7 May 2015 - Best Beer HQ

Cider maker Kopparberg brings new beers to the UK

Cider maker Kopparberg brings new beers to the UK

Swedish cider maker Kopparberg has launched an all-out assault on the United Kingdom beer market with the launch of its own beer and the introduction of another.

If a “bridge between lager and ale” sounds like something you’d like to drink, then Kopparberg might have the Swedish specialty beer for you – it’s called Höga Kusten and it’ll be available from off-trade retailers in the coming weeks.

Höga Kusten is one part ale to two parts lager, with an ABV of 5.3%. It will come in a 330ml bottle and has been brewed at Zeunerts Brewery in Sweden since 1857 using an “open vessel brewing technique”.

The name, in case you were wondering, comes from the name of the bridge that links southern Sweden to the north – hence the picture of a bridge on its label. Höga Kusten is also a part of the coast of Sweden, according to Wikipedia.

Kopparberg brand manager Jodie Alliss said: “Höga Kusten is unique for its mass appeal that will see it find fans amongst the ale category and allow lager consumers to discover new flavours.”

She said the beer comes with a foundation of pilsner, caramel and Munich malts. Its taste also includes elements of apricot, Swedish molasses bread and orange peel. That doesn’t sound too bad; then again, they’re hardly going to say that it tastes like poo.

Swedish cider maker Kopparberg bringing beer to the UK

The news comes after Kopparberg announced plans last month to break into the UK beer industry for the first time this month with the launch of its “stubbornly Swedish” Fagerhult beer.

Fagerhult is a pale lager that comes in a gold 330ml can in the UK. It’s stocked in Tesco, has an ABV of 4.8% and is meant to be drunk straight from the can. So you just know this is going to be a classy beer; expect to soon see hooded youths drinking it at a train station near you.

Alliss commented: “Fagerhult stubbornly delivers on style and taste every time and will appeal to beer lovers who want a quality ‘no frills’ brew. It also promises to diversify the world beer scene in the UK. We all know and love canned craft beer from the US and the UK – now it’s time for the Swedes to enter the fray.”

She said Kopparberg wasn’t ruling out launching more beers in the UK in the future.

While you’re here, check out my awesome new ebook London’s Best Riverside Pubs

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