Back at Arlanda

Having another stopover at Stockholm's airport Arlanda, I this time visited Terminal 5. This is a newer and better looking building than Terminal 2, that I visited last year.

For some beer, I sat down at Andersson Food & Aquavit. From draught, Andersson could offer Staropramen Dark Lager and three pale lagers: Carlsberg Hof, Staropramen and Pripps Blå Expert. I have had my share of boring Swedish lagers, so the local Pripps was a no-go. Instead I went for the the dark beer from the Czech Republic.

The beer was as black as a Coca Cola. There was no carbonation, and there was barely a head- In the nose I felt coffee and and sweet malts. The beer was mainly sweet with some caramel, malts and a bit of coffee before a sweet finish. I felt the beer was average, and I know I have been drinking much better dark lagers than this one.

My flight was late, but I did not see it until I was nearly at the gate. I decided it was time for another beer, and I had it at the place called Bar in Terminal 5. The draught beers on offer were Carlsberg Hof, Kronenbourg 1664 and Brooklyn Lager. It was not difficult to choose. I had the American lager, and as usual it was a satisfying experience with aromas of grapefruit and a fine taste combining grapefruit and caramel. It was really enjoyable.

It was time to leave, and next time I am at Terminal 5 I will go straightly to Bar. The best draught beer I have found at Arlanda, is still Brooklyn lager.

Two Summer beers

I have yet to find Brooklyn Summer Ale in a Norway, but at 4.5% alcohol it is a beer that could be sold at ordinary shops and supermarkets.

The beer has a pale colour. There is a lot of carbonation and it builds a medium sized head. In the nose I feel lemon and oranges. In the mouth I feel malts and lemon before a watery finish with a touch of biscuits and lemon. This was a nice thirst quencher in the sun.

Sigtuna Summer IPA hails from Sweden. This a a dark and cloudy beer with nearly no carbonation nor head. Grapefruit dominates both in the nose and in the mouth. I also feel some lemon, grass and toffee before a semi bitter finish. This was a lovely beer with an alcohol content of 7%.

Two beers at Oslo airport

I had left the city centre of Oslo to catch a plane at Oslo's Gardermoen airport. This time I was early at the airport, so I sat down at the Christiania bar to have some beer.

As always the draught beer selection at the airport leaves something to be desired. At Christiania you can have Ringnes, Carlsberg or Stella Artois pale lagers. Are you ready for some ales, there is Kilkenny and Guinness from tap.

I would not have any of these beers, so I checked out the beer bottle selection. There I found some beers I had not tried earlier. The Ringnes brewery distributes some of the Brooklyn beers in Norway, and I wanted to check out Brooklyn East India Pale Ale.

In the Ringnes branded glass the Brooklyn East India Pale Ale had some carbonation and a medium sized head. In the nose I felt grapefruit. I found grapefruit, sour oranges and some spices in the mouth before a semi bitter finish with some passionfruit. This was a lovely beer!

There was also time for a Jacobsen dark lager. Jacobsen is Carlsberg's mini brewery, and I have enjoyed some of the other Jacobsen beers earlier. The dark lager was not a favourite. It was a dark beer with nearly no carbonation and a small head. Except for a tiny hint of coffee and caramel, there was no aroma. In the mouth the beer felt watery with some caramel. I felt it was boring.

As I went to my flight, I had once again the same feeling: Why is it not possible for Oslo airport to sell some Norwegian craft beers? And why not as draught beers? The airport is the largest in Norway, and many tourists travel through it. This could be a nice place to show the better beers of Norway to visitors.

Arlanda beer hunt

My plane from Arlanda was late, and there would be at least an extra hour for me at Stockholm's airport. I had checked some of the beer possibilities in Terminal 2, and I had tried two half litres of pale lager at the terminal's bars. Sure, I could have some other beer I had not tasted earlier from bottle, but I wanted to check out some other part of the airport to see if I could find some exciting draught beers.

First I went into the tax free shop at Terminal 2. The beer selection there was boring. I could have Carlsberg or Tuborg. No Swedish beer brands were available, and this being Sweden's largest airport it could have been a fantastic place to sell the best Swedish beers to take home for a tourist.

No such luck. I left Terminal 2 to see what to find elsewhere. Walking towards the other terminals, I saw a sign showing the way to SkyCity. SkyCity is Arlanda's mall with shops, bars and restaurants. That would be the right place to look.

SkyCity had a facinating architecture. It was a building where space age fancy decour took the lead. It was not a welcoming place, and I did not feel at home. Free wifi was available, though, and that was a plus.

There were several bars and restaurants upstairs at Sky City. I chose one of the first I saw, New Orleans Bistro & Bar.

New Orleans Bistro & Bar had a nice selection of bottled beers, but from draught Brooklyn Lager was the most interesting beer compared to Kronenbourg 1664 and Carlsberg Export. I had to have a taste of the American beer, and I went for the largest glass: 0.75 litres.

In the glass Brooklyn Lager was a nearly browninsh beer with some carbonation and a small head. The beer had a nice aroma with caramel leading on with a tiny touch of grass. In the mouth caramel and citrus tastes danced along before a semi bitter finish with some toffee. This was a lovely beer, and i enjoyed it very much. It gave the Stockholm stopover and flight delay a nice finish.

Back at Oslo airport

After a few days in Oslo, it is time to move on. I take the train from Oslo Central Station to Oslo Airport Gardermoen. If you are in a hurry, you take Flytoget (Airport Express Train) and spend about 20 minutes on the train. For nearly half the price, it is possible to take the local train to Eidsvoll and get off at the airport. It takes slightly more than 40 minutes, but paying 110 NOK instead of 190 NOK is worth it.

There are many bars and restaurants at the airport, but I prefer the sports bar O'Learys. This is a Swedish chain with many sister bars on train stations and airport in Sweden.

The drinks menu at O'Learys at Oslo Airport.

O'Learys at Gardermoen are not to be recommended for their beers. There are way too few beers to choose from. From tap there are Ringnes and Tuborg pale lager together with Guinness stout and Kilkenny. In bottles you can find Carlsberg, Tuborg Lime Cut, Budweiser and two beers from the Brooklyn brewery.

I like Brooklyn lager, but Brooklyn Brown Ale is a new beer for me. There is no doubt, so I order the ale. In the glass, Brooklyn Brown Ale is a nearly black beer with nearly no carbonation and a large head. There are aromas of hops and dark chocolate. In the mouth I feel chocolate and some cold coffee, before a finish where very dark chocolate take the lead. This is a very good beer, and I will try it again.

As I leave the bar to get to my flight, my thoughts are again with Norwegian breweries. Why can they not have a presence in the bars on Norway's largest airport? This should be a showcase for beers from Nøgne Ø, Haandbryggeriet, Ægir and/or Kinn to name a few.

The better monopoly

I have spent some days in Sweden enjoying smörgåsar, köttbullar, plankbiff and a beer now and then. Just like Norway, Sweden has state owned outlets selling liquor, wine and beers. In Sweden you are able to buy beers with 3.5% alcohol or less in supermarkets and shops. Beers with a higher alcohol content must be bought at the alcohol monopoly shops, Systembolaget.

There are advantages with monopoly outlets like Systembolaget in Sweden, Vinmonopolet in Norway and Alko in Finland. The stores have a varied selection in beers compared to ordinary shops. Most Systembolaget outlets can offer several shelves with beers of different styles, nationalities and strengths - both from large and small breweries. Name an international brand, and you will probably find it at Systembolaget. In addition to this, there are several local, Swedish beers and some craft beers.

I am fond of lager beers, and at Systembolaget I found a very tasty American lager. I have never seen Brooklyn lager in Norwegian stores, but it is supposed to be found in various bars in the Oslo area.

In the glass, Brooklyn lager has an amber colour and a medium sized head. There is very little carbonation, and there is a fruity aroma. In the mouth I feel citrus, malts and a hint of toffee before it has a nice and bitter finish. This is a great beer that I hope will be videly available in Norway.

Also at Systembolaget, I found many Czech lagers. One that I have enjoyed in Prague as a draught beer, is Primator's premium lager. In Sweden it is sold in 0.33 litre bottles. Primator's premium lager is a golden beer with a lot of carbonation and a big head. In the nose there is malt and some fruitiness. The fruit is also found in the mouth before caramel and toffee joins in on a half bitter finish. This is another great lager to be recommended.