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.

A touch of black beer

If you leave the tram at Olaf Ryes plass square in Oslo, there is just a short walk to Grünerløkka Brygghus. No, it is still not a proper brewpub, but it has several interesting beers on tap.

I started with a glass of the house beer, Kjell Pop Single Hop. This nice India Pale Ale brewed by Nøgne Ø was a good way to start the visit. I then looked at the beer menu and ended up ordering Løkka Svarthumle. This was another house beer. This time we talk about a Black IPA brewed by the Norwegian Kinn brewery of Florø.

I have said it before in discussions on the internet that I hate that term. Read it, please: Black India Pale Ale. You can not have a black beer that is pale. It is impossible! So any brewer reading this: Use another term! You can not sell liquid ice cubes, can you?

But I digress. Løkka Svarthumle was a black beer with a medium sized head and barely any carbonation. In the nose there was coffee and hops. The beer tasted of coffee and some grapefruit before a finish with assertive coffee. I liked this beer, and I went on to have another glass of it.

Grünerløkka Brygghus is one of the pubs a beer interested visitor to Oslo should check out. The atmosphere is fine, and there is a good draught beer selection where the house beers are the icing on the cake.

Back at Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri

Grünerløkka is the neighbourhood in Oslo where some of my favourite Norwegian beer bars can be found. At the southern end is Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri found close to the Nybrua tramstop. I called this brewpub the best Norwegian pub last year, and I still consider it like that. Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri is a charming beer hall with a great selection of draught beers both brewed at the premises and from leading craft breweries.

At this visit I concentrated on the brewpub's own beers. I started with Sonne IPA. The cloudy beer had barely any carbonation. It had a fruit aroma, and the beer tasted of bitter blood arange. The finish was fruity with a touch of toffee. I really liked this IPA.

I then went for a pale ale. Female Of The Species had a dominant grapefruit aroma. In the mouth I felt lemon and pine, and a sour touch made the beer a little bit more interesting. The finish was somewhat watery and average. I liked the beer, but perhaps I should have tried it before I drank the IPA?

Goose time

Earlier this month, Gaasa opened its doors in Oslo. The location is fine. It is in Storgata street in the city centre close to Oslo Central Station.  Gaasa will both sell beers brewed especially for the pub and selected beers from smaller and larger breweries. The premises looked like an apartment, and on the opening night that gave the place a party feeling. What seemed to be a student crowd looked to have a great evening mostly enjoying their Carlsberg from bottles or playing snooker in a separate room.

The bar was the centre of attention in the main room. Except for draught beers, it looked as if Gaasa had a fine selection in wines. Myself I wanted to try the house beer, and that was Gaasa IPA brewed by Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri.

Gaasa IPA was a cloudy beer with a medium sized head and no carbonation. In the nose I felt grapefruit, and the beer tasted of a balanced combination of citrus and grass. The finish was partly bitter, and I felt this was a fine IPA.

Then I decided to try out a Danish beer. Beer Here Kama Citra was a dark beer with nearly no carbonation nor head. In the mouth I felt coffee and some orange. The beeer tasted like a cocktail of coffee, citrus and grapes before a partly bitter finish with apples. This was a good and different beer.

I am not sure if I will be a frequent guest at Gaasa when I am in Oslo, but for the novelty it would be interesting to see how this place will turn out after a few months. So far I prefer other pubs to it, but if I am near the railway station I might take the time for a beer or two.

Good location

When it comes to location, Amundsen in the city centre of Oslo has everything. Placed merely a stone throw from the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget), it is easy to find in Roald Amundsens Gate street. The beer menu is just fabulous. Amundsen offers both beers brewed on the premises and a great selection of draught beers. In addition to these, there are many rare beers in the restaurant's beer cellar.

I wanted to try one of Amundsen's own beers and decided to try out the pale ale. This was a golden beer with a cloudy look. There was barely any carbonation, and the beer had a small head. In the nose I felt pine, yeast and some grapefruit. The beer tasted grapefruit and pine before a nice finish with some bitterness. This was a lovely beer. I tasted an earlier batch of the same beer last year, but this was a better beer experience.

Amundsen is a must for a beer visitor to Oslo. My regret was that I did not have the time to stay for more than another beer.

Railway Belgian

One of Oslo's most interesting pubs can be found at the main railway station, Oslo S. The Kristiania pub is situated in what was once a waiting room. These days it is a nice pub where you can also order food. Among the draught beers you can find beers like Hansa, Heineken and Carling pale lagers, Hansa Bayer, Murphy's Stout and both the Hefeweizen and the Dunkel from Erdinger.

During my visit I chose the monthly special. This was Chouffe Triple IPA from Belgium. This was a partly cloudy pale beer with nearly no carbonation and a medium sized head. In the nose I felt a fruit cocktail. The beer tasted of peaches and various other fruits with some Belgian yeast. The finish was partly sugary. I liked the first sips of this beer, but then it became rather boring and a bit too sweet.

Kristiania is a nice, scenic pub with a fine atmosphere. If you are going to Oslo airport, it is a good place to have a beer before the trip.

Return to Schouskjelleren

Oslo's Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri was my favourite Norwegian pub in 2011. It is easy to find at the southern end of the Grünerløkka neighbourhood close to the Nybrua tram stop. At my recent visit I still feel that the pub is among the top of the crop. The service is great and attentive, the atmosphere is very good and there is an excellent selection of draught beers. The big bonus is that some of the beers are brewed on the premises, making Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri one of the better brewpubs in Scandinavia. And I also like the policy of selling branded beer glasses. Other pubs can learn from that. A beer glass is an excellent souvenir!

I chose to try out O.S.B. Bitter. This was a cloudy beer with some carbonation and a medium sized head. There were nearly no aromas from the beer. I felt some yeast and touches of pine. The beer was a bit sweet with some honey and pines. The finish was boring and nearly tasteless. I liked the beer, but the anonymous finish was a let down.

There was not time for more beers this time around, but I will be back the next time I am in Oslo.

Grünerløkka Blues

Something has happened in Norway during the last few years. There is an interest in beers that go beyond the ordinary pale lagers, and many pubs and bars now have a decent selection of bottled beers. There has to be an interest for these beers among the guests, and I am happy to see beer menus expanding with more available beers than before. There is no mumbo jumbo doing this for any proprietor. They just have to buy the beers, and any bar owner can do it!

Myself, I rarely bother drinking bottled beer at a bar. Usually I can buy it myself and drink it at home. I prefer drinking draught beer. Therefore I like it when a bar expands and gets hold of more beer taps. It is also a treat when a pub gets a house beer brewed especially for itself.

I had an hour to myself before attending a meeting in Oslo. I chose to take the tram to the Grünerløkka district, as there are several interesting pubs there. Among them you can find two brewpubs and also some with house beers. I chose to visit Grünerløkka Brygghus. The pub's name tells that it is a brewpub. It is not. Grünerløkka Brygghus started up in 2010 aiming to be a brewpub, but so far only beers from outside the building have been available there. But they have house beers brewed for them by Nøgne Ø, and I really liked the Kjell Pop Single Hop I drank there last year. This time around there were no possibilities to check out the beers at Grünerløkka Brygghus. The pub was closed, and it would open a few hours later. OK, I thought. Then I will try Aku Aku Tiki Bar further down the road.

But no such luck. Aku Aku Tiki Bar was also closed. That was a shame, as I wanted to taste the house beer. It is a pale ale brewed by Nøgne Ø called Aku Aku Lemongrass Ale. It is only available a a draught beer, and it is a rather rare beer as this bar is one of the very few places to sell it. Two letdowns so far. Would there be more? Was I just way too early in the day to drink other draught beers than pale lagers from Ringnes and Frydenlund in this area of Oslo?

At the square further down the street I saw Parkteatret. Once this was a big cinema, but these days there are concerts there. The former lobby is now a bar. It has a great retro look with leather chairs and sofas. I enjoyed being there. And as a bonus there were interesting beers on tap!

I chose Dobbel Dose from Haandbryggeriet. This cloudy beer had barely any carbonation nor head. The nose was very fruity with lots of grapefruit. In the mouth sweetness and bitterness met in a great balance. I felt fruit cocktail and grapefruit before a partly bitter finish. This was lovely! A great beer.

Time was up. I rushed down the road to catch the next tram heading downtown. There was work to be done.

Report from a near beer desert

I have visited some Norwegian airports during the last few weeks. I am not satisfied of the draught beer selection I have seen. The restaurants and bars are tied to the Ringnes brewery group in beverages. This means that Ringnes pale lager is found on tap more or less everywhere. In addition to Ringnes, you will often find Carlsberg pale lager, Kilkenny and Guinness and here and there a local pale lager from the Ringnes sortiment or a seasonal special.

There are also bottles available. Ringnes distributes Brooklyn brewery in Norway, and where available these are usually the most interesting offers. Otherwise there are bottled pale lagers like Ringnes, Carlsberg and Stella Artois on offer together with even more Guinness. Unfortunately no Norwegian craft beers are to be found on any of the airports I have been to, and that is really a shame. A tourist ought to find a Norwegian speciality also in an airport bar.

I recently had a 0.6 litre of Ringnes Pilsner at Bergen's airport Flesland. The pale lager had nearly no head and a lot of carbonation. In the nose there was sweetness and malts. I felt sweet malts and a touch of yeast in the mouth before a bitter finish with some wort and a touch of grains. This is a boring, average pale lager. The price was 94 NOK, which is nearly 11 GBP.

At Oslo's airport Gardermoen I tried Ringnes' Christmas beer. Ringnes Juleøl was a coppery beer with nearly no carbonation nor head. In the nose there was some caramel and cold coffee, and the beer tasted the same. I have tasted several better Christmas beers from Norway this year, and Ringnes Juleøl must be considered another boring beer.

I want to appeal to the bar and restaurant owners at Norwegian airports: If you have to sell beers from the Ringnes group, use your imagination and find some more interesting beers. A selection from Brooklyn brewery on tap would be a great beginning.

Return to Amundsen

The newest brewpub in Oslo is Amundsen Bryggeri & Spiseri. Amundsen Bryggeri & Spiseri was established in 2011 and it is a spacious restaurant with a long bar close to the Norwegian National Theatre.

Beer tourists to Oslo have a lot of Norwegian draught beers to choose from. Breweries like Nøgne Ø, Haandbryggeriet, Ægir and Waldemars are among the ones represented. In addition to these there is an excellent and varied selection of bottled beers.

I went to Amundsen to try one of the beers brewed at the premises. I had already tasted the pale ale on an earlier visit, and a pilsner did not tempt me. Instead I chose the red ale.

Amundsen Red Ale was a dark, reddish beer. It had a medium sized head but hardly any carbonation. The nose surprised me. I felt cowberries! The cowberries were still there in the mouth with a touch of malts before a finish with some fruit salad. This beer was different and good, but I felt a half litre was enought at this time.

I will be back at Amundsen Bryggeri & Spiseri. This is one of Oslo's best beer destinations.

A more than average brewpub in Oslo

The traditional brewpub in Oslo is Oslo Mikrobryggeri. Oslo Mikrobryggeri was founded in 1989 and was for several years the only brewery in Oslo. The large Ringnes brewery moved its production of beers and sodas to Gjelleråsen outside Oslo in 2001.

Oslo Mikrobryggeri is based in Bogstadveien street north of the Royal castle. The brewery brews several beers, and on my recent visit I tried three of the available six. The three beers I did not taste were Oslo Mikrobryggeri's stout, porter and weizen.

The first beer was Oslo Mikrobryggeri's Steamer. This was a brownish beer with nearly no carbonation and a medium sized head. There was not much aroma from the beer, but I felt some toffee and grapes. In the mouth toffee took the lead before a watery finish. This was a nice beer, but I felt it lacked some punch in it.

Oslo Pils was a pale lager with some carbonation and a small head. In the nose there was grass and some caramel. I felt malts, toffee and grains before a grainy finish. This was another nice beer, but there are better pale lagers around in Norway.

I also tried Oslo Mikrobryggeri's IPA and was a bit disappointed. This brownish beer was not as hoppy as I had hoped for. Instead I was served a beer with aromas of toffee and grapefruit. In the mouth there was toffee and some bitter citrus before a partly bitter finish. Again Oslo Mikrobryggeri offered another nice beer, but I like my IPAs with a more assertive hop bite.

I have described the beers I have tasted from Oslo Mikrobryggeri as nice beers. But they are not extremely good. They are adequate, inoffensive session beers that are better than the average pale lagers. Oslo Mikrobryggeri is a fine pub. There is no food served there, but the beers make the brewpub a must for a beer ticker. For the average beer visitor to Oslo there are more interesting places to go.

Pale ale tasting at Schouskjelleren

I have been to Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri once again. Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri is one of Oslo's newest brewpubs, and it is interesting to see what new beers that are available from visit to visit.

During my last trip to Oslo I ended up drinking three of the pale ales brewed on the premises. A fourth draught beer brewed at Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri was also available together with nine other draught beers and an excellent collection of bottled beer.

I started with Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri's Empress of India IPA. This cloudy IPA had a small head and nearly no carbonation. In the nose I felt grass, grapefruit and yeast, while the beer tasted grapefruit and grapes before a partly bitter finish with some sweetness. This was a lovely beer!

Then I tried Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri's Hip Hops. This beer was described by the friendly and cute waitress as a pale ale. The beer was cloudy, had a large head and some carbonation. Hip Hops had nearly no aroma, but the beer had a touch of fruit cocktail before a finish with some sour lemon. This was an average beer that I perhaps would have liked a lot more if I drank it before the Empress of India IPA.

Transport Helicopter is supposed to be a single hop pale ale. This was another cloudy beer with some carbonation. In the nose I felt some fruit cocktail and malts, while in the mouth I felt a combination of grapefruit and sweet lemons before a semi bitter finish. This was another lovely beer from Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri.

Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri is probably the most interesting brewpub in Oslo at the moment. A beer tourist should not miss out on it.

For the record: I also tried the Dresden '45 rauchbier from the Danish brewery Grassroot during this visit to Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri. I feel naming a smoked beer that way is tasteless by the brewery. I will therefore not comment on the beer.