Beer lovers of Stockholm now have a new occasion to look forward to… Stockholm Brewers Festival may have just had its first edition, but has promised to come back next year and to have echoing mini beer events though the rest of the year.
This first edition of the festival, which had a total sold-out success, took place at Orion Theatre between the 2nd and 3rd of June with the participation of 16 local and international microbreweries. The music was provided by 8 different local bands, and the food was served by American smoked BBQ masters from Low & Slow, Indian Street Food and Katarina Ölkafé, plus a little something for the sweet tooth: ice cream by Stikki Nikki.
The festival served as a space to promote the beer from our community’s microbreweries, which might not have a big name behind them yet, but are creating artisanal brews with the quality and level of other more recognized beers.
The system was simple: you would collect your beer tokens and a tasting glass at the entrance. Once inside you would go around choosing from the various available beers to try, exchanging one token per beer selection. Oh and the beers… they were all extremely good!! Honestly, it’s hard to believe that you can find better beers than those at Stockholm Brewers Festival anywhere else… from the IPAs to the dark stouts to the lagers, all of them crafted with so much passion that you could taste it.
We took part in the first of 3 sessions in which the festival was divided. The first session was on Friday and the second and third sessions on Saturday. That day the music came courtesy of Joe Davolaz, Star Horse and the punk rockers Stilla Havet, which took the stage with such stamina injecting their energy into an excited audience. All the artists that performed during the festival were local talents, who played for free using the festival as a place to showcase themselves. Also a limited edition LP was on sale featuring songs from all of these artists.
The participating local beweries were:
Stockholm Brewing Co., Nordic Kiwi Brewers, Unibärsum Bryggeri, Sigtuna Brygghus, Nya Carnegiebryggeriet, Tempel Brygghus, PKLK Bryggeri, Frequency Beer Works, Modernist Brewery, Kungsbryggeriet, Brewing Költur and Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri.
And the 4 guest international breweries were, from Denmark Dry & Bitter Brewing Company, from England Beavertown Brewery, from the Basque Country Basqueland Brewing Project and from the Netherlands Brouwerij de Molen.
Among other amenities the festival had mini-golf and aiming games, and even a station to craft your own customized leather belt. It literally felt like being somewhere in a barn in the U.S. hanging with the locals, just having a good time and drinking fantastic beer. We’re so much looking forward to Stockholm Brewers Festival returning next summer!
