Stockholm’s fascination with Brooklyn has reached new heights: later this year the Brooklyn Brewery is opening up a Swedish waterside brewery together with Carlsberg, complete with a restaurant seating 100 people inside and 150 outside. The logic is simple – with Sweden being Brooklyn Brewery’s largest export market (and second-biggest market overall, right behind NYC), they might as well bring the production closer to the consumer.
The new brewery will rise in the landmarked Luma factory building by the charming Hammarby canal and will seek influences from both American and Swedish brewing traditions. In fact, a team of Swedish brewers is in Brooklyn as we speak, getting trained for the task by Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver who I spoke to about the project.
What makes Brooklyn Brewery special?
I think people enjoy our beers because they are boldly flavoured but always retain a nice balance and structure. We have a very strong focus on the culinary side of life and our beers tend to work very well with food. There are a number of trends in brewing that we pioneered, such as collaborative brewing. And I think our pioneering spirit is just getting stronger as we head to Stockholm.
What’s up with this craft beer trend in general?
The important thing to realize is that craft beer is not a fad, but a return to normality. Beer was always a complex, diverse, and fascinating drink. It has always been enjoyed by both common people and royalty. Beer was heavily industrialized in the last century, just as cheese and bread were. Now flavourful beer is back and it’s a small affordable luxury that we’re all really glad to have.
Why bring Brooklyn Brewery to Stockholm?
Mostly because we love Stockholm and we have great friends here. Our goal is to do fun things with fun people in fun places. Stockholm is perfect for this – it has become the “crossroads of Europe”. The location at Hammarby is beautiful too.
Will you produce some Swedish-inspired varieties at the new brewery?
Absolutely, and I’m really looking forward to infusing Swedish inspirations into some of our beers. This is a great opportunity for us to delve into another food and drink culture, and hopefully come up with some very tasty ideas.
What does the brewing scene look like in Sweden, in comparison with the States for example? What do Swedes prefer in your opinion?
Sweden is a relatively small country with a pretty big cultural profile, so it has a fairly vigorous craft beer culture. The fact that the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival has been going for so many years is a great indication of this. And the Swedish craft brewers are making a lot of nice beer, some of which you can find in New York. I think Swedes have very broad tastes, just like we do, and that’s what makes it fun to pour our beers in Sweden.
Is Stockholm the new Brooklyn?
Or maybe Brooklyn is the new Stockholm! Brooklyn has always been a cool and interesting place, but I think it’s only in the past ten years that many people outside of Brooklyn really understood that. I think Stockholm and Brooklyn are both places emerging into a new age. People all over the world are excited about both places and want to go there. After so many years of Brooklyn being Manhattan’s “poor cousin” I think we’re enjoying our new spot in the sunshine!
