Style: Glögg IPA Barleywine
Brewery: Solna Bryggeri
Origin: Sweden
Size: 75cl
Alcohol: 11%
Price: 147kr
Systembolaget: 32507 (out of stock)
Solna Bryggeri was founded in 2020 by a group of 5 friends, and it has continued to expand since then. This is a beer-glögg, with the idea that you can make “glögg” versions of different beer styles. Brewed as a normal IPA, but the fermentation process is boosted with different sugar types (raisins, normal sugar etc), leaving simple residual sugars thus giving both a high level of alcohol and residual sweetness. It is not carbonated either like regular glögg, and dry hopped with Sabro and Cascade. As soon as I saw this I knew I had to have it in the IPA tasting as it was something completely unique, and I thought it would be so fun to try. After tasting it, I would definitely say it was a fun experience!
It was light copper to brown with a thick layer of white sediment at the bottom which I only presume was yeast. It broke up into clumps when the bottle was moved, but we did our best not to include it into the samples. The beer was flat, as already stated, with no head forming at all. When heated and poured, massive Christmas spice notes escaped the glass, with raisins, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger all making an appearance. These all followed through into the tasted, with the thick and sweet body coating the tongue when swallowed. The spicy notes were massive, with the dried fruit backing them up well. The aftertaste was long, with the cinnamon especially lingering on the palate. The hops were noted, but they were a minor note and I wish they had pushed through a little more considering it was supposed to be an IPA.
This was a strange beer indeed, but fun to try. More of a slightly hoppy barley wine instead of an IPA, this was still nice and fun to try when warmed like regular glögg. I was a big surprise to the guests as this was a secret beer, and I think they enjoyed the experience. Definitely one to try if you get the chance, but you don’t need a lot of it, as a small amount goes a long way!