Lagerboy Speaks – Norrlands Guld

As we wrote previously on the BeerCast, to purchase alcohol in Sweden above 3.5%abv you have to seek out a state-run Systembolaget (hint – follow the nearest stampede). But our intrepid lager expert doesn’t need complex brews, so we dispatched him to a randomly selected Stockholm supermarket to stock up. He returned with a sixpack of Norrlands Guld (3.5%) and a hopeful expression. Meaning “the gold of Norrland” the beer’s title relates to the nine northernmost provinces of Sweden, which as we all know are Gästrikland, Medelpad, Ångermanland, Hälsingland, Jämtland, Härjedalen, Västerbotten, Norrbotten and Lappland.

First developed in 1965 by Sollefteå Bryggeri, since 1989 it has instead been produced by the Spendrups concern who have taken over several of Sweden’s smaller-scale brewers over the years. According to Wikipedia (and I’ll let you guess which fact in the previous paragraph was also copied from one of their pages) Norrlands Guld is advertised with a hearty Northern Swede called Ingemar – a ‘laid back man who lives a simple life with his buddies’. What this says about Northerners is a matter of opinion, but apparently the idea is they are relaxed and free from pretension. Does this translate into the product?

The Spendrups website describes Norrlands Guld as ‘a light-coloured beer of the Dortmunder family, full-bodied with a hint of sweetness’. BeerCaster Andy of Andy and Jess described Norrlands Guld as ‘it tastes like Skol’. I think that says it all really. Sadly it’s bland, gassy, overly sweet and very thin. Ingemar and his buddies might like the simple life – but the beer they like is simply awful.