Wine is the staple alcoholic drink across much of Europe as grapes will grow in most climates, but because Norway stretches right up into the Arctic circle the average temperatures are much too low for growing them - although a couple of vineyards do exist in the very south of the country. The only real option is to work with various grains, and after a thousand years of practice it's fair to say that they have become VERY good at it. Brewing beer in Norway is a national tradition and it's highly likely that many farmers were also brewers because beer was hugely important at gatherings and ceremonies. Today a lot of home brewing is still taking place in the region, much of it adapted to modern tastes, but in the more remote areas people are still producing unique brews from recipes that have been handed down from one generation to the next.

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Many beers from this part of the world are light and clean with rounded flavours that are very similar to the typical pilsners and lagers that are a familiar sight across much of central Europe, and some of the biggest names in lager are firmly planted in Scandinavia, but Norwegian brewing is far from being a one-trick pony and there are a huge list of seasonal beers that are unique to the region so it's possible that one day we'll have a line-up that includes a Stjørdalsøl, a couple of Heimabrygg's and a Komøl all topped off with a dash of Juleøl! Although these aren't exactly names that trip off the tongue, they are all part of the Norwegian beer scene, many of which are dark beers that are brewed with fruit to give them a unique style and open up a world of flavours that are not just another reshuffle of the already crowded IPA market.

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One of the other quirky things to remember is that alcohol consumption and distribution is tightly controlled by the Norwegian government and although you can buy beers of up to 4.75% ABV from most larger grocers and supermarkets, anything over that is only available through the government controlled stores known as Vinmonopolet's (known locally as polet's or pol's). Because of this rule, much of the core range from ŌSLŌ Brewing Co. is 4.7% ABV, but there are times when you need a little more oomph - hop driven IPA's, chocolate rich stouts and porters definitely benefit from this extra strength or they can just end up being disappointingly 'thin' and lacking in depth - which we can cheerfully say is definitely not the case with the beers that we've received from those talented chaps at ŌSLŌ - and all we can do at this point is raise a glass and cry SKÅL!!!