Norwegian Breweries
styles - history - beers


Introduction
Norway has a typical Nordic brewing industry: high taxation, lots of regulation and a mass of pale lager.

The traditional brewing sector has been reduced, by years of consolidation and rationalisation to 1 multinational, 1 large indigenous group and a handful of independents. If the country weren't such an inconvenient long thin shape, there would almost certainly be even fewer breweries left.

Both beer exports and beer imports are insignificant. Carlsberg - who own Norway's largest brewer Ringnes - may put paid to that, when they have another bout of rationalisation fever.

The last couple of years have seen a significant number of brewpubs and microbreweries open. Let's hope this is the start of something big.
Index
Norwegian brewing industry
Norwegian beer statisics
Norwegian beer styles
Norwegian beer organisations
Norwegian Breweries

The Norwegian brewing industry
Norwegian breweies operate under the strictest regulation of any in Europe. The active (and sometimes positively vindictive) anti-alcohol lobby has the ear of the government and takes full advantage of its influence.

By the 1990's, Ringnes had attained a position of dominance in the Norwegian beer market. They did it the usual way - buying up competitors and closing them down, or simply using their financial muscle to squeeze them out. But there's a limit to how big you can get when there's only 2 million hl of beer being drunk. Which is why they eventually formed the axis of evil with Carlsberg of Denmark and Pripps of Sweden.

The two largest brewing groups (Carlsberg-Ringnes and Hansa Borg) control over 85% of the Norwegian beer market. Mack is the largest independent with about a 7% share, followed by Aass with 5%, Grans with 3% and Trio with 1%.

The current number of active breweries is 26. They break down as follows:

Brewery No. Details
Carlsberg/Ringnes 4 Has breweries just outside Oslo, Arendal, Bodø and Trondheim. In 2001 thgroup produced 1.4 million hl - 59.3% of the market. The Ringnes brand alone has 32% of the market.
Hansa Borg 3 Operates breweries in Sarpsborg, Kristiansand and Bergen. Has 26% of the market.
Independents 4 Mostly pretty small (<50,000 hl). Aass, Grans, Mack and Trio.
Brewpubs 6 The first brewpub started in the late 1980's.
Microbreweries 9 Microbreweries are at last beginning to take off in Norway.
Contract brewers 0 Berentsens Brygghus have now started brewing themselves.

Norwegian Beer Styles
No Vinmonopol
The strict rules controlling the sale of alcohol in Norway have had a huge impact on the types of beer brewed. When the law was changed so that beer greater than 4.75% alcohol could only be sold in the state-run Vinmonopol shops, it had a disastrous effect on stronger styles.

Unlike in Sweden, where only low-alcohol beer can be sold in grocery shops, in Norway the biggest seller - pils - is not confined to the state-run alcohol shops (Vinmonopol in Norway). A Vinmomopol makes a Swedish Systembolaget look like De Bierkoning. Because beer forms such a tiny part of the Vinmonopol's turnover, they have almost zero interest in it. No wonder that, with buying such beers made virtually impossible, the market for them collapsed.

Currently the Vinmonopol lists a mere 22 Norwegian beers, of which 11 are seasonal for Christmas. Of these, only two regularly-brewed beers - Eagle from Ringnes and Nøgne Ø India Pale Ale - are above the old maximum beer strength of 7%.

The range of beers usually available varies from pils to well, er . . . pils. There are attempts to revive the Bayer style, which at least has the advantage of being standard strength, hence available in normal shops. I wish those involved the best of luck.


Bottom-fermenting Styles
The overwhelming of majority of beer brewed in Norway is bottom-fermenting. You know, the usual German lager types. Look, I have to be honest, it's almost all tiny variations on the northern European pilsner style. Sorry. I really wish I could make it sound more interesting.

This is a breakdown of the bottom-fermenting styles:

Style alc. description
Lettøl 2.4 - 2.5% Low-alcohol pale lager.
Pils 4.5 - 4.7% The standard very pale, slightly hoppy sort of crap sold everywhere. Over 90% of all beer brewed in Norway.
Bayerøl 4.5 - 4.7% A lightly-hopped dark lager, approximately in the Münchner style. These were the first lagers brewed in Norway but have now all but died out.
Bokkøl 6 - 7% Bittersweet, strong dark lager. Sadly, close to the point of extinction.
Lyst Sterkøl 5.3 - 7% Full-bodied and quite heavily-hopped pale lager. Somewhere between an Export and a Bavarian Spezial. Another style badly hit by being moved to the Vinmonopol shops.
Juløl (klasse D) 4.5 - 4.7% Amber or brown lager brewed for Christmas. These weaker versions are a relatively recent innovation, a reaction to the change in law that moved beer > 4.75% alc. into the Vinmonopol shops.
Juløl (sterkøl) 6 - 7% Amber or brown lager brewed for Christmas. The original style of Christmas beer. The move to Vinmonopol shops has all but killed them off.
Märzen 4.5 - 4.7% Amber lager.
Vørterøl 0% "Wort beer". A non-alcoholic malt drink.
Fatøl 4.5 - 4.7% Literally "draught beer". Another sort of standard strength pale lager.
Top-fermenting Styles
The commercial Norwegian breweries are effectively 100% bottom-fermenting. There are a couple of examples of Bavarian-style wheat beers made by brewpubs. Beers from the porter and pale ale families of styles also show up in brewpubs or micros. One, Nøgne Ø also has a go at a couple of Belgian styles.

This is an overview of the top-fermenting beers brewed in Norway:

Style alc. description
Weizenbier 4.5 - 4.7% Top-fermenting wheat beer in the Bavarian style. Comes in pale and dark, filtered and unfiiltered varieties. Lightly-hopped, high in carbonation, and with a characteristic spiciness derived from the special yeast culture.
Bitter/Pale Ale 4.5 - 4.7% Some of the brewpubs brew beers in the British bitter or pale ale style.
Porter/Stout 4.5 - 7% Some of the brewpubs brew beers of the porter family, usually strong Baltic-style stouts.

Norwegian Beer Organisations
NORØL (Norske Ølvenners Landsforbund - Federation of Norwegian Beer Consumers)
Postboks 6567 Etterstad,
0607 Oslo,
Norway.
Homepage: http://www.nor-ale.org/

The Norwegian beer consumers' group and EBCU member.
 Bryggeri- og mineralvannforeningen
Essendropsgate 6,
0368 Oslo.
Tel: 23 08 86 96
Fax: 22 60 30 04
Email: info@brom.no
Homepage: http://www.brom.no/

The official trade organisatin of Norwegian brewers.


Norwegian Breweries
Norwegian Beer Statistics

Norwegian alcohol statistics
You have to be very careful when using government statistics to analyse the Norwegian brewing industry. All is not what it appears. Let me explain.

An aggressive anti-alcohol lobby still has a considerable influence on the Norwegian government and its policies. The basic line is much like that in Sweden: alcohol causes social problems; the more alcohol consumed, the worse the problems; therefore governement policies should try to reduce alcohol consumption. There's just one slight problem - the argument is based upon a fallacy.

A quick glance across Europe will demonstrate that there is no direct correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed and the level of negative effects. If there were, the countries with the highest consumption per head would also have the greatest alcohol-related problems. This is not the case.

But back to my original point about a deceptive situation; because the Norwegian government is determined that the official figures show no substantial increase in consumption, they aren't always that concerned about them truthfully reflecting reality. For example, illegal personal imports and illegal home distilling account for a sizeable proportion of alcohol consumed, yet both are either completely ignored or deliberately underestimated in the official figures.

Statistical overview
Year Production hl # Imports hl Exports hl Consumption hl Consumption
(litres/head)
1993       2,140,000 50
1994       2,220,000 51
1995       2,230,000 52
1996       2,300,000 53
1997       2,330,000 53
1998 2,160,000 70,000 20,000 2,210,000 50
1999 2,200,000 140,000 40,000 2,300,000 52
2000 2,210,000 150,000 30,000 2,330,000 52
2001 2,210,000 110,000 20,000 2,300,000 51
2002 2,230,000 130,000 20,000 2,364,000 52
2003 2,400,000* 140,000 10,000 2,270,000 50
2004 2,391,000* 210,000 30,000 2,571,000 54
Source:
Bryggeri- og mineralvannforeningen
* calculated from the other figures

Beer production by tax class (hl)
Tax class alc.vol 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Vørterøl   21,000 19,000 18,000 16,000 15,000 18,000 18,000 18,000
A <0.7% 47,000 40,000 43,000 41,000 46,000 59,000 57,000 63,000
B 0.7 - 2.75% 99,000 89,000 89,000 81,000 74,000 68,000 66,000 61,000
C 2.75 - 3.75% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8,000
D 3.75 - 4.75% 2,216,000 2,110,000 2,204,000 2,233,000 2,210,000 2,281,000 2,191,000 2,409,000
Sterkøl >4.75% 15,000 10,000 11,000 13,000 13,000 15,000 13,000 12,000
total 2,330,000 2,209,000 2,304,000 2,327,000 2,297,000 2,364,000 2,270,000 2,571,000
Source:
Bryggeri- og mineralvannforeningen


Beer sales by type (%age)
type 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Vørterøl 13 6 5 3 1.3 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.7
Non-alcoholic beer - - - 0 0.2 1.7 1.9 2.4 2.4 2.4
Lettøl 4 6 4 5 5.9 3.4 3.1 2.8 2.8 2.4
Alkoholsvakt øl (Class C) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.3
Pils 31 53 69 78 84.8 91.1 91.2 91.1 91.3 91.6
Bayerøl 22 9 3 1 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2
Juleøl (D) - - - - 1.2 2.2 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.9
Juleøl (sterkøl) - 2 2 2 1.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
Lyst sterkøl 14 18 15 10 4.4 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2
Bokkøl 16 6 2 1 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Source:
Bryggeri- og mineralvannforeningen


Tax by beer class (NKK per litre)
class 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
A 1.55 1.58 1.62 1.52 1.55 1.58 1.58 1.61
B 2.46 2.51 2.51 2.38 2.43 2.47 2.47 2.51
C 9.26 9.45 9.45 8.98 9.18 9.35 9.35 9.51
D 16.05 16.37 16.37 15.55 15.89 16.18 16.18 16.46
Sterkøl - 3.65* 3.65* 3.47* 3.55* 3.61* 3.61* 3.67*
4.75-5.75% - - - - 22.82      
5.75-6.75% - - - - 29.62      
>6.75% - - - - 33.59      
Notes:
* per % alc. vol. per litre
between 1909 and 1999 max. ABV was 7%

Sources:
Facts and figures on beer, soft drinks and water in Norway, 2003
Bryggeri- og mineralvannforeningen


Beer sales by package
type 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Returnable bottle 47.4 44.3 42.1 39.1 38
Draught 26 25.2 24.4 23.1 24.4
Can 16.6 30.5 33.5 37.8 37.6
Source:
Bryggeri- og mineralvannforeningen


Sales by location
2002
Kiosks 2%
Shops 72%
Pubs/restaurants 26%
Source:
Bryggeri- og mineralvannforeningen


What do my scores mean?
< 25 positively unpleasant
25 - 40 has its faults
40-50 OK
50-60 reasonably good
60-70 above average - definitely worth trying
70-80 excellent - worth hunting for
80 > world class - you must try it


Norwegian Breweries
Listings



Aass Brewery
Postboks 1530
3007 Drammen
Tel: +47 32 26 60 00
Fax: +47 32 26 60 99
Email: info@aass.no
Homepage: http://www.aass.no/

Founded: 1834
Annual production:

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Aass Lettøl 2.5% Pale lager.  
Aass Fatøl Light 2.5% Pale lager.  
Aass Pilsner 4.5% Pils.  
Aass Fatøl 4.5% Pale lager.  
Aass Lauritz 4.5% Pils.  
Aass Classic 5.5% Amber lager.  
Aass Bayer 4.5% Dark lager.  
Aass eXo 4.7% Pale lager.  
Aass Ice 4.5% Pale lager.  
Aass Halling 4.5% Pils.  
Aass Bergmannen      
Aass Gull 5.5% Pale lager - Export.  
Aass Bock 6.5% Dark bock. Brewed from Münchner malt and lagered 3-6 months.  
Aass Sommerøl 4.5% Pale lager. Seasonal - Summer.  
Aass Juleøl (klasse D) 4.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Aass Juleøl (sterkøl) 6.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Lundetangen Lettøl 2.5% Pale lager.  
Lundetangen Pilsner 4.5% Pils.  
Lundetangen Sommerøl 4.7% Pale lager. Seasonal - Summer.  
Lundetangen Juleøl   Dark lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  

Independent brewery. The oldest brewery in Norway.

It started in 1834 as a general trading company, daeling in timber and ship's provisions, but also running a small bakery and a small brewery. Poul Lauritz Aass bought the company in 1860, but the brewery was destroyed in the disastrous town fire of 1866. The rebuilt brewery operated on a more industrial scale than its predecessor.

Today, Aass is one of the most aggressively independent and best-loved breweries in Norway. Just a pity that the name has such an unfortunate sound to English ears.


Atna Bryggeri
2476 Atna.

Tel: 62 46 00 50
Fax: 62 46 11 50
Email: post@atnabryggeri.no
http://www.atnabryggeri.no/

Founded: 2005
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Atna Mopedøl 4.6%   Pale lager. Unfiltered. Uses Czech Saaz hops. I don´t think anyone else has a moped beer.  
Atna Engelsk Brun     Brown Ale. Unfiltered.  
Atna Engelsk Lys     Pale Ale. Unfiltered.  
Atna Hveteøl     Unfiltered pale wheat beer.  
Atna økologiske Export     Pale lager - Export. Unfiltered. Organic.  

Microbrewery. It seems to be run by the same people as Glopheim Kafe which sells their beers.


Baatbryggeriet AS
6390 Vestnes.
Tel: 9119 0855
Fax: 7118 0627
http://www.baatbryggeriet.no

Founded: 2004
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Styrbord 4.7%   English-style Pale Ale. Unfiltered. The name means "starboard".  
Babord 4.7%   English-style Brown Ale. Unfiltered. The name means "port".  

Microbrewery.


Berentsens Brygghus
Jernbaneveien 28,
P.O. Box 53,
4379 Egersund.
Tel. 51 49 14 60
Fax. 51 49 10 73
Email:mail@berentsens.com
http://www.berentsens.com

Founded: 1895
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Rogalandspils 4.7%   Pils.  
Rogalands Sommerøl 4.7%   Pale lager. Seasonal - Summer.  
Berentsens Rav Amber Ale 5.5%   Amber ale.  

Microbrewery. A producer of cider and soft drinks that decided to brew. Its beers were initially brewed by Aass.


Borg Bryggeri
Per Gyntsvei 2-4,
Pb.7,
1701 Sarpsborg.
Tel: +47 69 12 62 00
Homepage: http://www.hansa.no

Founded: 1855
Annual production:

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Borg Lettøl 2.4% Pale lager.  
Borg Ice 4.7% Pale lager.  
Borg Pilsner 4.7% Pils.  
Borg Bokkøl 6.6% Dark bock.  
Borg Oktoberøl 4.6% Amber lager - Märzen.  
Borg Juleøl (klasse D) 4.7% Amber lager.  
Borg Juleøl (sterkøl) 6.6% Amber lager.  

Part of Hansa Borg Bryggerier.

A/S Borg Bryggerier and Fredrikstad Bryggeri AS merged in 1989. In 1997 Hansa Bryggeri and Borg Bryggerier merged.


BryggeriKAIA
Sjøgata 1,
8006 Bodø.
Tel: 75 52 58 08
Email: post@bryggerikaia.no
http://www.bryggerikaia.no/

Founded: 2004
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Husets pils     Pils.  
Weissbier     German-style wheat beer.  
Brown Ale     Brown Ale.  

Brewpub.


Christianssands Bryggeri CB
Setesdalsveien 17,
4616 Kristiansand.
Tel: +47 3810 3910
Homepage: http://www.hansa.no

Founded: 1856
Annual production:

Beer alc Description Score (100)
CB Kilden Lettøl 2.5% Pale lager.  
CB Bayer 4.5% Dark lager.  
CB Magnum Mørk 4.5% Dark lager.  
CB Magnum Fatøl 4.5% Pils.  
CB Pilsener 4.5% Pils.  
CB Jubileumsøl 4.5% Pale lager.  
CB Sørlandspils 4.7% Pils.  
CB Feriepilsen 4.7% "Holiday" pils.  
CB Juleøl (klasse D) 4.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
CB Julespesial 4.7% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
CB Juleøl (sterkøl) 6.5% Dark lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  

Part of Hansa Borg Bryggerier.

Between 1859 and 1964, when it was sold to the Tou Bryggeri in Stavanger, the brewery was owned by 5 generations of the Christiansen family. Since then there have been several owners, including Sørlandsvekst and the Swedish brewery Spendrups (1993-1999), from whom Hansa Borg bought it in 1999.


Egge Bryggeri
Kvamstrøa 19,
7715 Steinkjer.

Founded: 2005
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Ølve Øl 4.7%   Dark ale. "it reminds me of a mix between brown ale and oatmeal stout" according to Yngvar Ørebek. Sounds pretty interesting.  

Microbrewery. Still in the process of starting up.


Grans Bryggeri
Kamfjordgaten 56,
Postboks 13,
3201 Sandefjord.
Tel: +47 33 48 25 00
Fax: +47 33 48 25 25
Email: post@grans.no
Homepage: http://www.grans.no/

Founded: 1899
Annual production: 80,000 hl

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Grans Lettøl 2.5% Pale lager.  
Grans Mammut Pilsner 4.5% Pils.  
Grans Spesialøl 4.5% Pale lager.  
Grans Påskeøl 4.5% Pale lager.  
Grans Sommerøl 4.5% Pale lager.  
Grans Pilsner 4.7% Pils.  
Grans Premium Pilsner 4.75% Pils.  
Grans Fatøl   Pale lager.  
Grans Pilsner Original   Pils.  
Grans ICE      
Grans Juleøl (klasse D) 4.6% Amber lager.  
Grans Juleøl   Amber lager.  

Independent brewery. Owned 50% by the Gran family and 50% by Treschow-Fritzøe AS. The brewery employs 65 people.


Hansa Bryggeri
Kokstaddalen 3,
5061 Bergen.
Tel: +47 55 99 77 00
Fax: +47 55 99 12 22
Email: kundesenter@hansa.no
Homepage: http://www.hansa.no/

Founded: 1891
Annual production: 600,000 (2003 - all 3 breweries in group)

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Hansa Lettøl 2.4% Pale lager.  
Hansa Fatøl 4.5% Pale lager.  
Hansa Pilsner 4.5% Pils.  
Hansa Premium 4.5% Pale lager.  
Hansa Bayer 4.5% Dark lager.  
Hansa Ice Beer 4.5% Pale lager.  
Hansa Lemon Pilsner 4.5% Pils.  
Hansa Påskebrygg 4.5% Pale lager. Seasonal - Easter.  
Hansa Sommerøl 4.5% Pale lager. Seasonal - Summer.  
Marneys Red Ale 4.5% Amber ale.  
Hansa Juleøl til akevitt 4.7% Pale lager. Designed as a chaser to aquavit.  
Hansa Sterkøl 6.5% Pale lager.  
Hansa Juleøl 6.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Fredrikstad Juleøl 4.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Fredrikstad Juleøl 6.6% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  

Part of Hansa Borg Bryggerier, Norway's largest indpendent brewery group. The group has about 26% of the Norwegian beer market.

In 1989 the brewery was bought by Procordia (Pripps) of Sweden. When Pripps and Ringnes merged in 1996, the EU ruled that Hansa had to be sold off. It was bought by a group of Norwegian investors, led by Storebrand, Norske Liv and Gjensidige. In 1997 Hansa and Borg merged to form Hansa Borg Bryggerier.

1999 Hansa Borg Bryggerier bought the Christianssands Bryggeri (CB) from the Swedish brewery Spendrups.

Hansa Borg Bryggerier ASA currently operates breweries in Sarpsborg, Kristiansand and Bergen. The group headquarters is located at the Bergen site.


HaandBryggeriet
Thornegata 39,
3015 Drammen.
Tel: 32 83 35 66
Fax: 32 83 35 05
egil@haandbryggeriet.no
http://www.haandbryggeriet.no

Founded: 2005
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Bavarian Weizen 5.5%   Unfiltered pale wheat beer.  
Dunkel Weizen 5.5%   Unfiltered dark wheat beer.  
Porter 6%   Porter. Unfiltered.  
India Pale Ale 6.5%   India Pale Ale. Unfiltered.  
Ardenne blond 7.5%   South Belgian-style ale. Unfiltered.  
Weizenbock 7.5%   Unfiltered wheat bock.  
Jule Ale 6.5%   Old Ale. Unfiltered. Seasonal - christmas.  

Microbrewery.


Hardanger Bryggeri
5013 Bergen.
Tel:
Fax:

Founded: CLOSED 199?
Annual production:

Beer alc Description Score (100)
       
       

Independent brewery.


Lervig Aktiebryggeri
Vierveien 1,
Hillevåg,
4016 Stavanger.
Tel: 51 81 25 00
Fax: 51 81 25 01
http://www.lervig.no

Founded: 2005
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Lervig Pilsner 4.7%   Pils.  
Lervig Ein Te Pils 4.7%   Pils.  
Lervig Fiine 4.7%   Amber lager.  
Lervig Ein Te Sommer-Øl     Pale lager. Seasonal - Summer.  
Lervig JuleØl 4.7%   Dark lager. Seasonal - christmas.  
Lervig JuleØl     Dark lager. The strong version sold in the Vinmonpol. Seasonal - christmas.  

Microbrewery. Set up by enthusiasts to replace the town's Tou brewery, closed by Ringnes. Intial batches were brewed at Mack's.


Det Lille Bryggeri
Hovdmoen Industriområde Ha,
2450 Rena.
Tel: 62 44 48 15
Fax: 62 44 35 71
Email: postmaster@ip-as.no
http://www.ip-as.no/

Founded: 2005
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Birkebeinerpils        
Bjønnøl        
Gaupeøl        
Nøkken        

Microbrewery.


Mack's Ølbryggeri AS
Storgata 4,
9005 Tromsø.
Tel: +47 77 62 45 00
Fax: +47 77 65 86 77
Email: mack@mack.no
Homepage: http://www.mack.no/

Founded: 1877
Annual production:

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Mack Isbjørn 4.5% Pils.  
Mack Pilsener-Øl 4.5% Pils.  
Mack Nordlendingen 4.5% Pils.  
Ludwig Bayer 4.5% Dark lager.  
Mack Arctic Beer 4.5% Pale lager.  
Mack Arctic Ice 4.5% Pale lager.  
Lervig Pilsner 4.5% Pils.  
Mack Haakon 4.7% Pale lager.  
Ludwig Hvede 4.7% German-style wheat beer. Only sold in cans.  
Ludwig Brown Ale 4.7% Brown Ale. Only sold in cans.  
Mack Bok-Øl 6.5% Dark bock.  
Mack Gull 6.5% Pale lager - export.  
Mack Sommer-Øl 4.5% Pils. Seasonal - Summer.  
Mack Vårøl 4.5% Pale lager. Seasonal - Spring.  
Mack Mørketidsøl 4.5% Pale lager. Seasonal - Winter.  
Mack Høst-Øl 4.5% Pale lager. Seasonal - Autumn.  
Mack White Xmas 4.5% Pale lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Mack Julespesial 4.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Mack Juleøl (klasse D) 4.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Mack Juleøl (sterkøl) 6.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Lervig Juleøl (sterkøl) 6.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Mack smrprty 4.5% Pale lager. Seasonal - Summer. The name is sms talk for summer party. How clever.  

Independent brewery. They have installed a 9 hl microbrewery to allow them to brew small amounts fo specialist beers under the Ludwig brand.

Ølhallen A/S
9291 Tromsø
Tel: 776 24580
Fax: 776 58677

Mack's principal outlet in Tromsø. It sells Gullbock (6.5%) a pale bock, Gullmack (6.5%) and Blanding (4.75% - a mixture of Bayer and Pils) on draught, plus a seasonal beer. Founded in 1928 and Tromsø's oldest pub.

Opening times:
Mon - Thur 09:00 - 17:00
Fri 09:00 - 18:00
Sat 09:00 - 15:00
Sun closed
From 1 June until 31 August Mon - Fri 09:00 - 18:00


Mo Laksegard
4230 Sand.
Tlf.: 5279 7690
Fax.: 5279 7303
Email: molaks@hesbynett.no
http://www.molaks.no/

Founded: 200?
Annual production:

Brewpub/Farm brewery. The beer is only available at the farm itself and on a special occasion.


Møllebyen Mikrobryggeri
Galla/Kloster Mølle,
Fossen 21/23,
1530 Moss.
Tel: +47 6925 2701
Fax: +47 6925 2702


Founded: 2003
Annual production: 1,200 hl

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Jubileum 4.6% Pils.  
Mossepils 4.7% Pils. Brewed to the recipe from the closed Moss Bryggeri  
Steamer   Ale.  
India Pale Ale 6% India Pale Ale.  
Stout   Stout.  
Sommerøl   Ale. Seasonal - Summer.  
Jubileumspils   Pils. Brewed o celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mosseølets Venner ("the firends of Moss beer").  

Brewpub.


Nøgne Ø
Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri
Reddalsveien 65,
4886 Grimstad.
Tel: +47 3727 2747
Email: kjetil@nogne-o.no
Homepage: http://www.nogne-o.no/

Founded: 2002
Annual production: 700 hl (capacity, 2004)

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Bitter 4.5% Bitter. Hopped with East Kent Goldings.  
Brown ale 4.5% Brown ale.  
Havre Stout 4.5% Oat stout.  
Weiss 4.5% German-style wheat beer.  
Wit 4.5% Belgian-style wheat beer. Ingredients include coriander and orange peel.  
Pale ale 6% Pale ale.
Orange amber colour with a compact, fine-beaded head; hop, citrus, resin, caramel and cream aroma; sweetish/bitterish taste with orange, hop, caramel, biscuit and basil aromas; very, very bitter finish with resin, citrus, orange and caramel aromas.
A lovely mix of malt and hops with a nice whack of bitterness at the end. I particulalrly liked the way the hops didn't dominate the whole way through, taking a break in the middle to let the malt take over. Very good. Tasted 11.05.2006		 84
Amber ale 6% Reddish-coloured ale.  
Porter 7% Porter. Shouldn't stout be stronger than porter?  
India Pale Ale 7.5% India Pale Ale.  
Trippel 8% Belgian-style tripel.  
Batch 100 10% Imperial IPA.  
Imperial Stout 8% Imperial Stout. Seasonal. Brewed for GBBF 2005.  
Julesnadder 4.5% Norsk juleøl. Seasonal - Christmas.  
God Jul 8.5% Strong Stout. Norsk juleøl. Seasonal - Christmas.
Black colour with an even, dense, tan head; liquorice, spices, plums, roasted and fig aroma; very sweet taste with black chocolate, roast, toffee, milk, dates and raisin aromas; bitterish finish with black toffee, liquorice, tar, burnt, dates and coffee aromas.
I didn't expect a beer called "Merry Christmas" to be a stout, but that didn't make it any less delicious. According to the label, the grist contains Munich, lager, caramel, black and chocolate malts. From the the oily texture of the beer, I can believe it contains a high percentage of dark malt. A beer I could happily drink all year. Tasted 11.05.2006 		83
Underlig Jul 6.5% Dark ale. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Julenatt 6.5% Vanilla porter. Seasonal - Christmas.  
God Påske 6% Pale ale. Seasonal - Easter.  

Microbrewery which brews an interesting range of Belgian, British and American styles. I can't think of many breweries that make both a German and a Belgian wheat beer.

All the beers are bottle-conditioned. Draught beers are sold cask-conditioned (though they are usually only made to order).

Nøgne Ø is starting to get an international cult following for its uncompromising beers. Very impressive, considering their tiny size and out of the way location. Their beers are some of those I would most like to try myself. If anyone feels like bringing a few bottles over to Amsterdam, I will be happy to reimburse them (for the beer, that is).


Nordkapp Mikrobryggeri
Honningsvag,
Nordkapp.
Tel: +47 7847 2600
Fax: +47 7847 2054
Email: post@bryggerie.no
Homepage: http://bryggerie.no/

Founded: 2000
Annual production: 400 hl

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Sårry Makk   Pils. The name is a pun on Mack - whose record of being the most northern brewery they took away.  
Fru Kaino   Pale lager. Sårry Makk with added lemon.  
Nordkapphornet   Dark lager - Bayer. Brewed from pilsner malt, crystal malt and black malt.  
Jæger-øl   Pale lager.  
NorthCaper      
Juleøl   Seasonal - Christmas.  

Brewpub. The world's most northerly brewery.


Oslo Mikrobryggeri
Bogstadveien 6,
0355 Oslo.
Tel: +47 22 56 97 76
Fax: +47 22 46 93 58
Homepage: http://www.mikrobryggeriet.no/

Founded: 1989
Annual production:

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Oslo Pils 4.65% Pils.  
Steamer 4.65% Steam ale.  
Bitter 4.65% Bitter.  
Porter 4.65% Porter.  
Imperial Stout   Stout.  
Alen Ale   Ale.  
India Pale Ale 6% India Pale Ale.  

Brewpub. I haven't tried their beers for a while, but they were outstanding. The fact that they've been around for 15 years says something.

Opening times:
Sun-Tue 15:00-01:00
Wed-Fri 15:00-02:30
Sat 12:00-02:30


Ringnes Arendals Bryggeri
Industriv. I 1,
4800 Arendal.
Tel: +47 3705 2300
Fax: +47 3705 2359
Homepage: http://www.ringnes.no/

Founded: 1839
Annual production: 420,000 hl. (2000)

Ringnes Nordlandsbryggeriet
PB 393,
Fredensborgveien 124,
8001 Bodø.
Tel: +47 7559 0500
Fax: +47 7559 0501

Founded: 1897
Annual Production: 60,000 hl.

Draught beer only. Production of bottled beer was moved to Trondheim in 2000.

It was founded as the Bodø Aktiebryggeri in 1897. It changed its name to Nordlandsbryggeriet in 1978, before being taken over by Ringnes.

Ringnes Bryggeri
Postboks 7152 M,
Thv. Meyers gate 2,
0307 Oslo.
Bryggeriveien 2, 1481 Hagan. Tel: +47 2206 9500
Fax: +47 2206 9902

Founded: 1876
Annual Production: 850,000 hl.

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Ringnes Light 2.5% Pale lager.  
Ringnes Skjaergaardspils 4.5% Pils.  
Ringnes 1877 Jubileumsøl 4.7% Pale lager.  
Ringnes Pilsener 4.75% Pils.  
Ringnes Extra 5.3% Pale lager - Lyst Sterkøl.  
Ringnes Extra Gold 6.5% Pale lager.  
Eagle Super Strong Beer 10.2% Pale lager.  
Ringnes Sommerøl 4.4% Pale lager. Seasonal - Summer.  
Ringnes Julebrygg (klasse D) 4.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Ringnes Juleøl (sterkøl) 6.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Ringnes Julebokk 9.9% Dark bock. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Schous Juleklassiker 4.7% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Schous Juleklassiker (sterkøl) 6.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Lysholmer Double Ice 4.5% Pale lager.  
Lysholmer Spesialøl 4.7% Pale lager.  
Tou Pilsner 4.5% Pils.  
Tou Blå 4.5% Pale lager.  
Tou Fatøl 4.5% Pale lager.  
Tou Sommerøl 4.5% Pale lager. Seasonal - Summer.  
Tou Juleøl (klasse D) 4.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Nordlands Pils 4.5% Pils.  
Frydenlund Pilsener 4.4% Pils.  
Frydenlund Bayer 4.7% Dark lager.  
Frydenlund Fat 4.75% Pale lager.  
Frydenlund Bokkøl 6.5% Dark bock.  
Frydenlund Julebayer 4.5% Dark lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Frydenlund Juleøl fra fat (klasse D) 4.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Frydenlund Juleøl (sterkøl) 6.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Aktiebryggeriet Oslo Juleklassiker 6.5% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  

Part of Carlsberg AS. After taking over (and closing) most of the decent-sized breweries in Norway, Ringnes merged with Pripps of Sweden in 1996. It still operates three breweries in Norway, but I'm sure, given their track record, they'll be able to rationalise a bit more.

As it isn't always clear where individual beers are brewed, I've lumped all their products together. Many of the beers (such as the Tou and Schou brands) originated in breweries closed decades ago.


Ringnes E.C.Dahls Bryggeri
Postboks 714,
Strandveien 71,
N-7001 Trondheim.
+47 73 58 15 00
+47 73 58 17 66

Founded: 1856
Annual production: 500,000 hl. (2000)

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Dahls Pils 4.5% Pils.  
Dahls Fatøl 4.5% Pale lager.  
Dahls Sommerøl 4.5% Pale lager.  
Dahls Juleøl (sterkøl) 6.3% Amber lager. Seasonal - Christmas.  
Dahls 1856 4.5% Pale lager.  

Part of Carlsberg AS.


Trio Bryggeri
Kjørbekkdalen 4,
N-3735 Skien.
Tel: 3550 3770
Fx: 3550 3771
Email: post@trio.tm.no

Founded: 1998 (1924)
Annual production:

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Christiana Premium Pilsner 4.7% Pils.  
Trio Pilsner 4.7% Pils.  
Trio Original Fatøl 4.7% Pils.  

Independent brewery. It started producing soft drinks in 1924. It wasn't until 1998 that it started brewing beer. Owned by Macks Ølbryggeri.


Trondhjem Mikrobryggeri
Postbox 258, Heimdal,
Prinsens gt. 39,
7474 Trondheim
Tel: +47 735 17 515
Fax: +47 735 17 514
http://www.tmb.no/

Founded: 1998
Annual production: 1,200 hl

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Trondhjems Pils 4.5% Pils.  
Trondhjems Amber 4.5% Amber Ale  
Trondhjems Pale Ale 4.5% Pale Ale.  
Trondhjems Bitter 4.5% Bitter.  
Trondhjems Porter 4.5% Porter.  
Trondhjems Indian Pale Ale 5.5% India Pale Ale.  
Trondhjems Weissen   Unfiltered wheat beer. Seasonal.  
Trondhjems Stout 5.4% Stout.  
Trondhjems Jule-bryg   Seasonal - Christmas.  

Brewpub. Amazingly, Norway's 7th largest brewing company (after Ringnes, Hansa, Mack, Aass, Grans and Trio).

Opening times:
Sun-Mon 17:00-24:00,
Thur-Fri 15:00-02:00,
Sat 12:00-02:00


Vestlandsbrygg
Gangstøvika,
6009 Ålesund.
Tel: +47 70 13 72 72
Fax: +47 70 13 82 82

Founded: ****** CLOSED IN 2003 *****
Annual production:

Independent brewery.


Valdres Gardsbryggeri
2940 Heggenes,
Valdres.
Tel: +47 613 40495
Fax: +47
Email: kontakt@gardsbryggeriet.com
Homepage: http://www.gardsbryggeriet.com

Founded: 2000
Annual production:

Beer alc Description Score (100)
Kvek 4.7% Pale ale. Filtered but unpasteurised.  
Staut 4.7% Dark ale. Roughly filtered and unpasteurised  
Brisk 4.7% Ale. The water has juniper boiled in it before brewing. An old Norwegian tradition.  

Microbrewery.


Vingården AS
Vingården,
3480 Filtvet.
Tel: 32 79 58 00
Fax: 32 79 58 00

Founded: 200?
Annual production:

Beer alc Plato Description score (100)
Suttungs Mjød 13%   Mead.  

Winery. I'm not quite sure this belongs here, but what the hell.


Many thanks to the following for their help in compiling this page::

Torbjørn Bull-Njaa
Per Samuelsson
Yngvar Ørebek



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This page was last updated 05.04.06

© Ron Pattinson 2000 - 2006