Overcoming Swedish Palate?

Discussion in 'Nordics' started by Cheesy_Hop_Pun_Number7842, Aug 15, 2015.

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  1. Cheesy_Hop_Pun_Number7842

    Cheesy_Hop_Pun_Number7842 Initiate (0) Jul 4, 2015 Arkansas

    So, one of my online buddies (not from BA, obviously) is from Sweden and he's quite a beer drinker. Unfortunately, his taste in beer is subpar, to say the least. His beers of choice are various local Swedish pilsners, german and czech pilsners occasionally, Guinness, and Miller Genuine Draft... There's nothing wrong with a good pils, of course. I'm not out to convert anyone, but when my friends are into beer, I will sometimes make recommendations of a new beer to try when they're at the store that I think they might like. I recommended he try some Belgian beers. He tried a Leffe blonde once on my suggestion and hated it.

    Now he thinks that Belgian beer is awful and his remarks are insulting about Belgium. To quote,
    "apple beer! what the fuck is that! beer is beer! not apple. fuck you belgiu and you beer! tintin is the only good you have done" (yes he was drunk off MGD when he wrote this, so forgive him.... Somewhat : )
    I had not mentioned apple beer in the least, he pulled that out of the etherium.

    Being a dude that cannot abide these insults to Belgium, any recommendations on a beer he should try that might appeal to his immature palate? He's only 21 or 22, but dead set on pilsners and full of Swedish pride. If he were in the US, I might recommend a hoppier pils like Prima Pils. I know that beer in Sweden is super expensive, mostly due to tax. They actually had Chimay Blue at his beer store, but it was too expensive for him. I also suspect that very few people buy the expensive foreign stuff and the Leffe blonde might have been skunked : / I realize that taste is an evolving thing and taste buds slowly die, letting us older folks enjoy stronger tastes like sours : ) I'm not expecting a miracle, but I'd like for him to try something better than miller from the US. The Miller time jokes are getting old and I'm tired of hearing that Belgium cannot brew beer.

    Anyway, looking for any recommendations for him, preferably from folks that know about the Swedish beer scene. I realize the best case scenario would be to fly to Belgium first, cross over and bring him some samples to try, which if he didn't like I would finish : P This isn't an option this year tho, so maybe a few beers to expand his palate slightly would be greatly appreciated. Also, he sounds like an ass but he's a nice guy, just with no beer appreciation. I had the good fortune to have a German roommate in college so I was taught early
    : D

    Cheers / Prost / Skål / Thanks in Advance!
     
  2. ONovoMexicano

    ONovoMexicano Initiate (0) Jun 14, 2012 New Mexico

    Tell him to try Omnipollo Fatamorgana and be a true patriot.

    As for Belgian beers, suggest Tripel Karmeliet, which I've heard new beer drinkers compare to Blue Moon (their comparisons, not mine). Also, early in my beer days I tried Van De Keizer Blauw (Het Anker) and loved it (still do), so that might do the trick.
     
  3. halo3one

    halo3one Initiate (0) Jun 6, 2014 Georgia

    Mail him IPAs and Stouts.
     
  4. bylerteck

    bylerteck Grand Pooh-Bah (3,167) May 17, 2009 Canada (ON)
    Pooh-Bah

    Make him like the same beers you do. He's obviously a jerk and terrible person for not liking Belgian beer. This guy sucks. Belgium has terrible beer.
     
    paulys55, spicoli00 and Hrodebert like this.
  5. Cheesy_Hop_Pun_Number7842

    Cheesy_Hop_Pun_Number7842 Initiate (0) Jul 4, 2015 Arkansas

    Hey now... troll failure, puck deflected with the glove... I'm not trying to brainwash him by any means. Merely looking for something he might like that isn't necessarily Belgian to expand his beer horizons. He's open to new ideas, he tried Leffe. Chimay was super expensive there so he didn't try that one. Maybe there's a brewery in Sweden that does some nice stuff? Looking for helpful advice for my friend : )
     
  6. Dave_Treat

    Dave_Treat Pooh-Bah (2,287) Jun 23, 2012 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    He seems happy with what he has, don't try too hard. What I do with friends like that, is offer them whatever I'm having. If they like it, give them more. If not, try again another day. If he stays with his pils, that is OK.
     
  7. Jaycase

    Jaycase Grand Pooh-Bah (3,858) Jan 13, 2007 Illinois
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    While flying over might not be an option, send him a box of beers from the good ol' US of A. Sounds like you have an idea of things to get him (e.g., Primo Pils) so you'll have total control of what to have him try.
     
    sharpski likes this.
  8. Dravin

    Dravin Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2014 Indiana

    Given he likes German Pils maybe suggest a different German lager? Maybe a Bock or Schwarzbier?

    Edit: Fair warning, I have no experience with the Swedish palate this is just a random shot in the dark.
     
  9. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    If you want to recommend a Belgian brewed beer that he would enjoy drinking suggest Stella Artois or Jupiler. These are the two most popular beers in Belgium and they are Euro Lagers so they should appeal to him.

    Cheers!
     
    Bonis and TheDoctor like this.
  10. juke_cleveland

    juke_cleveland Devotee (325) Sep 12, 2014 Indiana

    Second this. Omnipollo rules. Fatamorgana is BEAUTIFUL

    *edit* They also have a pilsner called Perikles
     
  11. Wer34truh

    Wer34truh Maven (1,423) Nov 25, 2014 Minnesota

    As a Swedish ex-pat who moved before I truly got into the beer-scene I don't have all to many local recommendations. But here are a few off the top of my head that might appeal to a new palate. Even though I also second the sentiment that if he enjoys his current beer-selection then maybe one could just let him be.

    Brewski Ananasfeber and Mangofeber. Two IPA's that have a sweeter and subtler aftertaste which is easier to get into than many of their more hoppy American counterparts. One of these two should be available in most Systembolagets (liquor stores) in Sweden.

    There are also a few good cheap lager beers that are widely distributed. My favorite that should be widely available is Nils Oscar God Lager. Not necessarily a break with what he's drinking now, but definitely a tier above the Norrlands Guld and Carlsberg.

    Brewdog could be interesting, as it is available throughout Sweden. Perhaps their Trashy Blonde or Punk IPA?

    Otherwise you could always go with a hefeweize. There aren't any great Swedish ones, but the big German brands are available throughout Sweden.

    There was a mention of Omnipollo before. I am criminally unaware of most of their brews, but Nebuchadnezzar was amazing.

    Lastly, I remember really enjoying Brooklyn's East India Pale Ale prior to truly getting into beer. Just a subtle and well-balanced pale ale.Definitely a very personal pick, but for it was the perfect beer to go to after just having drunk watery lager beers bought from the back of a sketchy van.

    I should recommend the website of the national liquor monopoly. I'm not sure how easy it is to navigate for a non-Swedish speaker, but you should be able to work it out using Google Translate. Through the search engine it has all the beer available in Sweden. Furthermore if you know which store he's closest to you can, with a great degree of accuracy, see what beer is available to him.
     
    #11 Wer34truh, Aug 15, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2015
  12. hopnado

    hopnado Initiate (0) Aug 13, 2014 Michigan

    Anyone know if there's a beer brewed with Swedish fish?
     
    Bonis likes this.
  13. WhatANicePub

    WhatANicePub Zealot (712) Jul 1, 2009 Scotland

    I'm not surprised he hates Belgian beer if his experience with it was Leffe and apple fruitbeer. Those are shit. Not all Belgian beer is great. Most of it is crap (like every other country).
     
    paulys55 likes this.
  14. Lurchus

    Lurchus Zealot (733) Jan 19, 2014 Germany

    Leffe is really not a good starting point. But most "iconic" belgian beers like LaChouffe, Westvleteren XII or Duvel are not good starting points for pils lovers, who are used to clean flavours.
    I would go a different route and introduce him to all the wonders of the Lager world. I don't know what is aviable in Sweden, but stuff like Augustiner Hell and Dunkel, Köstritzer Kellerbier and Schwarzbier or such classics (maybe even a Kölsch, gasp) might show him that there is something else out there,while not being too different from what he is used to...
     
  15. Cheesy_Hop_Pun_Number7842

    Cheesy_Hop_Pun_Number7842 Initiate (0) Jul 4, 2015 Arkansas

    Alright, thanks for all of the suggestions everyone!

    I'll see if he can find some Omnipollo. I forgot to mention he tried a Brooklyn beer on his own (and didn't mind it)
    so he's up for trying new stuff.

    German hefes might be a good choice, especially for summer if the clouds ever break there!

    @Wer34truh Thanks for the detailed info. I looked at that website and it has some great info. I can at least
    type in a beer to see if it might be available in his country. He lives in Linköping so selection might not
    be as big as the capital. Interesting to see some beers I didn't expect there including a lot of Lagunitas
    and New Belgium's La Folie. Hell, I'm having trouble finding enough La Folie! : )

    Anyway, great stuff, thanks again. I should be able to at least find a few things for him to try next beer run.
    Eventually, he will hopefully discover something he likes better than MGD :grinning:
     
  16. olradetbalder

    olradetbalder Initiate (0) Jan 31, 2011 Sweden

    I started one of the first beer blogs in Sweden and now writing for one of the biggest.
    I have been trying for a few years to convince people but they are very hard to convince!

    Quite hard to convince when our good beers like Mangofeber, like @Wer34truh said, is sold for 4,70 USD a 330 ml and a pretty good makro lager is sold for 1,17 for 500 ml. pretty big difference when you need more than one good beer.

    Good beers for someone who needs to be convinced is Remmarlöv, their beer is pretty good for the masses. The Blond epecially.
     
  17. Cheesy_Hop_Pun_Number7842

    Cheesy_Hop_Pun_Number7842 Initiate (0) Jul 4, 2015 Arkansas

    Thanks for the info! Glad my stubborn Swedish friend isn't the exception haha. And it sounds like taxes are pretty high there on beer. Also, kinda sucks when a gov't monopoly controls all beer, like in Ontario, Canada. Btw, mind if I ask for a link to your blog? I assume it's in Swedish, but maybe with google translate I can learn something.
     
  18. olradetbalder

    olradetbalder Initiate (0) Jan 31, 2011 Sweden

    It is in Swedish, but google translate is pretty good these days. Link: MankerBeer

    Well the tax may be high, but we dont pay much for healtcare, schools etc so win-win.
    The monoply though, that really sucks!
     
  19. jesus_man

    jesus_man Devotee (373) May 8, 2015 North Dakota

    If a guy likes pilsners and only pils, then it's hard to expand those types of people and being that young, he may be a quantity over quality guy. BUT, the beer that hooked me was Grimbergen Dubbel. Their Triple is quite nice as well, as is Delirium's. Duvel might be a good one to get him started as well.

    When I was that age, I only drank Coors light and Corona. I had tried a few others, including some darker beers, and didn't like them. I thought all dark beers were bitter until I discovered what Belgium had to offer. Now I generally seek out the darker stuff first and then try their lighter offerings.
     
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