Style: Cider (sweet)
Producer: Three Towns Independent Brewers
Origin: Sweden
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 4.5%
Price: 17kr
Systembolaget: 11018
As much as I love excellent beer and cider, I also have a thing for weird beer and cider. If I pick up a can or bottle and say to myself “That sounds crazy / horrible / fun” I always have to buy it just to try it. There are so many beers that taste similar to each other that I love new products that are completely random and unique. Hence, when I found that there was a company who was releasing a cider that tasted like skumtomte (marshmallow Santa sweets), I jumped at the chance to put them into the tasting.
This was very pale pink in colour with no head, which is to be expected with it being a cider. The aroma was a blend of strawberry, artificial sweetener, cream, raspberry and sponge cake which was strange but quite nice in its own way. The taste was indeed just like liquid skumtomte sweets. The marshmallow sweetness was coupled with apple, pear and an artificial strawberry that mellowed into a slightly harsh burn in the back of the throat. The body was sticky and leaves a film on the lips and palate. The taste didn’t linger after swallowing and left the mouth feeling syrupy.
I must say that they went out to create a skumtomte cider and they did just that. It tastes exactly like it, with a very similar pink colour to match. It does what it says on the tin. Was it enjoyable? Well, I would say it’s not as bad as it could have been. I wouldn’t want to drink a whole can, but it was fun to try indeed!