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Beer in Norway

November 24, 2023

Beer in Norway has a long history, stretching back more than a millennium. Until some 200 years ago, most farms where it was possible to grow grain south of the Arctic Circle, brewed their own beer. From the early 20th century brewing was industrialized and home brewing was restricted. Significant consolidation in the brewing sector reduced the number of major breweries to just a handful. With the exception of the farmhouse ales, most beer styles brewed in Norway trace their ancestry to central Europe.

There is a wedding in Hardanger and local farmhouse ale is filled in a traditional drinking bowl.
Photo:National Archives of Norway, 1954

Market edit

 
Beers from Nøgne Ø Brewery

The Norwegian beer market is dominated by two large brewers: The major Carlsberg-Ringnes based in Oslo and Copenhagen, Denmark, and the smaller Hansa Borg Bryggerier, based in Bergen and Sarpsborg. Each produce beer branded in a variety of traditional Norwegian beer brands, as well as foreign brands bottled on licence. This system is a result of the large-scale consolidation of Norwegian breweries that has taken place over the last 50 years.

Brewing has a long history in Norway, harking back to the pre-Christian era, when beer was a central element in all religious and social gatherings of any importance. The farmers brewed from their own grain, and most larger farms had a separate building used for drying both grain and malts. Home brewing in Norway is common, and divided in two separate traditions. On the one hand the, mostly city-based, modern home brewing of styles familiar from the rest of the world. On the other, in remote rural regions, farmhouse brewers brewing the same styles their parents and grandparents brewed. These are styles that don't exist elsewhere.

As with most countries in Europe and America, the most popular style of beer in Norway is pilsner-style pale lager. According to the Norwegian brewers' association, most beer brewed in Norway is pale lager.[1] Until recently, this was the only style of beer to be had, except at Christmas time, when Christmas beers become available. These are dark malt beers traditionally brewed for the holiday season. Today, the craft beer market has continued to develop in Norway offering a number of different styles; including the popularization of kveik yeast for both traditional and modern beers.

Due to government restrictions, beers above 4.75% ABV are only available from licensed premises or from the state-run Vinmonopolet ("wine monopoly") liquor stores. This has resulted in some foreign breweries lowering the alcohol percentages in their beer in order to make them legal for supermarket retail.

Norway has a "pay to play" market meaning the breweries must pay to get their beers on tap in most pubs, restaurants and nightclubs. The brewery must provide the bar with all the systems required for pulling beer, including tanks, taps, and glasses. In place of the tap selection, bars often carry a number of bottled beers. However, these usually carry a much higher price tag. The only exception is when the bar themselves own their own draft system and equipment. This has created a slow growth of small local breweries and limited the consumers options to which beers they can access at their local bars and restaurants.

Styles edit

 
Carlsberg Norwegian market brand sample
 
Mack market brand sample

Styles of beer that are typical of Norwegian commercial brewing are:

Pilsner - the pale lager style which originated in the Czech city of Plzeň. This is the dominant beer type with almost 92% of the market share. The weaker (below 4.75% abv.) types are the most common, but most breweries also brew stronger varieties (similar to the Bavarian Spezial beer style) for sale through the Vinmonopol.

Bayer - a dark lager with roots in Bavaria (Bayern). The Norwegian version is often slightly sweeter than German dark lagers. Once rivaling pilsner in popularity, its market share has dropped from 20% in 1950 to 0.2% in 2004. It was the most popular industrial-brewed beer before the Second World War, but it lost its popularity due to the German occupation.

Juleøl - a dark, malted beer exclusively available at Christmas time. Traditionally this was a strong ale which was brewed at home. In modern times each brewery produces their own variety of Christmas beer, mostly a lager. Most breweries brew both weaker varieties (for sale in supermarkets) and more traditional, stronger varieties.

Bokkøl - a strong, dark style of lager, typically 6-7% ABV, with a sweet, complex flavor. It originates from Germany, where it is known as Bock bier.

In addition, Norway has a strong tradition of farmhouse brewing, which has given rise to several styles, known under the common name of "maltøl" (and more recently sometimes "gårdsøl"). Only a few commercial examples of these exist.

Heimabrygg - From the Hardanger, Voss, Sogn region. Usually dark and very strong (8-12%), mostly brewed from barley malts, with juniper and often kveik yeast. The wort is boiled, often for several hours.

Kornøl - From the Nordfjord and Sunnmøre regions. Usually pale, hazy, and 6-8%. Mostly brewed from barley malts, with juniper and kveik yeast. Traditionally the wort was not boiled, but more in recent decades some brewers have begun boiling.

Stjørdalsøl - From the Stjørdal region. Usually deep dark red and slightly hazy. Brewed from home-made heavily alder smoked barley malts. Usually fermented with bread yeast. Traditionally it was brewed with both hops and juniper, but the use of both, particularly juniper, has declined over the last few decades.

Legislation edit

In Norway, beer is classified into four categories by ABV (alcohol by volume), labeled from A to D. The class both determine the tax level, age restrictions, where, and when it can be sold.

  • Class A beer has an ABV of less than 0.7%, and is for all intents and purposes alcohol-free beer. It is not taxed more than general foodstuffs, and can be sold anywhere, any time, and be bought by anyone.
  • Class B beer has an ABV between 0.7% and 2.75%, and is considered "lettøl" (light beer). It is lightly taxed, and can be sold anywhere, anytime, with an age limit of 18 years.
  • Class C beer has an ABV between 2.75% and 3.75%. This category is not in common use.
  • Class D beer has an ABV between 3.75% and 4.75%, and is considered standard strength. Taxation is significant, age limit is 18 years, and sales are subject to local regulation. In most parts of Norway, class D beer can be purchased from common supermarkets, but only before 20:00 on weekdays and 18:00 on Saturdays. In some parts of Norway it can only be purchased through licensed beer stores.
  • Beer over 4,75% is considered sterkøl (strong beer) and is only sold through the government-controlled liquor store chain Vinmonopolet. It is taxed according to ABV level as with wines and spirits, and carries an 18-year age limit.

Notable breweries edit

 
CB Pilsner brand (Hansa-Borg)

Craft breweries edit

 
Haandbryggeriet Sour Beer

Microbreweries and brew pubs edit

 
Oslo Mikrobryggeri is a microbrewery and pub in central Oslo

Norway started late with microbreweries. There are over a hundred microbreweries in Norway, especially in the major cities. Brew pubs sell beers from their own microbreweries.

Craft beer edit

There are an increasing number of microbreweries producing variations of craft beer. Some craft beers have an alcohol content more than 4.7%, and must be sold in Norway only through Vinmonopolet.

Norwegian craft beers are for the most part based on foreign styles, but in recent years beers based on the local farmhouse brewing tradition have come onto the market. Although the volume of craft beer is significantly lower than beer from the larger other parts of the brewery industry, about 25% of the employees of the Norwegian brewery industry works with craft beer brewing.[2]

An example of the revival of old brewing is that many current Norwegian brewers brew traditional and modern beer types using the Norwegian yeast kveik.

See also edit

Literature edit

  • Mortensen, Hylje and Johnsen, Vidar: Norsk øl. Tun forlag 2009. (in Norwegian) ISBN 978-82-529-3286-7
  • Jørgensen, Gustav: Skummende lidenskap - fem stabeiser og deres øl. Bibere forlag 2013 (in Norwegian) ISBN 9788299942201
  • Almås Kvig, Jørn Idar: Ølboka. Front Forlag 2014 (in Norwegian) ISBN 978-82-826-0329-4
  • Smith-Gahrsen, Gahr; Hatland, Hugo Ivan and Ekeland, Skjalg: Den norske ølrevolusjonen. Kagge Forlag 2014 (in Norwegian) ISBN 9788248915249
  • Solem, Knut Albert: Norsk øl- og bryggeriguide. Vega Forlag, Oslo, 2016 (in Norwegian) ISBN 978-82-8211-459-2
  • Almås Kvig, Jørn Idar: Den norske ølboka - en guide til norske øl og bryggerier. Goliat Forlag AS, 2016 (in Norwegian) ISBN 9788293430155
  • Almås Kvig, Jørn Idar: Sommerøl - en guide til sommerens øl. Goliat Forlag AS, 2016 (in Norwegian) ISBN 9788293430025
  • Almås Kvig, Jørn Idar: Den store ølboka - en guide til skandinavisk øl og bryggerier, Goliat Forlag AS, 2017 (in Norwegian) ISBN 9788293430544

References edit

  1. ^ Bryggeriforeningen
  2. ^ When the craft beer revolution finally hit Norway, it hit with a vengeance www.visitnorway.com (in English)

External links edit

  • Norwegian Breweries (in English)
  • Norske bryggerier 2016-07-23 at the Wayback Machine Bryggeri- og drikkevareforeningen (incl. an updated list of breweries) (in Norwegian)
  • Norwegian craft beer visitnorway.com (in English)
  • Norway Breweries ratebeer.com (in English)
  • lervig.no (in English)

November 24, 2023
beer, norway, long, history, stretching, back, more, than, millennium, until, some, years, most, farms, where, possible, grow, grain, south, arctic, circle, brewed, their, beer, from, early, 20th, century, brewing, industrialized, home, brewing, restricted, si. Beer in Norway has a long history stretching back more than a millennium Until some 200 years ago most farms where it was possible to grow grain south of the Arctic Circle brewed their own beer From the early 20th century brewing was industrialized and home brewing was restricted Significant consolidation in the brewing sector reduced the number of major breweries to just a handful With the exception of the farmhouse ales most beer styles brewed in Norway trace their ancestry to central Europe There is a wedding in Hardanger and local farmhouse ale is filled in a traditional drinking bowl Photo National Archives of Norway 1954 Contents 1 Market 2 Styles 3 Legislation 4 Notable breweries 4 1 Craft breweries 5 Microbreweries and brew pubs 6 Craft beer 7 See also 8 Literature 9 References 10 External linksMarket edit nbsp Beers from Nogne O BreweryThe Norwegian beer market is dominated by two large brewers The major Carlsberg Ringnes based in Oslo and Copenhagen Denmark and the smaller Hansa Borg Bryggerier based in Bergen and Sarpsborg Each produce beer branded in a variety of traditional Norwegian beer brands as well as foreign brands bottled on licence This system is a result of the large scale consolidation of Norwegian breweries that has taken place over the last 50 years Brewing has a long history in Norway harking back to the pre Christian era when beer was a central element in all religious and social gatherings of any importance The farmers brewed from their own grain and most larger farms had a separate building used for drying both grain and malts Home brewing in Norway is common and divided in two separate traditions On the one hand the mostly city based modern home brewing of styles familiar from the rest of the world On the other in remote rural regions farmhouse brewers brewing the same styles their parents and grandparents brewed These are styles that don t exist elsewhere As with most countries in Europe and America the most popular style of beer in Norway is pilsner style pale lager According to the Norwegian brewers association most beer brewed in Norway is pale lager 1 Until recently this was the only style of beer to be had except at Christmas time when Christmas beers become available These are dark malt beers traditionally brewed for the holiday season Today the craft beer market has continued to develop in Norway offering a number of different styles including the popularization of kveik yeast for both traditional and modern beers Due to government restrictions beers above 4 75 ABV are only available from licensed premises or from the state run Vinmonopolet wine monopoly liquor stores This has resulted in some foreign breweries lowering the alcohol percentages in their beer in order to make them legal for supermarket retail Norway has a pay to play market meaning the breweries must pay to get their beers on tap in most pubs restaurants and nightclubs The brewery must provide the bar with all the systems required for pulling beer including tanks taps and glasses In place of the tap selection bars often carry a number of bottled beers However these usually carry a much higher price tag The only exception is when the bar themselves own their own draft system and equipment This has created a slow growth of small local breweries and limited the consumers options to which beers they can access at their local bars and restaurants Styles edit nbsp Carlsberg Norwegian market brand sample nbsp Mack market brand sampleStyles of beer that are typical of Norwegian commercial brewing are Pilsner the pale lager style which originated in the Czech city of Plzen This is the dominant beer type with almost 92 of the market share The weaker below 4 75 abv types are the most common but most breweries also brew stronger varieties similar to the Bavarian Spezial beer style for sale through the Vinmonopol Bayer a dark lager with roots in Bavaria Bayern The Norwegian version is often slightly sweeter than German dark lagers Once rivaling pilsner in popularity its market share has dropped from 20 in 1950 to 0 2 in 2004 It was the most popular industrial brewed beer before the Second World War but it lost its popularity due to the German occupation Juleol a dark malted beer exclusively available at Christmas time Traditionally this was a strong ale which was brewed at home In modern times each brewery produces their own variety of Christmas beer mostly a lager Most breweries brew both weaker varieties for sale in supermarkets and more traditional stronger varieties Bokkol a strong dark style of lager typically 6 7 ABV with a sweet complex flavor It originates from Germany where it is known as Bock bier In addition Norway has a strong tradition of farmhouse brewing which has given rise to several styles known under the common name of maltol and more recently sometimes gardsol Only a few commercial examples of these exist Heimabrygg From the Hardanger Voss Sogn region Usually dark and very strong 8 12 mostly brewed from barley malts with juniper and often kveik yeast The wort is boiled often for several hours Kornol From the Nordfjord and Sunnmore regions Usually pale hazy and 6 8 Mostly brewed from barley malts with juniper and kveik yeast Traditionally the wort was not boiled but more in recent decades some brewers have begun boiling Stjordalsol From the Stjordal region Usually deep dark red and slightly hazy Brewed from home made heavily alder smoked barley malts Usually fermented with bread yeast Traditionally it was brewed with both hops and juniper but the use of both particularly juniper has declined over the last few decades Legislation editIn Norway beer is classified into four categories by ABV alcohol by volume labeled from A to D The class both determine the tax level age restrictions where and when it can be sold Class A beer has an ABV of less than 0 7 and is for all intents and purposes alcohol free beer It is not taxed more than general foodstuffs and can be sold anywhere any time and be bought by anyone Class B beer has an ABV between 0 7 and 2 75 and is considered lettol light beer It is lightly taxed and can be sold anywhere anytime with an age limit of 18 years Class C beer has an ABV between 2 75 and 3 75 This category is not in common use Class D beer has an ABV between 3 75 and 4 75 and is considered standard strength Taxation is significant age limit is 18 years and sales are subject to local regulation In most parts of Norway class D beer can be purchased from common supermarkets but only before 20 00 on weekdays and 18 00 on Saturdays In some parts of Norway it can only be purchased through licensed beer stores Beer over 4 75 is considered sterkol strong beer and is only sold through the government controlled liquor store chain Vinmonopolet It is taxed according to ABV level as with wines and spirits and carries an 18 year age limit Notable breweries edit nbsp CB Pilsner brand Hansa Borg Ringnes Bryggeri in Oslo owned by the Danish brewery Carlsberg Hansa Brewery in Bergen owned by Hansa Borg Bryggerier Aass Bryggeri in Drammen Borg Bryggerier in Sarpsborg owned by Hansa Borg Christianssands Bryggeri CB in Kristiansand owned by Hansa Borg E C Dahls Bryggeri in Trondheim owned by Ringnes Grans Bryggeri in Sandefjord Mack Bryggeri in Nordkjosbotn Craft breweries edit nbsp Haandbryggeriet Sour BeerNogne O Brewery in Grimstad and Christianssands Bryggeri in Kristiansand Austmann Bryggeri in Trondheim Haandbryggeriet Brewery in Drammen Kinn Bryggeri in Floro Lervig Aktiebryggeri in Stavanger Sagene Bryggeri in Oslo Svalbard Bryggeri in Longyearbyen AEgir Bryggeri in Flam Microbreweries and brew pubs edit nbsp Oslo Mikrobryggeri is a microbrewery and pub in central OsloNorway started late with microbreweries There are over a hundred microbreweries in Norway especially in the major cities Brew pubs sell beers from their own microbreweries Craft beer editThere are an increasing number of microbreweries producing variations of craft beer Some craft beers have an alcohol content more than 4 7 and must be sold in Norway only through Vinmonopolet Norwegian craft beers are for the most part based on foreign styles but in recent years beers based on the local farmhouse brewing tradition have come onto the market Although the volume of craft beer is significantly lower than beer from the larger other parts of the brewery industry about 25 of the employees of the Norwegian brewery industry works with craft beer brewing 2 An example of the revival of old brewing is that many current Norwegian brewers brew traditional and modern beer types using the Norwegian yeast kveik See also edit nbsp Beer portal nbsp Norway portalBeer and breweries by region nbsp Beer portal nbsp Norway portalLiterature editMortensen Hylje and Johnsen Vidar Norsk ol Tun forlag 2009 in Norwegian ISBN 978 82 529 3286 7 Jorgensen Gustav Skummende lidenskap fem stabeiser og deres ol Bibere forlag 2013 in Norwegian ISBN 9788299942201 Almas Kvig Jorn Idar Olboka Front Forlag 2014 in Norwegian ISBN 978 82 826 0329 4 Smith Gahrsen Gahr Hatland Hugo Ivan and Ekeland Skjalg Den norske olrevolusjonen Kagge Forlag 2014 in Norwegian ISBN 9788248915249 Solem Knut Albert Norsk ol og bryggeriguide Vega Forlag Oslo 2016 in Norwegian ISBN 978 82 8211 459 2 Almas Kvig Jorn Idar Den norske olboka en guide til norske ol og bryggerier Goliat Forlag AS 2016 in Norwegian ISBN 9788293430155 Almas Kvig Jorn Idar Sommerol en guide til sommerens ol Goliat Forlag AS 2016 in Norwegian ISBN 9788293430025 Almas Kvig Jorn Idar Den store olboka en guide til skandinavisk ol og bryggerier Goliat Forlag AS 2017 in Norwegian ISBN 9788293430544References edit Bryggeriforeningen When the craft beer revolution finally hit Norway it hit with a vengeance www visitnorway com in English External links editNorwegian Breweries in English Norske bryggerier Archived 2016 07 23 at the Wayback Machine Bryggeri og drikkevareforeningen incl an updated list of breweries in Norwegian Norwegian craft beer visitnorway com in English Norway Breweries ratebeer com in English 1 lervig no in English Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Beer in Norway amp oldid 1161504867, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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