I have seen the future, and it is barrel aged

At least I know something about 2012. It will be the year of the barrel aging. There will be barrel aged barley wines. There will be barrel aged blondes. Norwegian brewers will be barrel aging everything-but-the kitchen-sink. I have visited both Sundbytunet and Haandbryggeriet during december, and they both have bought plenty of oak barrels.  I assume Nøgne Ø and Ægir [...]

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Looking back

Not the most active year of blogging, though I feel quite pleased about the number of Berlin pubs I have been able to cover during three short visits. I have really come to appreciate this city, which encapsulates the best and the worst of our common European identity. Some excursions to London and Copenhagen, too, [...]

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A new home for Haandbryggeriet

Norwegian craft beer has been succesful in the American market. Nøgne Ø has, of course, been the door opener, but Haandbryggeriet has also been exporting as much as they have been able to brew for some time. Their old facilities did not allow for any expansion, so they decided to move across the Drammen river to the [...]

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A beer for when the sun turns

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Merry Christmas!

Best wishes to both all of my readers. Now for some days of skiing, food and beer in the mountains.

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Special Holiday

So. The family is already installed in the mountains, I have my last day of work tomorrow before the holidays.  I’ve cleaned the floors. I’ve done the laundry. It’s past ten and I put on a dvd with Elvis Costello’s talk and music show featuring lots of musical goodness. There is nothing on the news [...]

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Sundbytunet – cheers to the lucky commuters

It was one of those December days when dawn is just the dark night sliding into grey – gray clouds and steel gray ice. Lucky then that some of us had decided to brighten up the evening through an excursion to the newest brew pub in the Oslo area, Sundbytunet. Sundbytunet is located in Jessheim, [...]

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Alternative reading

I should post more. But while you wait, there are other beer blogs to go to. Like The Pour Curator. A very good concept that makes it stick out among the thousand other beer blogs out there. The motto says a lot about the idea: There is art. There is beer. This is where they meet.

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Brew your own Nøgne Ø beers

The pioneers of the Norwegian craft beer movement have cooperated with home brewers for a long time, and the tickets for their next meetup at the brewery sold out fast. That includes not only a visit to the brewery, you get to take some prime ingredients home to make your own version of one of [...]

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Cheers from Vienna, or, from England

If Austrian beers (or, more likely, brandy, wine or chocolate), Austian Airlines have teamed up with AustrianGrocery.com, delivering to your door if it’s not prohibited. A shame this seems to be aimed more at the homesick Austrian expat. I’m afraid that the beer selection is not up to the same standards as the fruit brandies, [...]

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