Style: Sour beer
Brewery: Skellefteå Bryggeri
Origin: Skellefteå
Size: 44cl
Alcohol: 4.9%
Price: 50kr
Systembolaget: 37286
Skellefteå Brewery opened in 2011 and brew in the same location as the old Skellefteå Ångbryggeri. They currently release beer under a few different brands, including Kallholmen, Bryggarbackens and Backens. They were more than happy to participate in the tasting when asked and suggested this beer, which is one of the first sour beers they have released. It’s a sour beer which contains morello cherries, the traditional cherry variety used in Belgian Kriek beers. It was released as part of a series of beers in co-operation with local artist Church Tiger, hence the unique artwork.
This was deep raspberry red to ruby in colour, with hardly any head forming as expected. The aroma reminded me of cherry Jolly Rancher, with a good hit of strawberry backing it up. This surprised me as I first tried it, as it was nowhere near as sour as I expected. It was almost soda like, with fizzy red fruits tingling the tongue along with a light lemon sherbet sour note to balance. The tongue was bought to life, and it really made the mouth water before leaving a pleasant dryness. The aftertaste was short but invigorating, with a nice blend of red fruit left on the palate. No alcohol was noticed, but I would have been shocked if it had been.
I liked this a lot, but I feel like it could have either been a bit more fruity or a bit more acidic. It kind of sits on the fence slightly, and I feel it could have done with a slight shove in either direction. Although the price might be a tad too high, for a change of pace in a session this would be perfect. It was still very pleasant though, and I would have no problem drinking the whole can of this. I look forward to seeing how the series will progress with the next couple of releases!