Boston, MA. – Harpoon Brewery is thrilled to announce that its Big League New England IPA will now be widely available in Sweden. The Boston- and Vermont-based brewery won the coveted tender for system-wide availability with Systembolaget for the recently launched and highly anticipated IPA— the latest introduction to their League Family of beers that started in 2019 with a Hazy Pale Ale, Rec. League. Like a “double” version of Rec. League, Big League features the same tropical blend of hops and activity-minded ingredients like buckwheat kasha, chia seed, and sea salt, giving the IPA a tremendous amount of juicy hop character and a surprisingly refreshing finish.
Jon Schwartz, VP Business Development at Mass. Bay Brewing Company: “We are honored to have Harpoon Big League selected to be carried by all Systembolaget stores throughout Sweden. As the brewers of New England’s Original IPA almost 30 years ago, we are thrilled to introduce our new big and juicy New England IPA with distinct notes of citrus, papaya, and ripe mango to Craft beer lovers across Sweden.”
Qurban Walia, Co-President of Crafted Exports, comments: “We can’t wait to be able to drink Big League in Sweden! Harpoon has been one of our most passionate breweries, so it is great to able to see them growing and succeeding in one of our favorite countries. I am just jealous we won’t be able to be there this year, but we will be visiting as soon as we can. Skål!”
Commenting on the release, Andrew Reed, Brand Manager at Galatea and Craftbeer.se, said: “We are so proud to announce the launch of Harpoon Big League in June at all Systembolaget stores. Galatea and Craftbeer.se have been working with Harpoon through Crafted Exports for many years, bringing in special offerings for the On Trade, but this is our first win in the fixed assortment at the Swedish monopoly. Following last Fall’s successful run of Flannel Friday, we know the Swedish craft beer drinkers are ready for Harpoon to become a big part of our thriving American Craft Beer market.”
Systembolaget is the Swedish government-owned chain whose retail stores are the only ones in the country allowed to sell alcoholic beverages containing more than 3.5% alcohol, for take-home consumption. Within the Systembolaget there are several levels of availability. Some products are in the ‘ordering range’ or beställningssortimentet – orderable to stores, but not stocked. Then there are seven levels of availability in the chain of over 450 stores nationwide – T9, T7, T5, T3, T2, T1 and BASE. The lower the number, the greater the availability, with a “BASE” availability meaning that the product is available in all or virtually all Systembolaget stores.
Crafted Exports
Crafted Exports is a premier international distributor of craft beers and spirits that specializes in using innovative, quality-control delivery processes to deliver the freshest products to markets across the world.
Harpoon Brewery
The Harpoon Brewery was founded in 1986 by beer-loving friends who wanted to bring variety and community back to the American beer scene— particularly their home region of New England. At the time, Harpoon was issued Brewing Permit #001 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, since it was the first to brew commercially in Boston after a dormant period of 25 years. Since then, it has expanded to a second brewery in Windsor, VT, and in 2014, became employee-owned. Harpoon’s portfolio of craft beer is led by Harpoon IPA, New England’s Original IPA, and features their League Family of active lifestyle beers as well as an array of seasonal and limited releases, including countless collaborations with other local brands. For more information please visit https://www.harpoonbrewery.com/
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