DRINKING BEER IN SWEDEN

01 Jul 2014 By Xin Hui Helder-Eng

Q&A with Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, who began creating beer in his home in New York City before microbrew was even a term, let alone a trend

In the mid-1980s, before microbrew was even a term, let alone a trend, in the United States, Garrett Oliver, a brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, began creating beer in his home in New York City just so he could drink something other than the “thin, fizzy yellow liquid” that bars served at the time.

His hobby was quickly turning into a profession, as he sought to recapture his experience of London, where he’d lived and, between stage-managing rock concerts, fallen in love with bitter, as the English called their pale ale. “It just had waves and waves of complex flavor,” he said.

Today Mr. Oliver travels abroad at a breakneck pace to share his brewing techniques. And in February, Brooklyn Brewery will open its first brewery abroad, the New Carnegie Brewery, a partnership with Carlsberg, in Stockholm. “Like us, the Swedes have been importing their beer culture from the rest of Europe,” Mr. Oliver said. “Now you’re starting to see more Swedish interpretations, if you like.”

Read excerpts from a conversation with Mr. Oliver on drinking beer in Sweden here.