Medium-strong beer, sale and serving

If you want to sell or serve beer, you can find out what rules apply and make a notification of sale or serving.

What is medium-strong beer?

Medium strong beer or folk beer is a fermented malt beverage with an alcohol content exceeding 2.25% but not 3.5% by volume.
The sale and serving of folk beer is regulated in Chapter 5, Section 5 and Chapter 8, Section 8 of the Alcohol Act (2010:1622).

Notification requirement

The sale or serving must be reported to the municipality's permit unit. Sales/serving may not begin until notification has been made.

Requirements for the premises

A prerequisite for selling or serving folk beer is that the point of sale is intended for permanent operations with food and approved in accordance with regulations issued pursuant to Section 7 of the Food Act or registered in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament on the hygiene of foodstuffs.

Sale or serving of food

Another prerequisite for selling beer is that the sale of foodstuffs takes place simultaneously on the premises. The range of foodstuffs must be reasonably wide and consist of actual foodstuffs, e.g. dairy products, meat products, dry goods, vegetables and fruit, as well as a wide range of canned goods and frozen foodstuffs. It is not sufficient to sell only so-called kiosk goods such as ice cream, sweets, coffee, tea, snacks or similar. When serving beer, food must be served in the premises at the same time.

Sales rules

Folk beer may not be sold or otherwise distributed to anyone under the age of 18. The person handing out the beer must ensure that the recipient has reached the right age.

Folk beer may not be supplied to anyone who is noticeably under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants.

Soft drinks must be available at the point of sale as an alternative to public beer. A soft drink is a drink that is either alcohol-free or contains no more than 2.25% alcohol by volume.

Anyone who has not reached the age of 20 or who has a trustee under the Parental Code may not engage in the sale of folköl. The provision refers to the owner of the business, not to employed staff.

Responsibility and sanctions

The person who conducts retail trade in or serves folk beer has the ultimate responsibility to ensure that sales are made in accordance with the provisions of the Alcohol Act. He or she is responsible for ensuring that employees are aware of the sales rules and that procedures are established to ensure compliance with the rules.

If the retail sale or serving of folköl leads to problems with regard to order and sobriety or if the provisions of the Alcohol Act are not otherwise complied with, the municipality may ban sales for six months, or in the case of repeated or serious neglect, twelve months. The ban may also apply during certain specified times or under certain specified circumstances. A warning may be issued if a ban is considered too intrusive.
A person who intentionally or negligently sells or dispenses alcoholic beverages to a person who has not reached the prescribed age, i.e. 18 years, or to a person who is visibly under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants, may be sentenced for unlawful handling of beverages to a fine or imprisonment of up to six months. Anyone who dispenses alcoholic beverages (e.g. cashiers or waiters) is therefore personally liable for the handling of alcohol.

Self-regulation

Anyone engaged in the retail sale or serving of folköl must exercise special supervision (self-monitoring) of sales and be responsible for ensuring that there is a self-monitoring program suitable for the business.

Supervision and fees

Together with the police authority, the municipality is responsible for supervising sales. The municipality charges an inspection fee based on the municipal cost principle.

Notification and de-notification of sales

Further information

You can find more information about selling beer on the Swedish Public Health Agency's website.

Folköl - Public Health Agency of Sweden (in Swedish) External link, opens in new window.