Overshadowed?

Biskopen is situated in the beer district of Bergen. On the other side of the street you can find Naboen, and within a minute's walk you can find either Baran or Henrik.

The bottle selection is very nice at Biskopen, and there are also more draught beers than in most pubs in Bergen. Hansa takes care of the pale lagers together with Heineken, while Murphy's delivers both stout and red ale. It is also interesting to note that Biskopen also sells the local Waldemar beers. On tap you can find both the wheat beer and the brown ale at the moment.

I was not looking for something special, so I settled down with a pint of Murphy's stout. As always, it is a good stout. The beer has been reviewed here earlier, so I did not make any tasting notes. Instead I enjoyed the beer and the pub.

Biskopen is an excellent taproom, but the draught beer selection could have been more interesting. When it is crowded at Naboen, I sometimes think that the two pubs should have swapped beer taps. Biskopen often has a better atmosphere, while Naboen has the better draught beer selection. To have a tap dedicated to an IPA from for instance Ægir or Nøgne Ø could be a wise move from Biskopen's management, or perhaps a rotating tap could be a good idea?

Irish in Bergen

I sometimes get e-mails about my blog posts. One of my readers told me recently that I should visit his favourite pub in Bergen, Scruffy Murphy's. He told me that it is a pub with a great atmosphere, a fine draught beer selection and good live music now and then.

I took the challenge and entered Scruffy Murphy's. Scruffy Murphy's is an Irish themed pub, and it looks like hundreds of other Irish pubs all over the world. The pub is stretched out over two floors, and I decided to sit down upstairs enjoying a great view over Bergen's harbour and fish market.

There was no live music the Saturday I visited, but there was English Premier League soccer on the TV screens. The dozen or so visitors on the first floor seemed to have a nice afternoon. I had fun watching a typical rainy day in Bergen.

To go with the pub visit, I decided to have a draught beer. Scruffy Murphy's offers Hansa pale lager, Kilkenny, Newcastle Brown Ale and two Irish stouts on tap - both Guinness and Murphy's. I decided to take a stout and chose Murphy's. The waiter served it to me in a Guinness glass. I wonder what an Irishman would say about that in his local pub in Dublin. Anyway, Murphy's is a good stout, and I was served a beer with very little carbonation but with a solid, creamy head. The beer had nice tones from coffee, and I enjoyed it. The price was 91 NOK for a pint. That is nearly 10 GBP.

Scruffy Murphy's is a good example of an Irish pub outside Ireland. The draught beer selection is half decent, but an extra tap tower with a Norwegian craft beer or a rotating keg would be an asset for this pub.

U?

Outside a large U is hanging as a sign post. What kind of place is this? As I get closer, I see that this is one of the newer bars in Bergen. But why a U? I find out later. The bar is called Ujevnt, and it uses the first letter to advertise for itself.

Inside Ujevnt is a cozy place with nice bar stools. But I feel very little ambience. There are some people in the pub, but they keep to themselves. Some interesting beers are available from bottle, but I want to check out the draught beers. I find the local Hansa pale lager and bayer together with Heineken lager and Murphy's stout. The selection is not impressing, unfortunately.

The Hansa and Heineken beers are usually boring, so I end up ordering the stout. It is brought to my table in a non-branded glass. As usual, this is a black beer with a thick and lasting head. There is nearly no carbonation, and there is nearly no aroma from the beer. There is not that much taste either. I find some coffee and chocolate with a hint of bitterness. An average beer, but still one of the better stouts available on tap in Norway.

I will not be a frequent visitor to Ujevnt. The pub felt sterile, and the draught beer menu was both boring and uninteresting. A tap or two with Norwegian craft beers is my piece of advice for the management at Ujevnt.

A nice waiting room in Oslo

Oslo Central Station (Oslo S) is the main railway station in the Norwegian capital. It is centrally placed in Oslo with tram, metro and bus connections nearby. The railway station is also the terminus for the Airport Express Train, Flytoget.

Oslo S has several cafes and restaurants. In the oldest part of the station, Østbanehallen, you can find two pubs. The most interesting of them is Kristiania. Named after Oslo's former name, Kristiania used to be the large waiting room at the railway station. These days it is a combined restaurant and pub.

Kristiania is based in a big and spacy room. The ceiling is high above, and the interior seems classy and beautiful. Some of the feeling of being at an old railway station is kept, and it is interesting sitting at the bar enjoying the architecture.

Like most pubs in Norway, pale lagers are kings at Kristiania. Draughted Hansa beer from Bergen and Heineken made on licence in Norway seem to be the biggest sellers based on the evening I was there earlier this month. From tap there is also Murphy's stout and Erdinger wheat beer together with a beer of the month.

On my visit the monthly beer was Samuel Adams' Boston lager. I like this beer a lot, and it was the best draught beer offer at Kristiania that day. In the glass this was a golden lager with some carbonation and a nice head. I felt grapefruit in the nose, while the taste of toffee, grapefruit and a touch of lemon dominated in the mouth before a bitter finish. This was a lovely lager, and I hope to find it soon elsewhere in Norway.

Kristiania is the best place to drink beer at Oslo Central Station. The pub has a nice atmosphere, and the beer offers are better than what many other pubs and bars in Norway have on the menu.

Best beer selection in Bergen?

Back in Bergen I had a walk through the Nygårdsgaten street. On a corner I found a bar I had not noticed earlier. A sign said that Cafe Baran was established in 2002, and through the windows I could see several beer taps.

Inside, I was really impressed. Baran could offer no less than 16 taps. One was for Magner's cider, while the rest had draught beers. The selection was rather interesting being a Norwegian bar except for the local Hansa pale lager.

At Baran you can drink draught beers from breweries like Pilsner Urquell, Erdinger, Old Speckeled Hen, Marston, Newcastle Brown Ale, Murphy's, Bitburger, Haandbryggeriet and Ægir. In all this is the best selection of draught beers in Bergen, and I can see myself visiting this bar now and then to check out the beer line-up on the taps.

There was time for a beer, so I ordered a Marston's Oyster Stout. The beer was black with a solid head. There was a hint of dark chocolate in the nose, and the beer had a lovely, creamy texture. In the mouth I felt some coffee, a hint of roasted nuts, a touch of dark chocolate and a finish with more coffee and some pines. I liked it, and I am happy to know there is an alternative to Guinness and Murphy's stout in Bergen.

Baran was a small bar room with old furniture an a cozy atmosphere. The Swedish speaking bartender was helpful and did a good job. I am sure to be back trying some of the other beers very soon.

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.

At the office

Kontoret is one of the better places to visit in Bergen if you are looking for beer. The fridges are filled with quality beers, and the pub is among the better stocked places in the Norwegian town.

Myself, I prefer drinking draught beer when I visit a pub, and I have several choices at Kontoret (which means office in English). Old Speckeled Hen is a nice ale, and I prefer Murphy's to Guinness when I want a glass of stout. If I want a pint of the local Hansa pale lager, it is also available as a draught beer at Kontoret.

Kontoret is also supporting Norwegian craft beers. For the last year or so, one of the taps has been given to the little Ægir brewery. Before Christmas I was able to drink Ægir's Juleøl (Christmas beer) at Kontoret, and right now Ægir's IPA is available.

The IPA from Ægir is among my favourite beers from the little brewery in Flåm. On my last visit I came from Naboen and had just tried Vestkyst India Øl from Kinn brewery. The taste of it was still on my palate, so I wanted to try out Ægir's IPA once again to compare the beers.

Ægir's IPA was also a copper coloured beer, but it had nearly no carbonation. The head was medium sized, and in the nose I felt hops, plums and yeast. The plums danced with hops and a hint of citrus before a nice bitterness lead on in the aftertaste. This is a very good IPA, and it is one that I really recommend.

But which is best, then? Kinn or Ægir? I liked Kinn's IPA effort very much, but it is Ægir's IPA that is the one I feel is the best. The price? 94 NOK for a half litre of IPA from Ægir at Kontoret.

UK in Trondheim

British pubs can be found all over Norway. Some feel authentic, while others are of the constructed kind without any atmosphere. Usually you will find some taps with a Norwegian pale lager, some ales (often Kilkenny) and Guinness stout.

While visiting Trondheim I wanted to check out some of the British pubs. The first I entered, was Three Lions Pub in the city centre. My visit was during the world cup, so most guests were watching football on the screens. This is probably one of the better places to watch sports in Trondheim, as the atmosphere was great.

Beerwise Three Lions Pubs are among the better ones in Norway. In addition to bottles, you can find several draught beers. The local Dahls pale lager is supplemented by other pale lagers like Carlsberg, Tuborg, Carling and Stella Artois. Ale drinkers can enjoy Old Speckeled Hen, Newcastle Brown Ale, Guinness and Greene King IPA. I was ready for an IPA that day, but unfortunately the tank was empty. Instead I ended up with a forgettable pale lager that took away my thirst.

Not far from Three Lions, you can find a Scottish pub. Macbeth was a calmer place than the English pub, and I felt it had no atmosphere.

On tap there was Heineken pale lager, Newcastle Brown Ale, Murphy's Red and Guinness. I was not tempted by any of the beers, so I asked the bartender if they had any Scottish beers. After all, they call themselves a Scottish pub.

He had one Scottish beer, Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA in bottles. I had not tried that beer before, so I ordered a bottle. In the glass, this was a copper coloured beer with little carbonation. In the nose I found malts and citrus. The citrus was also present in the mouth with a nice bitterness. I liked this beer a lot, and I hope this so called Scottish pub can offer a Scottish beer like this also as a draught beer.

I will probably not be back at Three Lions or Macbeth on my next visit to Trondheim. There are better places for beer lovers in Norway's third largest city.