ngström, a brewer at Dugges near Gothenburg, said the number of craft brewers in Sweden has grown from five to 80 in the last eight years.He said that previously Sweden had been dominated by the big brewers and that light lager consumption was the norm.
Now, however, there is a “very strong trend” towards US and Belgian style beers, with people increasingly asking for locally produced ales.
With the Swedish monopoly system, breweries and distillers are only allowed to sell directly to on-trade establishments, which comprises the majority of sales.
Engström said it was useful to be in Systembolaget but it was not always reliable as a retailer.
The only other place in Sweden they can sell beer is in the supermarket if the beer is 3.5% or under.
Export is therefore increasingly attractive to Swedish brewers. Dugges already exports to the US, Australia, UK, Norway, Denmark and Italy.
“It’s not much, but it’s fun to show the world the product,” said Engström.
