Brewery: Södra Maltfabriken
Country: Sweden
Size: 33cl
ABV: 8%
Price: 30kr
Systembolaget: 32771
You can’t have easter time without a few different things. You can’t get away from the chocolate, the chicks or, of course, the bearded guy hanging around. The Easter bunny is also synonymous with this time of the year so when I found this aptly named beer I knew it had to be in my tasting. I had tried the barley wine from Södra Maltfabriken in the last tasting and I enjoyed it so I thought this would be interesting to try too. What I didn’t expect was that this beer would be about the best one I tasted that night.
The beer was clear amber in colour with a head fell away quite quickly. The body looked medium and there wasn’t a large amount of carbonation present in the glass after the pour. The aroma was a really delicious blend of dark fruit, sour pineapple and warm apricot. Behind the fruits there was a layer of floral pine and herbs that complimented the fruits and worked to create an impressive bouquet on the nose. The body was a lot fuller than it looked. The taste was complex with many different parts to it. There was fresh pineapple in the initial hit that was followed by the herbal hops and a big, syrupy sweetness. Hazelnuts were also noted in the back of the mouth. Although it was quite strong at 8%, the warmth was to a minimum. Marzipan sweetness in the aftertaste came along unexpectedly along with grassy hops that slowly petered out.
I thought this was great and one of my favourite beers of the night. It had a lovely aroma that never got old, no matter how much you smelt it. The taste was smooth, full and delicious on the palate. This was a most enjoyable DIPA and it was a shame that I ended up buying the last few bottles in the whole of Sweden. I hope the crew at Södra Maltfabriken produce this one again next year because I will absolutely buy a few bottles for myself.