As the biggest city in Scandinavia, Stockholm is the go-to town for a good night out in the Nordics. Because of Sweden’s close cultural ties with the U.S. Stockholm was one of the first cities in Europe to get swept up in the craft beer revolution.
No visitor to Stockholm should miss Barrels! (Photo: Barrels Burgers & Beer)
In a city that can be cold and lonely, nothing brings people together like beer…and nothing brings good people together like good beer. Here are seven of the best and most inviting craft beer bars in Stockholm. Skål!
Barrels Burgers & Beer
Conveniently located right in the middle of the main drag on the tiny island of Gamla Stan – Stockholm’s historic heart and old town – no visitor to the city can miss Barrels. Siamese-twinned with Tritonia Ölverkstad (“beer workshop”), the beer selection includes gluten-free, alcohol-free and organic beers, and the burgers are very possibly the best in Stockholm. There’s even a “Chocolate Crunch” dessert burger.
Stora Nygatan 20, 111 27 Stockholm
Omnipollos Hatt
Pizza and craft beer at Omnipollos Hatt (Photo: Erik Wåhlström)
Travelling to Stockholm without visiting the taproom of Sweden’s most successful craft brewery would be like going to Italy and not eating pizza. Speaking of which, Omnipollo teamed up with the guys from Pizza Hatt (Upplandsgatan 9A, 111 23) – itself one of the best places to go for a craft beer in Stockholm – to bring us Omnipollos Hatt. It goes without saying that the pizza here is one of, if not the best in Sweden, and you can wash it down with a glass of Blueberry Cheesecake Stout, Mango Lassi Gose, Passion Fruit and Key Lime Wit or Strawberry Milkshake IPA.
Hökens gata 1A, 116 46 Stockholm
Tweed
Tweed: taking cosy craft beer bar to a whole new level (Photo: Restaurang Leijontornet AB)
With tartan wallpaper and big Chesterfield armchairs to sink into, Tweed takes the cosy craft beer bar to a whole new level. Part of the Djuret labyrinth, there are two things these ladies and gentlemen take very seriously: comfort and alcohol. Excellent craft beer – from the likes of Stockholm’s own PangPang brewery – is just one of many pleasures here at Tweed, alongside expertly crafted cocktails, a whole cellar of good wine, and a range of aperitifs and digestifs. You can even enjoy a Cuban cigar in the courtyard terrace.
Lilla Nygatan 5, 111 28 Stockholm
Restaurang Akkurat
Rowdy and intimate: Akkurat’s interior (Photo: Patrik Lindqvist)
Intimate local pub, rowdy live music venue and one of the best restaurants in Stockholm, all mongrelled into one; Akkurat is one of the best places to come for craft beer in Stockholm. Enjoy your brew sloshed around a bit in the mosh-pit or in sophisticated style, served alongside a portion of mussels. For those of you whose love of craft beer extends to a general passion for all things alcoholic, they also run a “Whisky Club” with regular tastings and even whisky trips to the likes of Japan.
Hornsgatan 18, 118 20 Stockholm
BrewDog Bar
Sampling Stockholm’s latest craft beer offerings in BrewDog Kungsholmen (Photo: Roy Duffield)
In less than a decade, BrewDog has gone from two lads and a dog in Aberdeen to almost 50 bars around the world and counting. But BrewDog Kungsholmen was their first bar outside the British Isles – no surprise really, given that the Swedes have embraced the craft beer revolution like no-one else. The bar still carries the feel of a small, local pub “where everybody knows your name” and it’s a great place to sample not only BrewDog’s latest concoctions but also what’s coming out of Sweden’s best craft breweries, from Brewski to Tempel Brygghus. There’s also now a second BrewDog bar in Stockholm, in the bohemian nightlife district of Södermalm (Ringvägen 149B, 116 31).
Sankt Eriksgatan 56, 112 34 Stockholm
Nya Carnegiebryggeriet
Nya Carnegiebryggeriet (New Carnegie Brewery) is part of a collective that has been formed between the likes of Brooklyn Brewery, Carlsberg Sverige, nearby Norway’s E.C. Dahls Brewery and award-winning Swedish brewmaster, Anders Wendler. It is an experimental project that came about while celebrating the 175th anniversary of Carnegie Porter, Sweden’s longest continuously running beer brand. Based in an old light-bulb factory overlooking the water, their beers tend to have a certain bright, explosive quality and the food is a creative take on traditional Nordic cuisine that pairs perfectly with the beers.
Ljusslingan 15-17, 120 64 Stockholm
Flippin’ Burgers
Contemporary craft beer bar meets ’50s diner at Flippin’ Burgers (Photo: Flippin’ Burgers)
Another of Stockholm’s best burger joints, Flippin’ Burgers is contemporary craft beer bar-cum-American ‘50s diner. The beer selection is the perfect fit too, with everything from your classic American sports-bar brews: Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Fat Tire, Lagunitas and even good old PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) to a Scandinavian showcase such as Sweden’s Nordic Kiwi, Enskede and Stockholm Brewing Co, and Denmark’s Mikkeller and To Øl.
Observatoriegatan 8, 113 29 Stockholm