Sweden’s love for beer is well known and widely attested by religious literature. 13th Century Hávamál, one of the Vikings’ sacred texts, speaks in detail about the practice of beer brewing and the significance represented by this beverage on an anthropological and religious level.
But although we can be sure about Loki and Thor’s love for beer, this godly beverage was produced on a domestic scale and it wasn’t until the industrialization of Sweden began that industrial breweries started arising. During the 20th century Swedish beer production was wildly limited by anti-alcohol movements and various forms of state control. So industrial production didn’t really take off until the second half of the 20th century, when the three biggest brewing companies formed: Pripps, Spendrups and Falcon, thus giving Swedish beers a poor reputation.
Since then the scenario has evolved, with many small scale breweries such as Nils Oscar Brewery on the rise.
