I’ve read all the blogs, scanned all the tweets and time-lined myself dizzy with all the Facebook updates from the first week of the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival and now, at long last, it’s my turn to head south to join the party.

I’m beginning to lose count of how many SBWFs I’ve now attended. Maybe it’s a sign of my age that I don’t really want to know.

I do know I’ve relaxed a lot as a festival-goer over the years. I recall in the early part of this century making reams of lists of all the beers I wanted to taste, before running around the hall for a day or two with a look of mild panic on my face trying to tick them all off before closing time.

These days I’m much more ­lazy laid-back, preferring to talk rather than just drink, taking time to walk up to beery friends and say hello. And of course to meet and make new friends too!

For the very first time I'll be taking my father from French France with me to the festival. For the sake of clarity he is the guy on the left.

Having said that there are some beers I am hoping to get up close and personal with over the next two days. It would be criminal not to stop by the Brekeriet brothers and sample the funky line-up of beers from their brand new brewery.

The label of Malmö Brygghus’s Grand Crew – a Skånsk Lambik – has to be one of the most elegant and stunning looks I’ve ever seen on a bottle of Swedish beer and I’m hoping what’s on the inside lives up to the outside.

The Xbeeriment stand was one of my favourite stops at this year’s Copenhagen Beer Celebration and I’ll be making a beeline for their bizarrely named beers now they are in Stockholm.

Then there will almost certainly be flying visits to Jessica’s S:t Eriks stand (for the Black IPA) and Stefan’s Mohawk Brewing bar for a drop of his experimental brew, plus some quality time at the Sigtuna stand to chat with Mattias and co.

Of course the SBWF wouldn’t be the SBWF if I didn’t do some excessive leaning on the counters of the Brill, Elixir Wine and Oliver Twist/Brewers Association stands. I predict minutes could turn into hours there.

I particularly want to try the keg version of Henok Fentie/Omnipollo’s latest beer Nobblykneezer Nabageezer Nodouchepleaser ‘Neb‘.

I’ll also drop by the Brutal Brewing stand (but will be prepared to make a quick getaway if spotted) and some of the many De Struise taps will probably be called into action.

So although I won’t be taking any lists with me as I walk through the doors of the Nacka Strandsmässan around noon tomorrow I will have an empty glass, a father in tow, an open mind and high expectations.

From what I’ve read about the first week at the festival I’m sure that will be more than enough.

I hope to see loads of you there. Please come and say hi!

Cheers and beers!

Darren

ps. This year I’m going to make a concerted effort to tweet regularly from the festival (and the after parties!) so remember to follow me @BeerSweden. I’ll be using the hashtag #sbwf.