Eftersom det var alla hjärtans dag igår så gick jag ut på Facebook och frågade folk hur de fann kärleken till öl. Responsen blev väldigt trevlig och här delar jag med mig av alla kärlekshistorier:
Från Peter, Halmstad
Jag hade skrivet en kort presentation om mig själv när jag mailade och brast spontant ut i gapskratt när jag läste raden från kontaktpersonens mail… “Kom gärna över, jag bor rakt över gatan”….Från Jonas, 150 år, Uppsala
För 100 år sedan (eller så) fick jag jobb på Prippen. Skulle sommarjobba där 4 veckor och blev kvar i 10 år. Det är väl starten på ett livslångt kärleksförhållande. Dock kickade det hela in på allvar en vårdag då jag var i Köpenhamn och fick för första gången smaka en Tuborg Grön (det här utspelade sig på den tiden Tuborg inte fanns i Sverige) på en uteservering på Ströget. Att sitta där i vårsolen och få smaka en sådan ‘kult’ öl som många då ansåg vara världens bästa, det var helt otroligt. Den flaskan rankar jag fortfarande som en av de godaste öl jag någonsin druckit, i förhållande till mina referenser då…..
Från Staffan, Uppsala
Starka minner av bryggeribesök på urquell 2002. Men det var på en camping i Boden av alla ställen (2004?) då landsortslager kom som tillfällig nyhet första gången jag höll på att ramla av stolen. Dubbelt så dyr som urquell och annan tjeckisk lager som det mest blev på den tiden. Tyckte ändå att det var värt 25kr. Har hänt en del sedan dess… Då fanns även westvleteren 12 i Uppsala för 80kr. Tramsigt dyrt tyckte jag då och köpte den aldrig.
Från Niklas, Vänersborg
Drack inte öl alls före 2000, var på en resa till chile och kom fram en dag när allt var stängt, allt son fanns att dricka den dan var kranvatten eller öl, valet var inte så svårt då det flöt saker i kranvattnet… Cristal var sorten, himmelsk tyckte jag då, har inte druckit den sedan den resan, kanske lika bra att låta bli, försöker hitta nya guldkorn.
Från Christian, Avesta
För drygt 13 år sen råkade Wirströms i gamla stan bli min och en god väns efter-jobbet-ställe. På vårt första besök fick vi shepards pie och en “bitter” rekommenderat. Resten är som man brukar säga, historia.
Från Michael, Malmö
Faktiskt så började den resan i USA – ok jag har alltid gillat öl men det var först 1996 jag fick upp ögon (eller rättare sagt smaken) på craft beer. Min syster bodde då i Vermont och i närheten fanns 2 små bryggerier Long Trail Brewery och Catamount Brewery och det var väl kärlek vid första ögonkastet. Long Trail är fortfarande verksamma medan Catamount försvann ganska snabbt (fick lite storhetsvansinne men bryggeriet finns fortfarande kvar och ägs numera av Harpoon).
Ever since we went to our first home brewer’s festival, me and my dad have been talking about making our own beer and participating in the competition. As you know we made our first brew from a “ready-to-go-kit” Good Friday (Långfredag) and then expand from that. We have also started planning for next year’s Swedish championship in Home Made Beer. We are currently working on the recipe and will make our two first experimental batches on the 30th of May.
Well now we are pretty much in present time and if you want the rest of this story, just keep following this blog.
I’ll see you all at the next festival. Cheers!
Top: Hairy Lard Belly (my dad), Little Down Belly (Me), No Hair and Small Club (Roger). Bottom: Ugly Bastard (Martin) and Drunken Beard (Gabriel).
Since I lived in Uppsala our first festival was Belgofesten, a small festival with homebrewed Belgian style beers. It was (and still is) the best festival I have ever visited. Great beers, great people and it was allot of fun talking to all the brewers.
Belgofesten in Uppsala 2007 (Home made belgian style beers). On the picture: Karsten, Martin, Peter (my brother) and me.
Belgofesten 2008. The whole Eriksson family gathered for this one. It looks like I have tried all of the beers already on this picture hehe 
We decided we had to go to more of this and two months later we went to the Swedish Championship in home brewing. After that we kept adding more festivals to our yearly calendar. Micro Brewery Festival in Söderbärke. Whiskey festival in Linköping. Wine and cheese festival in Örebro…. and so on… So far we haven’t started brewing ourselves yet but the plans are there as you will soon notice.
Me and my dad at the whisky festival in Linköping 2007. The picture was taken at a Macallan testing. There was some crazy scottish guy on the stage weilding a knife and talking about Macallan. Very interesting
I’m still missing pictures from Söderbärke, Örebro Whine and Cheese and the Swedish Championship in Home Brewed Beer, but I will have some more for you later on. Part 4 will be puplished shortly.
(I moved the 2003 Oxford beer festival to ‘Why Beer Part 2′.)
When I turned 21 I went to my first beer festival, Stockholm Beer and Whiskey (SBWF). Me and a bunch of mates together with my dad and a couple of his friends gathered some cars plus drivers and headed off to Stockholm. This was a great evening and I found a new favorite in Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri. I also remember drinking an English beer at their stand, named Pale Rider. Haven’t found it since then, but thought it was absolutely brilliant at the time.
(Me and my mates on our way to the 2002 SBWF)
(visible in the pic from the left is Bjunge, Anton and my brother Peter, then me up front)
(Me, my dad Åke and Christer at the 2002 SBWF)
After that festival, I and my dad started trying beers together when we had a chance. Little by little we also got my kid brother interested and have successfully turned him over to the dark side of beer by now. We made visiting SBWF into a tradition, well my dad had gone there for years but it was new to me and soon also to my brother.
(Me, my dad, Mark and Dave at 2003 SBWF)
(Me, Roger and Martin at the 2004 SBWF, it’s not fun standing in line. “Where is the damn beer?!?!)
I missed the 2005 festival due to being in South East Asia at the time. Swinging back beerlao and Singha all day long
(My brother Peter, Me and Tommy at the 2006 SBWF.)
During 2003 me and my dad also went to Oxford to visit Mark and Dave. The trip started with a beer festival at the Turf. Was a really good one and our hosts Mark and Dave wouldn’t let us go dry for a second. I remember having 4 glasses at once during one part of the festival.
Me in front of the kegs.
Me, Mark and Dave in a pub some day after the festival. Thanks for the guiding guys!
I just realised I had to much text and pictures in this part so I’m splitting this one in two. Next part involves Vikings and home brewing.
People tend to get a weird look on their face when I tell them that one of my major interests is beer. Some seem fascinated and I’m sure some just assume I’m a raving alcoholic. I’ve also been asked on several occasions: Why Beer? What’s so interesting about that?
It might be a bit hard or at least vague to explain why. It would just be some general praise of beer and trying to explain the joy of trying a new beer and I don’t think anybody would find that interesting. But I can at least explain how I came to love beer so much.
Most of the time I tell them how my father took me to England when I turned 18 and that’s when it started. I do believe that I got my interest for beer from my father. However, as I think back, I believe it started sooner.
I remember when I was first starting to drink alcohol that I always tried something new if I had the option. At first I just tried different types of lagers. Tried a few different kinds of ales and stouts but remember that I thought they were a bit too much. Hobgoblin is one of the beers I remember from this time. Can’t say I enjoyed it that much.
When I turned 18 we took that trip to England I mentioned earlier. This is when I got my eyes open to other types of beers. First off was real ale. At first I thought it tasted weird, kind of fruity and bland. But I stuck in there and our friends in England took us to some amazing places. (Thanks Mark and Dave!) Once I got back home I was hooked and started trying all sorts of beer. I quickly became known as the guy who always had a bunch of weird beers
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