Viking Magazine - March 2022 - 24

Norway's Craft
Beer Trail
NØGNE Ø, GRIMSTAD
One of Norway's largest suppliers of craft beer.
Rated amongst the 100 best breweries in the
world by RateBeer, Nøgne Ø boasts 20 core
beers and dozens of special releases every year.
nogne-o.com
AASS BRYGGERI, DRAMMEN
Opened in 1834, Aass Bryggeri is Norway's
oldest brewery. The fi fth-generation owners
combine traditional craftsmanship and modern
innovation to produce its lineup of beers,
ciders and sodas. aass.no
OSLO BREWING CO., OSLO
Find fun fl avors like Peaches and Cream and
Cherry Blonde at this 6-year-old brewery
putting Oslo on the map as a craft beer
destination. oslobrewing.no
SVALBARD BRYGGERI, SVALBARD
The world's northernmost brewery crafts
its beers using ancient Arctic minerals and
2,000-year-old glacier water. Beers range
from a classic pilsner and IPA to special
releases, like the imperial stout, bourbon barrel
aged in a coal mine. svalbardbryggeri.com
7 FJELL, BERGEN
Named for the seven mountains surrounding
Bergen, 7 Fjell is inspired by 18th and 19th
century brewing techniques to create its beers,
including its Chocoholic Raspberry Imperial
Chocolate Pastry Stout and Drunk Monk
Redwine Oaked Ale. 7fj ellbryggeri.com
ÆGIR BRYGGERI, FLÅM
Drink like your Nordic ancestors at Ægir
Brewery, a brewpub designed to feel like a
Viking-style longhouse. While surrounded
by an open fi re, dragon carvings and a stave
church roof, enjoy the Lærdøl Sour Cherry
Rye or Bøyla Blonde Ale. aegirbrewery.com
FLAVOR MEETS
FUNDAMENTALS
Aass Bryggeri is one
of those breweries
that exemplifi es the
intersection of traditional
and modern. Established
in 1834, and purchased
by the Aass family in
1860, it is the oldest
still-operating brewery
in Norway, churning
out nearly 8 million
gallons of beer in 2020.
Aass Bryggeri has many
hallmarks of a smaller,
independent brewery:
All of its beer is brewed
onsite; it's completely
family owned, with all
100-plus shareholders
claiming descendancy
from founder Poul Lauritz
Aass; and it houses a pilot
brewery under the name Bryggerhuset, where brewers
experiment on a smaller scale with new ingredients,
techniques and fl avors.
" We pride ourselves on being the oldest brewery
in Norway, and by saying that, we do believe that we
convey a message of predictability and knowledge, " says
Lauritz. " We know how to brew beer. Our values are
tradition, innovation, quality and culture. "
Innovation with fl avor is something Oslo Brewing
Co. CEO and co-founder Dimitri Yogaratnam has
prioritized since he started the craft brewery with
friends in 2016, a culmination of years of experience as
a chef and bartender, and co-owner of Oslo craft beer
bar Smelteverket.
" We're inspired by the fl avors we encounter in our
lives. I'm a pastry chef, so I usually lean toward desserts
and cocktails, " he says, pointing to fl avors the brewery
has produced, like peaches and cream, raspberry and
grapefruit, and hibiscus and ginger. " I've always been
passionate about combining fruit and beer to make
interesting fl avors. Seeing the beer in the stores, and
seeing people enjoy it and smile, is what it's all about.
There's a sense of accomplishment, of 'Yes, we made
someone have a good time today.' "
Experimenting with diff erent fl avors, however, is
just a piece of the recipe-building process. In true
Scandinavian fashion, craft brewers in Norway take a
less-is-more, back-to-the-basics approach when it comes
to sourcing high-quality ingredients that form the base
24
March 2022
sonsofnorway.com
http://www.nogne-o.com http://www.aass.no http://www.oslobrewing.no http://www.svalbardbryggeri.com http://www.ellbryggeri.com http://www.aegirbrewery.com http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - March 2022

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