オムニポロ・シルカOmnipollos Kyrka
Photo: © Karl Grandin
Swedish beer makers Omnipollo are striking for their unique offbeat style in both design and flavors. Pushing the limits is what Omnipollo is about, and also reinventing what beer can be. They focus on hops but also have a pilsner program, dark beers, IPAs and some delightful fruity sours. Located in the outskirts of Stockholm, in Sundbyberg, a lovely neighborhood barely 15 minutes by train from the Central Station, Omnipollos Kyrka – a deconsecrated church – is home to this fascinating Swedish brewery founded by the dynamic duo, brewer connoisseur Henok Fentie and Swedish artist Karl Grandin.デザインとフレーバーの両面で独特の風変わりなスタイルが際立つスウェーデンのビールメーカー、オムニポロ。ビールの可能性を再発明し、限界を押し広げることがオムニポロの目的だ。ストックホルム中央駅から電車でわずか15分のスンドビュベリという郊外の素敵な地区に位置するオムニポロ・シルカは、元教会堂の建物を再利用している。この魅力的なスウェーデンの醸造所の本拠地は、醸造家の目利きであるヘノク・フェンティとスウェーデンの芸術家、カール・グランディンの二人によって2021年9月に設立された。
室内外全てリノベーションを行ったこの建物は、オムニポロの世界観に対する彼らのビジョンをまとめたものであり、現在進行中だ。スピリチュアルな空高くそびえる空間、教会堂の窓、グランディンの神秘的な芸術の組み合わせに感心しながら、音楽と雰囲気がリラックスしたおしゃべりをしながらビールを楽しむことができる。
ピルスナーはその場で作られており、タンクから出してそのまま飲むことができるのもここならではの体験。もちろんビールに合う食事も忘れてはいない。ストックホルムの中心部にある姉妹店のオムニポロ・ハットは、レベルの高いピザですでに知られているが、ここでは特製のハンバーガーを楽しめる。際、彼らは数え切れないほどのビールアワードとともに、2022年の権威あるレストランアワードを獲得している。
周囲のバルコニーは、モルトのマッシングから発酵の魔法まで、実際の醸造プロセスを眺めることができる座席エリアを顧客に提供。後ろの自動販売機では、オムニポロの商品を販売している。夏には、裏庭にさらに2つのスペースが開放される。
Omnipollos Kyrka
住所：Sturegatan 41, 172 31 Sundbyberg, Sweden
info@omnipolloskyrka.com
https://www.omnipolloskyrka.com
Text: Victor MorenoOpen to the public since September 2021, a repurposed space inside a deconsecrated church which formerly housed the local brewery of this little town. “They were brewing on a much smaller scale than we are, but Karl had an exhibition in the church while they were still housing here and Henok fell in love with the space. They were going to stop brewing so it was an opportunity and we took over,” explained Simone Bredenberg, manager at Omnipollos Kyrka. Although the church initially had some equipment to begin brewing, eventually Omnipollo got rid of it and furnished the church with brand new custom-made equipment according to their standards, including German supplier BrauKon to make soft and palatable IPAs.
The fact that every single detail is taken into account is the signature of the brand. “We tend to brew crazy beer a lot of the time, so sometimes regular brewing equipment doesn’t really fit our needs. So we had to get everything specially made just for our needs to be able to do some of the beers that we’re known for,” Simone explains. Henok, who is the creative genius behind what’s in the bottles, is a recipe master. It doesn’t matter how challenging the idea is, they make it work. It is quite interesting to see them at work on the ground floor, some sort of live beer lab measuring new formulas in order to achieve the accurate taste.
The entire space has been renovated indoor and out. The building collectively presents their vision for the Omnipollo universe, and it is still a work in progress. The music and the vibe allows relaxed chatting while enjoying your drinks as you admire the combination of beautiful mint silver tanks within the spiritual, soaring space, the church windows and Grandin’s mystic art.
Another unique experience at the church is that you can drink fresh pilsner straight from the tank since it is made right there. Their horizontal pilsner tanks are connected to one of the taps upstairs at the bar. It never leaves the tank before it gets into your glass. No one else does that in Sweden. Furthermore, their custom-made pilsner Isac is only available at the church. In the cellar some French oak Port wine and bourbon barrels have kept porter samples for months, all the dark strong stuff. Normally the process lasts between six to twenty four months; the longer you keep them the less beer remains, but with amazing results. But it is not just about such long patient processes: another great advantage of the tap room is quite the opposite, minimizing the time and distance between production and consumption. In just a couple of days a beer can go from being cooked to being served in the bar. Whether or not you are into beer culture, at Omnipollos Kyrka it’s hard to be disappointed.
The food here helps the beer go down well too. In the center of Stockholm, Omnipollos Hutt is already recognized for their next-level pizzas. And the same thing applies in Omnipollos Kyrka but with burgers instead. In fact, they acquired Restaurant Guru award 2022 along with countless beer awards.
The lay-out of the space is very well designed to maximize its capacity with the brewery taking over the central ground floor space of the building. The surrounding balconies provide seating areas for customers with a view over the brewing process in action, from the mashing of the malts to the magic of the fermentation. In the back a vending machine sells Omnipollo merch. In summer it goes open air with two spaces more in the backyard. As a matter of fact, Karl Grandin has his workshop in the top part of the building so it is quite cool that the entire Omnipollo creative factory is under the same roof.
Here are a few beer tasting recommendations when you visit the church:
Sundbyberg IPA is 5.9% with a lovely cloudy, milky, hazy texture, a very nice, kind of hoppy flavor and citrusy lemon curd coloured.
Omnipollo has worked as a phantom brewery, as it’s called. This means, they have housed at other breweries while brewing their own beer. They do for brands mostly in Belgium and for the west coast of Sweden. The first IPA that they brewed in the church was called Fantom as a homage to being a phantom brewing for all of these years.
Noa Bourbon Pecan Mud Cake is an OG at Omnipollo, one of their novel beers labeled with their iconic smiley, which has become the brand logo. Every year they do a different version of this beer, part of Omnipollos signature pastry style, a liquid dessert.
At Omnipollo for sure they brew innovative beer. A good example is The Fruit World Famous, a series of fruit beers 6% alcohol that they started brewing at the church. They have released two types so far: one with pineapple and coconut and one with mango and marshmallow. Mango marshmallow? Yes, you heard it right. Surprisingly tasteful and lovely consistency. Hats off guys!
Omnipollos Kyrka
Address: Sturegatan 41, 172 31 Sundbyberg, Sweden
info@omnipolloskyrka.com
https://www.omnipolloskyrka.com
Text: Victor Moreno
