Another pale lager

Frydenlund used to be one of Norway's leading beer brands. These days the brewery name is owned by Ringnes, and the brewery group sells several Frydenlund beers in the Norwegian market. One of my favourites is Frydenlund Bayer, which is a fine beer in the Bavarian style.

Frydenlund Fatøl is one of the many pale lagers from the Ringnes group. In the glass it has a medium sized head and some carbonation. I feel grass and flowers in the nose, while the beer tastes of malt and some sweetness before a finish with cardboard. The lager beer is nice, although I will call it average. It is not worth searching for, but it is quite all right as a thirst quencher.

Back at the draught beer desert

I have told several times on this blog what I do not like about Oslo's airport Gardermoen. Beerwise it is a draught beer desert. Most beers available on tap are pale lagers with some Guinness and Kilkenny here and there. I find that boring and bad for tourists. If you go to Norway's main airport, you should at least find some Norwegian craft beers. But you will not, neither from tap nor from bottle.

During my last visit at Gardermoen I went through both the domestic and international terminal to see if there was something that would interest me before my flight. I found some bottled beers from Brooklyn brewery, but that was about it when it comes to what I consider interesting beers.

But that was before I visited Aquavit Bar in the international terminal. For some reason Aquavit Bar sells Frydenlund Bayer. The Bavarian styled beer is one of my favourite macro brewery beers in Norway, and I was delighted to have a 0.6 litre glass of it before I had to go to the gate.

As always Frydenlund Bayer was a treat. I enjoyed the burnt notes and the caramel touch. It was a fine beer to have before leaving Norway.

Piccadilly revisited

In the windy town of Bodø, I ended up spending an entire Autumn evening at Piccadilly. Piccadilly is one of those English pubs you find outside Britain with the distinct English touch, but unfortunately lacking British draught beers. Sure, it is nice with a Guinness or another Irish stout or ale now and then, but I feel that a British bitter or pale ale from tap should be a must for an English pub.

At Piccadilly there are several draught beers, and Nordlandspils pale lager is the one preferred by the locals. I was not in the mood for a pale lager, so I chose Frydenlund Bayer. This is a very fine beer in the Bavarian style, and in my opinion it is the best of its style from Norwegian macro breweries.

I was given a beer with a small head and some carbonation. This copper coloured beer had aromas of cold coffee and toffee. In the mouth there was burnt malts, toffee and cold coffee. The finish was with a bitter touch. I really like Frydenlund Bayer, and in these Christmas beer times it is worth mentioning that it is much better than most Norwegian Juleøl beers sold in supermarkets.

Piccadilly is a nice pub. I would like a bigger beer offer, and it would be nice if the pub also could offer Norwegian craft beers from tap. But I must confess that Frydenlund Bayer did its trick as a a session beer this evening.

Dark Norwegians

Visiting restaurants and supermarkets, it is easy to believe that Norwegian beers are more or less pale lagers. Lager beers in the pilsner category is what most Norwegians consider as beer, and if you order "øl" in a Norwegian bar you will get pale lager.

Norway has a long tradition brewing other beer styles than pale lagers, and at one point in time the Bavarian style was the best selling. These beers, which are called bayer in Norway, are still found in supermarkets and shops, and most of the industrial breweries in Norway sell decent bayers.

Frydenlund used to be one of largest breweries in Norway. These days the Frydenlund name is used by Ringnes as a label, and you can find various Frydenlund beers in shops and supermarkets. One of them is Frydenlund bayer, which in the glass is a coppercoloured beer with some carbonation and a medium sized head. In the nose I find cold coffee, toffee and earth, while the beer taste of burnt malts, toffee and a touch of coffee before a partly bitter finish. Lovely!

Ægir brewery has grown from being a tiny craft brewery to a brewery with a presence in both Norwegian shops and Vinmonopolet. The demand for Ægir's products these days is so big that the brewery now brews their bottled beers in Belgium. The draught beers are still being produced in Flåm.

Tors Hammer is a barleywine, and the name is striking. Being a barleywine, as this is a really strong beer, being named after the thundergod's hammer is suitable. Tors Hammer is coppercoloured with a small head and nearly no carbonation. The nose is fruity with a sweet punch. The beer is fullbodied with a sweet taste where apricots and prunes dominate with a touch of tobacco before a semibitter finish. The barleywine is nice, but a half litre is too much. This is a beer that is made for sharing. The price is 112 NOK at Vinmonopolet, which is nearly 12 GBP.

Grans brewery uses Lade Gaard as an extra brand name. The Lade Gaard beers have one of the finest labels in Norway, and the beer bottles look very attractive. I did not like Lade Gaards pale lager or the Christmas beer, but I am willing to give the dark lager, Lade Gaards Mørk Lager, a chance.

In the glass this is a copper coloured beer with little carbonation and a medium sized head. There are aromas of malts and some caramel in the nose. In the mouth I feel some caramel, malts and a watery feeling. The finish is very alike a malzbier. Lade Gaard Mørk Lager is an average beer, but it is the best I have tried from Lade Gaard.

Christmas beers revisited

When we reached 20 December, most Christmas beers were already sold out in Norwegian shops and the state owned alcohol outlets, Vinmonopolet. Especially the Christmas beers from craft breweries like Nøgne Ø, Haandbryggeriet and Ægir were sold out at Vinmonopolet early in December. If you want to be sure to have those Christmas beers at Christmas this year, it is a good idea buying them in November.

In early January I had three Christmas beers left in my fridge. One of them was Hansa Julebrygg. At 6.5% alcohol, this is the version sold at Vinmonopolet and not in shops. In the glass this was a dark and nearly black beer. It had very little carbonation and hardly a head. In the nose there was some toffee, while it tasted caramel and some cold coffee. It was an average Christmas beer, but it was the best Christmas beer from the Bergen based brewery.

Frydenlund Juleøl was the supermarket version with 4.7% alcohol. In the glass it had an amber colour and very much carbonation. It built a large head in the glass, and the beer had aromas of pears and malts. Tastewise this was a very good beer. In the mouth I felt a combination of apples, caramel and sweetness. Lovely!

From the little Atna brewery hails Atna øl til julemat. This is a beer brewed to be combined with Christmas food. In the glass this was an unclear beer with a brownish colour. There was a little carbonation, but nearly no head. In the nose there was some roastedness with a hint of toffee. The flavours were of caramel and yeast. This was a different Christmas beer, but I felt it was OK except for a watery finish.

Some beers in Bergen

This week I ended up doing a pub crawl in Bergen. My plan was to start at one of the bars I usually never attend. Not far from Torgallmenningen I found Scotsman. This is British themed pub with a young following. If you want to see a football game, Scotsman is a place that always will show Premier League or Champions League.

There were no beers for me that evening at Scotsman. The pub had not opened yet, so I walked on. It was probably a good thing to do. The Heineken tap I saw through the window did not tempt me.

About a hundred metres from Scotsman, an Irish themed pub is located. Straight across the Bergen theatre Den nationale Scene, you will find Finnegan's. Inside this is a typical pub, but there is also outdoor seeting. Due to the ban on smoking indoors at Norwegian bars and restaurants, this is where you find the smokers. Usually this is a great place to sit down. Blankets are available to keep yourself warm, and there are also outdoor ovens.

I went in to have a beer, but turned around and walked on. From tap there was Hansa lager, Guinness, Kilkenny and Murphy's Red. I like a pint of stout now and then, but I was not in the mood that night.

From Finnegan's you can see towards Henrik, which is a must for people interested in beer. Sure, you can drink draughted Kilkenny, Guinness or pale lagers like Carlsberg or Frydenlund there, but what lures me in are several Nøgne Ø beers on tap. This week you could drink Nøgne Ø's Christmas beer Special Holiday Ale. This was one of my favourites last year, but I tried another beer from the Nøgne Ø taps. It was marked with a Friends of Nøgne Ø label, and there I found BrewDog's Punk IPA. I liked it in the beginning, and enjoyed the scents of grapefruit. In the mouth there was more grapefruit and a hint of pepper before a bitter finish. I liked the first sips better than the last ones, but in the end I felt this was a much too bitter beer for me.

After Henrik I went to another of my favourite haunts in Bergen, Naboen.

At Naboen there is a good selection of draught beers, and I set my eyes on a new addition to the beer lineup: A metallic plate introducing Oppigårds from Sweden.

Oppigårds Indian Tribute was a nice IPA. In the nose there was lemon. The beer had a full body with tastes of lemon, toffee and a hint of bread. This was a lovely beer with some lovely bitterness. I liked it! I also tried Kinn's Austkyst, which is a British styled IPA. It was not a good experience with a lousy aroma and a dominant taste of pine. The Vestkyst IPA from Kinn is a much better beer.

The evening had a final stop at Kontoret. I enjoyed draught beers from Ægir there. I did not make any tasting notes, but Ægir's Rallarøl was an excellent night cap.

Three beers in Bodø

Bodø railway station

Bodø is a very compact city. It takes about ten minutes to walk from the railway station to the town hall. If you want to go to the airport, it takes five minutes in a taxi from the bus terminal in the city centre. If you prefer walking, it would take about 20 minutes.

In the city centre there are several bars and pubs. I wanted to watch a soccer game, so I ended up at the pub with a very fitting name, Wembley.

Wembley pub & lounge is first and foremost a sports bar. I enjoyed my soccer game and wanted something to drink. Sure, I could have had a half litre of Nordlandspils, which is available everywhere in Bodø, but I preferred something else.

The nice and friendly female bartender offered me toasts to eat, but I did not want any. Instead I looked around the bar. Carlsberg from tap did not tempt me. Neither did bottles of Tuborg Lime or Budweiser. Instead I ended up with a glass of Guinness stout from tap.

After the game was finished, I walked a few blocks and found another bar. Piccadilly looked like the closest thing to an English pub that I could find in Bodø, so I walked in.

Piccadilly could just like Wembley offer Guinness and Nordlandspils. In addition to these beers Kilkenny, Frydenlund Bayer and Stella Artois were available. Being in an English style pub made me choose what a hooligan would order: A pint of Wifebeater. Stella Artois, I mean.

Stella Artois is not my favourite pale lager, but once again I felt it took away my thirst. The pub was nice with leather furniture and classy interior. I liked staying there, but I would have liked some Haandbryggeriet, Nøgne Ø or Ægir beers on tap as well. And by the way: I did not share the Swedish waitress' music taste.

My time in Bodø was over for this time, so I found my things and got ready to go to the airport. I went down to the bus terminal and started to wait for a bus. It was not due to arrive in nearly an hour, so I ordered a taxi to the airport.

Bodø airport is a small airport, and most of the air traffic go to local airports in Northern Norway.

Inside there is a pub called Bodø Aktiebryggeri. It is found before the security check, so if you want a beer you must enjoy it before entering the departures hall. I sat down and ordered my first and only Nordlandspils for this trip. Once Nordlandspils was the local beer brewed in Bodø. Nowadays the beer is brewed in Trondheim, so it is not even brewed in the same part of Norway.

I drank my 0.6 litre of Nordlandspils and thought it was better than Stella Artois. But still it is inferior to the pale lagers I have tried in for instance the Czech Republic.

I left Bodø thinking that the city needs its brewpub back after Bryggerikaia has stopped brewing its own beers. The little city also needs bars, pubs and restaurants with a bigger selection than pale lagers and Guinness.

Captains, Henrik and Nøgne Ø

Henrik is one of the bars in Bergen that I always look forward to be visiting. The beer menu is solid, and Henrik has also several good draught beers.

I am not running to the city centre of Bergen to drink draughted Carlsberg or Frydenlund pale lager. Nor is Guinness or Kilkenny on tap a reason to visit Henrik. Instead you can always find beer from Nøgne Ø on tap.

I have not been to Henrik for a few months, so I was very happy to see that they now have three Nøgne Ø taps. This week you could choose between Nøgne Ø's Blonde, Porter and Two Captains Double IPA.

The Double IPA is a new beer for me. It is supposed to be available at the Norwegian Vinmonopolet outlets next month, but some bars have been selling it in bottles for the last few weeks. In the glass Two Captains Double IPA is a copper coloured beer with little carbonation and a medium sized head. It the nose there is grapefruit, flowers and a hint of sweetness. In the mouth the grapefruit take the lead dancing with some plums. The finish is very bitter but still feels balanced. I liked this beer a lot. It is strong, and at 8.5% alcohol it is not a session beer. The price at Henrik is 78 NOK for 0.35 litre. That is about 8 GBP or slightly more than 8.50 EUR.

A good neighbour in Trondheim

There are some beer bars in Norway that are really worth visiting. Some have the ambience, while others have the beers. In the last category you can find Den gode nabo in Trondheim.

Den gode nabo (English: The good neighbour) is situated in the Bakklandet neighbourhood of Trondheim. It is a great setting with outdoor tables next to the Nidelven river and a great view to the river from the bar itself. It is not that difficult for a bar to make a good beer selection in bottled brews. Den gode nabo has a lot of bottled beers, but what makes this restaurant special in Norway is its great variety in draught beers.

Sure, Norwegian beers like the local Dahls pale lager and Frydenlund bayer is available on tap. In addition to this there is an international representation on the taps with Pilsner Urquell and Carlsberg.

But there are more draughted beers than this. You can find San Miguel, Paulaner hefeweizen, Newcastle Brown Ale, Oyster Stout and Samuel Adams Boston Lager together with a beer of the month that was not available the day I visited.

The Norwegian Kinn brewery started up last year in Florø. Their beers are available in a few selected bars across Norway, and Den gode nabo is one of them. I usually drink Kinn beers at Naboen in Bergen, so I chose to not have any Norwegian beers during my visit.

At Den gode nabo I first tried out Samuel Adams' Boston Lager. It was a nice lager with a golden coolour and a large head. There was also a lot of carbonation. I felt yeast in the nose, and in the mouth the yeast was supplemented by some malts and tasty, bitter lemons. The finish was rather bitter, but in all I liked the beer very much.

At home I usually have bottled Paulaner when I want a wheat beer. Den gode nabo had Paulaner's hefeweizen, and I wanted to have a go at this weissbier from tap for the first time. That was a wise choice, as the wheat beer was excellent. In the glass it had a large head and some carbonation. The aroma had cloves and yeast. In the mouth I felt bananas, more cloves, some yeast and a touch of bread. Lovely!

Den gode nabo is a must for beer visitors to Trondheim. I know I will return the next time I am in the town.