As I noted last month in my blog over at thatstheSPIRIT.com, one of the broad observations I made while attending the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival this year is that Swedish breweries in general seem more adept at crafting lagers than they do ales. One such operation is the brewery known as Nils Oscar.

     While I marginally enjoyed a couple of the brewery's ales, I found that the beers which more decisively caught my attention were uniformly bottom-fermented. In particular, their Lundgrens Lager, named after the brewer, was an eye-opener.

     Deep gold in colour with a dry, caramelly and floral aroma, this export-style lager is just off-dry, with a firm maltiness buoyed by crisp and faintly citric hop - perhaps some rather untraditional Cascades? - and mild to moderate bitterness. The finish, while slightly grassy, is dry and crisp and palate-teasingly bitter. All in all, a wonderful lager for any time of year. I understand that the brewery's India Ale is a runaway seller, but for my money, I'd rather a few bottles of Lundgrens.

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