Gothenburg, Sweden’s second city, has become known for the number of great breweries that have popped up there in recent years. We snagged ourselves some decent-priced flights and booked ourselves in for a little jaunt to brush off the January blues.
This is nowhere near an extensive guide to the bars and breweries of Gothenburg. In just over three and a half days, we managed to visit a fair few places but we also were there in January when some of the taprooms weren’t open.
One thing to flag is that Sweden is quite close to becoming cashless and many places do not take cash, so make sure you have a bank card which isn’t too expensive to use overseas if you’re visiting.
Here’s a look at where we visited.
Omnipollos Gothenburg
Omnipollo’s bar was our first port of call in in Gothenburg after landing in the early evening, as we’ve had quite a history with trying to visit them! When we visited Stockholm a few years ago, we couldn’t find Omnipollos Hatt despite walking around for ages looking for it. It was back when to use your data abroad was a costly exercise, so unfortunately we didn’t get to visit. Last autumn, we went to Hamburg and discovered they were due to open a bar there too. Great! Or not so great as it ended up, as we left Hamburg on a Friday morning to get to Copenhagen via the train and the bar opened on…Friday night. So, we had to make Omnipollo a priority and we did not regret it!
Before even getting a beer, it was the look of the venue that struck me. The interior design is quite something; it’s loud, it’s fun, it’s vibrant. It’s a mad space. A screen projects space-themed Omnipollo artwork onto one wall, and disco balls provide multi-coloured spots of light throughout. And then there’s the furniture and lamps, which all must be custom made.
In terms of food and drink, there’s ten beers on draught and they also offer wine, cider and soft drinks. It was a good range of beer being showcased – from a pilsner to an American wild ale to an imperial stout – and collabs and guests were also available. There’s a menu of burgers, with all the meat options having a vegan alternative which was great to see.
It’s not the cheapest bar to visit in Gothenburg, but I just loved it and we ended up there three times during our time in the city. Just visit it for the experience!
Plantagegatan 3a – omnipollosgbg.com/
Olrepubliken
Maybe because it’s January, or maybe just because that’s how it’s done in Sweden, but most of the bars we had on our list to check out were not open until around 5pm on a weekday afternoon. But one venue that did open its doors in the afternoon was Olrepubliken and when we nipped in for a beer or two during the afternoon, we we were the only customers there initially – although a number of the tables were booked up for food later on.
It had around 30 taps for beer, with locally produced options highlighted on the beer board. The range on draught was excellent with styles for everyone, with everything from a local porter to an American brown ale to Cantillion, and an extensive bottle list was also on offer. There’s also a house IPA made by Beerbliotek.
It’s a fairly sizeable venue, with a mezzanine floor providing some extra floorspace but it felt comfortable and welcoming – especially as it’s not too far away from the waterside which brought with it a bitter wind.
Kronhusgatan 2B – olrepubliken.se/
Wardshuset Tullen
There’s a few of the Tullen bars in Gothenburg, and we nipped into Wardshuset Tullen (which happened to be a few doors down from our hotel) ahead of going to watch some ice hockey at the nearby Scandinavium. We weren’t the only hockey goers to have the same idea, but after a little wait we did get a seat.
It’s not just a craft beer bar but it did have some good local breweries available alongside more mainstream options. Maybe not the most exciting options in the city, but a good place to nip into if you’re attending the Scandinavium and some decent, Swedish home cooking food options on the menu.
Kungsportsavenyen 32 – wardshuset.olstugan.se/
Stigbergets Bryggeri
On an industrial estate on the outskirts of Gothenburg is the weird and wonderful home of Stigbergets. Set within an industrial building, Stigbergets have a large operation here to complement their smaller brewery elsewhere in the city. We were lucky enough to be given a tour by head brewer Oli, and it’s a great setup with everything from a canning line to separate loading bays for incomings and outgoings, and a staff sauna. It’s got quirky little features throughout (we saw a boat and an innovative arts space on our tour) and a large taproom on the first floor.
The taproom consists of a large open seating area next to the bar, a smaller area with a pool table and a separate room which had seats set out around a coffin (apparently it’s full of bedding).
But, unfortunately, due to the laws in Gothenburg, this lovely space only has limited opening hours. Luckily for us, one of the days they were open was the weekend we were there.
The taproom offers 16 beers on draught in a self-service model and, again due to the unique alcohol laws, you are only allowed to purchase very small measures.
As it’s an industrial estate, we weren’t sure how many people would visit (you have to seek it out and know where you’re going. Follow the directions on the website and definitely not Google Maps!) but it was bustling and had a jovial atmosphere, with visitors of various ages popping in. We spent a wonderful evening there, and the team we met from the brewery were all super lovely too.
You can hear more about Stigbergets in an upcoming Beernomicon podcast with head brewer Oli.
Blomstergatan 13 – stigbergetsbryggeri.se/taproom/
Beerbliotek Brewery and Tap Room
Another taproom, another industrial estate! Like Stigbergets, Beerbliotek’s taproom is also slightly out of the city centre. The site is open for a few hours on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, and it was the latter when we took a trip out there – arriving just in time for opening.
It’s a fairly compact room with a small bar offering a few beers on draught and a couple more from the can and the classic brewery taproom long, ever-so-slightly wobbly benches and tables. The drinking area is adjacent to the brewery and windows allow you to have a look inside while you drink.
Beerbliotek run a pre-payment system for beer, which is served in a single measure. Visitors pay 350SEK (about £28) and get given a card for ten beers, which lasts for one year.
The staff on the bar were welcoming and friendly, and kids and dogs are also welcome to come along.
Varholmsgatan 4 – beerbliotek.com/taproom/
3 Små Rum
One of the cosiest bars we visited in Gothenburg, 3 Små Rum is a basement bar which is deceptively larger than it initially appears. On entering, you are in the main bar area with its fridges mostly stocked with beer from Belgium and the bar itself. A selection of beers from their own brewery are offered, alongside some other options mostly from Belgium and the USA.
The second room is a comfortable place with dim lighting, candles and rugs along the walls and mellow jazz on the stereo. It’s a relaxing spot for a beer and a great place to stay out of the hustle and bustle of a Saturday night in the city.
It also serves food during certain hours, with a completely vegetarian menu on offer when we visited.
Kristinelundsgatan 4 – facebook.com/3smarum/
Brewers Beer Bar Tredje Langgatan
This was one of the busiest bars we visited, and had some of the most exciting beer options. There’s 14 beers on draught, mostly from local breweries such as Dugges and Stigbergets, but also some from further afield. The options ranged from sours to DIPAs to imp stouts, and we were also sat near a fridge with a decent selection of lambics so the bottle list looked worth exploring too.
The venue was hugely popular on a Saturday evening; every seat was full and groups were popping in to try and get a table fairly regularly – I’d recommend booking if you did want to eat on a weekend.
Tredje Långgatan 8 – brewersbeerbar.se/
The Rover
The Rover has the appearance of a British-style pub with its dark green tiles and wooden panelling throughout. English pubs seem to be quite popular in Gothenburg as we spotted a few of them, and there was also one in the basement of our hotel.
But despite the decor, the beer was mostly Scandinavian although there were a few English options. Local breweries such as Beerbliotek, Dugges and Ocean beers were available, alongside the likes of Mikkeller, Warpigs, Amundsen and Lervig.
It’s split into three rooms, with the back one just reserved for diners. The seating was comfortable and the dim lighting made it feel cosy and relaxed, despite it being a fairly busy Saturday evening.
Andra Långgatan 12 – therover.se/
Systembolaget
I couldn’t write a blog post about Sweden without mentioning Systembolaget, the government-owned alcohol stores. These are the only places you can buy booze to take home that’s over 3.5% and it has limited opening hours – a half day on a Saturday and not open at all on a Sunday. But, because it is the only place to buy beer, it does have a pretty good selection and as the government isn’t allowed to profit on it, the prices are decent. Unlike your general offy in the UK, they also have a good selection of Swedish craft beer. Different stores have different selections, and the one inside the Nordstan centre in particular had an extensive selection with beer categorised by style and also some international options.
The Ale in Kaleigh 