Brewery: Göteborgs Nya Bryggeri
Country: Sweden
Size: 33cl
ABV: 5.8%
Price: 19kr
Systembolaget: 31927
As a child I was never a fan of licorice and that opinion hasn’t changed much in the following years. I thought sweet licorice in all forms was quite frankly disgusting but it was only when I moved to Sweden that it got even worse. It was only when I got to this lovely cold country that I was introduced to salty licorice. I was quite impressed in a way that they had managed to take something disgusting and make it even worse. I am a man of new experiences though so when I was told by friends they had tried a nice licorice beer I thought I should try it. Well, actually first I thought it sounded horrible but after a few hours of “gentle persuasion” I tried it. I realised it had some rather interesting qualities and so I included in the November beer tasting.
It was dark brown in colour with a slight red hue and gave a rather thin head. It was also quite light in body and carbonation. The aroma was malty rye and licorice accompanied by traces of metal and caramel noted. I found the aroma to be pleasant and I was surprised at just how well the licorice worked with the beer. Upon the first sip, my scepticism for a licorice beer was still in place though. The sweet malts, molasses and spices notes came flooding onto the palate, with only a hint of licorice detected which surprised me as I expected it to be a lot stronger. It left the mouth feeling quite dry and the aftertaste had a sweet edge to it.
I thought this beer was interesting and quite complex. I was quite dismissive of first but I found it to be a lot better than expected. For a beer though that has the word “lakrits” printed right over the label though I expected more licorice taste from the beer. As the licorice intensity was rather muted it might be why I didn’t mind it. I wouldn’t say I would buy this again but it was nice to try and I’m sure anyone who grew up with a love of the sweet stuff with enjoy this greatly.