similar to the smell, with straw, malts, and a mild small citrus note detected. A slight white wine tone also came through. It was a lot fuller tasting than the aroma suggested. A crisp dryness with hints of digestive came through in the after taste.
All in all this beer was exactly how I expected it to be. It was crisp and clean with a slight dry edge to it. It felt well-balanced and easy to drink. It was definitely a nice way to start the tasting and I think I made the right choice for going with the pilsner. I think that 140kr for the three pack of different beers is rather expensive though it must be said. I would prefer it if you could buy the bottles separately at Systembolaget. As for the lager though, I could easily drink this again some time just as long as I don’t have to look at the soul stealing label…