Stockholm Beer 2007: A new brewery from Gothenburg!

It is not so often we get new breweries in Sweden, especially from Gothenburg. So it was very fun to see that we now have two breweries in the second city of Sweden. Dugges has given us many new exiting brews the last couple of years and is for many the best micro brewery in Sweden (I am one of them). So it is great to see a new brewery from the same city in the form of Oceanbryggeriet.

The brewery has a short but interesting history;

The "Oceanbryggeriet" was started during the winter of 2006. They are located at the old brewery of Lyckholm in Gothenburg and has recently started the production. The brewmaster is Thomas Bingebo and has a passed from the DWAN Brewery (Ireland), Messrs Maguire Brewpub (Ireland) and the Swedish brewery Jämtlands. The malt comes from Thomas Fawcett & Sons in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. The hops also from England, but also American and german hops are used. The brewery has plans to produce both draught, bottled and cask-conditioned ale.

The location has been a brewery through the Lyckholms Brewery between 1880 and 1975 when the owner Pripps closed them down. Lyckholms was a pioneer in many areas, for example they had the first cooler facility in Sweden already in 1881, a automatic bottle machine in 1887 and was first with filtering beers in 1889.

The brewery was purchased by Pripps and became the Pripp & Lyckholm brewery. Production was stopped during the 60s and finally closed completely in 1975. All of the brewery equipment come from the Jämtlands Brewery and formelly the closed brewery of Gamlestaden in Gothenburg. So the equipment was bought back to Gothenburg when Jämtlands upgraded too new equipments. As a brewer Thomas B has the knowledge for creating great beers after doing over 700 brews for the Jämtlands brewery.

As the first couple of beers that were provided at the festival comes;

1. Ocean Red Ale (4.8 ABV, hops; Northern Brewer, Challenger, Bramling X & Cascade, A English Porter)
2. Ocean Porter (5.6% ABV, hops; Northern Brewer & Challenger, An Irish Ale)

We tasted them both and it looks very promising, especially the Porter was a direct winner, a tobacco & coffee combination that makes a real English style porter.

We within the beer community says; Great with a new brewery in the old beer capitol of Sweden and good luck in the future.

One more thing; the next 2 beers will the Ocean India Pale Ale & Ocean Pilsner.