Describing Wine and Beer
Fylligt, torrt, beskt — how to describe a drink in Swedish without sounding like a catalogue.
Tasting vocabulary honestly used: fyllig to sträv, mikrobryggerier, bar-versus-bottle economics — skål, vad som än finns i glaset.
- 1
fylligt
full-bodied
Tip: lit. 'fully-bodied' — the standard tasting word.
- 2
lätt och friskt
light and fresh
Tip: lit. the same.
- 3
torrt
dry
Tip: lit. the same.
- 4
sött
sweet
Tip: lit. the same.
- 5
beskt
bitter
Tip: lit. the same — used for hoppy beer.
- 6
humlerikt
hoppy
Tip: lit. 'hop-rich'.
- 7
maltigt
malty
Tip: lit. the same.
- 8
fruktigt
fruity
Tip: lit. the same.
- 9
syrligt
crisp
Tip: lit. 'acidic' — a compliment here.
- 10
mjukt
smooth
Tip: lit. 'soft'.
- 11
skarpt
sharp
Tip: lit. the same.
- 12
det passar till fisk
it goes well with fish
Tip: lit. the same.
- 13
ett bra vardagsvin
a good everyday wine
Tip: lit. the same.
- 14
prisvärt
value for money
Tip: lit. 'price-worthy' — the highest Swedish praise.
- 15
lite sträv
a bit rough
Tip: lit. 'a bit harsh'.
- 16
det behöver luftas
it needs to breathe
Tip: lit. 'it needs to be aired'.
- 17
serverat för varmt
served too warm
Tip: lit. the same.
- 18
en eftersmak
an aftertaste
Tip: lit. the same.
- 19
provsmaka blint
to taste blind
Tip: lit. the same.
- 20
jag märker ingen skillnad
I can't tell the difference
Tip: lit. the same — usually honest.
- 21
ett mikrobryggeri
a craft brewery
Tip: lit. 'a micro brewery'.
- 22
en lokal öl
a local beer
Tip: lit. the same.
- 23
en stor stark
a pint
Tip: lit. 'a large strong' — the standard Swedish pub order.
- 24
en liten stark
a half
Tip: lit. 'a small strong'.
- 25
det alkoholfria alternativet
the alcohol-free option
Tip: lit. the same — good and normal in Sweden now.
- 26
vara den som kör ikväll
to be the driver tonight
Tip: lit. the same.
- 27
ett glas räcker för mig
one glass is enough for me
Tip: lit. the same.
- 28
en ljus lager
a lager
Tip: lit. 'a pale lager' — the Swedish default.
- 29
en IPA
an IPA
Tip: lit. the same — pronounced as three letters.
- 30
en stout
a stout
Tip: lit. the same.
- 31
en veteöl
a wheat beer
Tip: lit. the same.
- 32
en surölad
a sour beer
Tip: lit. the same — 'surö' in speech.
- 33
en lättöl
a low-alcohol beer
Tip: lit. 'a light beer' — under 2.25 percent.
- 34
folköl
medium-strength beer
Tip: lit. 'people's beer' — up to 3.5 percent.
- 35
starköl
strong beer
Tip: lit. the same — only at Systembolaget.
- 36
ett rosévin
a rosé
Tip: lit. the same.
- 37
ett orange vin
an orange wine
Tip: lit. the same — increasingly fashionable.
- 38
ett naturvin
a natural wine
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
en bag-in-box
a bag-in-box
Tip: lit. the same — the Swedish weekend standard.
- 40
den håller i veckor
it keeps for weeks
Tip: lit. the same — the selling point.
- 41
ett soffvin
a wine for the sofa
Tip: lit. 'a sofa wine'.
- 42
ett gästvin
a wine for guests
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
ett bra glas kostar åttio kronor
a good glass costs eighty kronor
Tip: lit. the same — in a bar.
- 44
samma flaska kostar hundra
the same bottle costs a hundred
Tip: lit. the same — at Systembolaget.
- 45
vilket förklarar hemmakvällar
which explains staying in
Tip: lit. 'which explains home evenings'.
- 46
och det är helt okej
and that's fine
Tip: lit. the same.
- 47
skål, vad som än finns i glaset
cheers, whatever's in the glass
Tip: lit. the same.