On the sunny side

When your expectations are low, the potential is better for nice surprises. Great beaches, a lovely house, good food.

And the supermarket up the road has more than just pale Portugese lagers.

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Norske mikrobryggerier 20 – Norwegian Micro Breweries 20 -Nøisom Craft Beer

Vi kjenner historien fra før – en gjeng med entusiaster som ønsker å starte bryggeri, som finner et gammelt industrilokale pog setter igang. Dette gjelder også Nøisom Craft Beer i Fredrikstad. Men her har det faktisk gått mye raskere å få etablert seg enn man trodde på forhånd.

Da Nøisom etablerte seg i et gammelt industriområde – faktisk i det som en gang var et tapperi for matolje – i 2013, var håpet at de skulle holde på i disse lokalene i to år, forteller Stig, en av gründerne. Etterspørselen har langt overgått forventningene, så nå etablerer de seg på nytt noen hundre meter unna. Denne gang er det Haandbryggeriets gamle utstyr de overtar. Skjønt gamle utstyr, det er jo ikke mer enn et par år siden Handbryggeriet flyttet til Sundland heller, så det går raskt i svingene.

To årsverk foreløpig, mye skjer fremdeles på dugnad. Pål er den eneste heltidsansatte, man leier også inn noe hjelp til flasking. Av det som virkelig vil gjøre utslag i de nye lokalene er en flaskelinje, i dag skjer alt pr. hånd.

Fokus er i stor grad på butikkøl, det er det som gir penger i kassen. Hvete  (med lite hvetepreg), ulike PA og IPA-typer. Hvete og blond er bestsellerne. Men det er også et par mer avanserte øl som modnes på flaske – en stout og en imperial stout som begge lover bra.

Det nye anlegget skal settes opp i september, og man håper å være klare til brygging i oktober. Da går kapasiteten opp fra knapt 3000 liter i uken til 9000 liter i uken.

 

Soon to be replaced

 

Nøisom is the name of an old farm in Fredrikstad – but it also means prudent. They were anticicating leaner times whent they started brewing last year – but the growth has been far better then they planned for. They thought they would use their current setup for two years, but they have already bought new equipment and will move to biger facitilties during september.

This is another bunch of friends with a vision. Most of them have kept teir dey jobs, Per is the only one currently working full time.

The focus right now is to supply supermarkets, mostly in the Fredrikstad area, but also a number of shops in Oslo. This means beers 4.7%ABV and below. A wheat beer and a blond are the best sellers – also the beers with the lowest treshold for lager drinkers lokking for an alternative. There are more hoppy APAs, IPAs and a porter, too. This is where the money is right now. But there are also plans for stornger beers, for the pub/restaunnat market and for sale through the Vinmonopolet stores.

Industrial heritage

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Beer tourism in Østfold, Norway

 

Ego Brygghus

Last Saturday, I gathered a few beer geeks and set out on a field trip in Østfold, the Norwegian county furthest to the southeast, on the Swedish border. My friend Henrik was generously our designated driver for the day and picked us up at the railway station in Fredrikstad.

We managed to visit four breweries during the day, and they show the range of activities on the Norwegian beer scene. We have to remember that ten years ago, there were just a few men in a garage producing craft beer in Norway.

Fredrikstad has a long industrial heritage, situated along the Glomma river, which has given electric power and transported timber from the inland forests. The industrial heydays are over, but this means there are buildings available for new activities. Both Nøisom Craft Beer and Ego Brygghus.

Tellef from Christianssand guest brews at Nøisom

The old traditions of farm brewing have died out in this region, but that hasn’t stopped the farmer at Gjerstad gård from running brewery courses and other events at his farm.

We ended up at Halden Mikrobryggeri, which I also visited last year.

I’ll do presentations of these breweries as soon as I get around to it. It was a warm and sunny day, with generous hosts along the way.

Gjerberg gård

 

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Norske mikrobryggerier 19 – Norwegian micro breweries 19 – Little Brother Bryggeri

(English summary at the end)

Bak St. Olavs kirke, inn i en bakgård i Akersveien, ligger hovedstadens minste bryggeri. Mens andre har ambisjoner om å brygge én million liter øl i året, har Little Brother bryggeri ambisjoner om 7000 liter det første året. Men de har ikke tenkt å gi seg med det.

Hver onsdag i sommer er det åpent hus i nanobryggeriet. Skinnende rent og ryddig er det, der Cameron Manson viser frem utstyret der det produseres 80 liters batcher med øl. Cameron, som opprinnelig kommer fra Australia, har ikke noen formell bakgrunn fra bransjen, men har holdt på som hjemmebrygger i nesten ti år. Dette er godt dokumentert, slik at de øltypene som nå settes i produksjon er finpusset. Den IPAen som nå er i salg er for eksempel brygget åtte ganger og justert for å få den slik han ville ha den.

Little Brother har altså valgt å starte i det små – og ikke investere penger de ikke har. Anlegget er kjøpt og betalt, og ikke finansiert med banklån. Planen er å kjøpe et større anlegg etter hvert, men det er det salg av øl som skal finansiere. Da kan det nåværende utstyret brukes til test og utvikling, mens produksjonen gjøres i større volum. En mulighet er også å kontraktbrygge øl i større skala, for eksempel for flaskedistribusjon.

Av det som står til gjæring under mitt besøk er en ny runde med IPAen Epic Venture, som slo godt an under Oslo Beer Week tidligere i sommer. Det kommer også en hveteøl brygget med tysk gjær, men som brygges med humlen Sorachi Ace, som vil gjøre at den skiller seg ut.

Det meste av det som er brygget så langt gikk med under Oslo Beer Week, nå satses det på salg til cafeer og barer i Oslo. Forkus vil være på salg i nærområdet, særlig på fat, men også noe håndtappet på flaske. Neste skritt er å tappe på key kegs, et format som mange barer nå foretrekker.

Hvis alt går i orden med kommunale tillatelser, satses det på et utsalg i lokalene deres fra høsten, de håper å kunne tilby fersktappet øl i growlers – store flerbruksflasker etter amerikansk mønster.

Her starter det i det små, uten mye egenkapital eller ekstern finansiering. Jeg håper motivasjonen holder seg til det er penger til å øke kapasiteten. Og ta turen innom i sommer, så kan du fortelle om hvordan det var hos Little Brother mens det ennå var en lillebror!

 

Cameron Manson, Little Brother bryggeri

 

Tucked in behind St. Olav Catholic church. A few minutes walk from downtown Oslo, Little Brother bryggeri is the newest additon to the Oslo brewery scene. The newest and the smallest. A true one barrel brewery, they brew 80 liter batches – but the ambition is to expand, slowly. Their flagship beer is the Epic Venture IPA, but there is also a German wheat beer fermenting when I visit.

The beer was the most popular duing Oslo Beer Week this summer. The ambition now is to sell the beer to local bars and restaurants, there are no plans for distribution outside Oslo. If the local authorities give their permission, there will also be the possibility to buy beer in growlers to take home leater this year.

The little brother is Cameron Manson. His partner, the big brother, lives in Australia. This means he does not do the hard work in the brewery, but he does design for labels and glasses and other stuff that can be done online.

 

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Mean sardines – a Portugese beer revolution, too?

Sooner or later, there was bound to be a Portugese beer blog.

Cerveja Artesanal Portugesa.

 

There seems to be a fair number of micro breweries being established. Let us see if I’m able to find some good brews for my holidays in Algarve, although the most interesting beer places seem to be to the north of Lisbon.

Craft beer on the beach – in Portugal as well?

 

 

 

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Two bars in Stockholm – across the street, yet decades apart

 

Man in the Moon

Visting Stockholm a few weeks ago, I had a long list of places on my “maybe” list. It was an oval weekend for many, as it included Ascension day, meaning that some places were closed. I managed, however, to try two bars very close to each other. Together they mirror the diversity of today’s beer scene. Ten years ago, I was overjoyed with a diverse beer list and would overlook everything else. Now there is the option of finding the place that suits you most.

We arrived at the Man in the Moon in Vasastan, to the North of the city center, in the late afternoon. This establishment has the decor of an upmarket English pub, or, rather, gentleman’s club. Leather and wood, lots of lamps in different styles. A large room with plenty of space between the tables. Quiet conversation, polite service.

The menu included a numberof aspargus dishes, as they were in season, we both went for the entrecote with asparagus. Not cheap, but a great meal, cooked to perfection.

The beer list was staggering, the bottled list would have been plenty. But, additionally, they are marking their twentieth anniversary this year. This means a special list of draft beers brewed especially for them from the best of the Scandinavian craft breweries:

Amager Bryghus
Beer Here
Beerbliotek
Brekeriet
CAP
Dugges Ale- och Porterbryggeri
Eskilstuna Ölkultur
Mikkeller
Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri
Nøgne
Stronzo
Ängö Kvartersbryggeri

I had to limit myself to a glass each of the Beerbliotek Double IPA and the Nøgne Ø Barrel Aged Imperial Brown Ale, no less. The double IPA was good, the Nøgne Ø beer was great.

Across the street: Mikkeller & Friends Stockholm. Welcome to Hipsterville. True to the original concept in squeezing everything into what must have been a tobacconist or another type of shop with a modest need for space. Afternoon was giving way to early evening. the front room was filling up, but there was still seating in the back , where you feel like you are a part of a art installation and graying beer geeks struggle to . The usual blackboard with Mikkeller beers and a few of their collaborators. The house geuze is rebranded as Vasastan Spontanale. The beer is served in small glasses – encouraging the customers to go for quality rather than quantity. Their crowd is young and beautiful.

I have to say that this does not appeal much to me – but then I’m not in their target group, either. That does not mean there is anything wrong with the bar or the concept. This is the flavor of the month, where people in their twenties can brag with their newly acquired knowledge about beer styles. But I don’t think anyone has any illusions about this becoming an institution on the Stockholm beer scene. This is a place that will stay open and popular for a year or two, there is no big investment involved. No kitchen, barely a fridge. They did not even have ice cubes when I asked for a glass of tap water. But the gueze was fine, so was the Omnipollo double IPA.

I think the Man in the Moon will be there for its thirtieth anniversary, too. But for craft beer to continue to grow, there has to be beer spots that appeal to other groups than the grumpy men past fifty. Concepts will come and go. I will look in, have a (small, if that’s the only option) glass of their most interesting beer before I walk on to somewhere else.

But we adapt. London pubs that were gutted and redecorated in Scandinavian pine and large windows seem almost cozy now. We’ll get used to the bare brick, steel and concrete, too. If we don’t get too grumpy.

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