Ægir Bryggeri

 

 

I am reviewing the brew pub in the waterside town of Flaam, not the brewery itself in the "old" town.

With a cruise ship in town and the hordes of tourists taking the train, one would think they would open with more help. There was one bartender and (I believe) one server. With the main fjord boat leaving at 1:10, one would also think the pub could open before 12 noon. But alas, this is not the US (or first world for that matter).

I was able to get a sampler of their beers on tap. They were good, but not top end.

We also didn't dare test the kitchen with only an hour available to get a sandwich.

That said, the interior is funky and fun--a supposedly "Viking" experience with gnarled wood seats, a central fire pit and cozy corners for larger parties. The vibe is superior. With extra time (and patience), this might be a wonderful venue.

 

Our drive through the varied, cold vastness that is Norway from Oslo to Bergen was positively epic. But by the time we got to Aegir Brewery, and after a couple of beers, we decided we wouldn’t make it to Bergen. This would cost us some money (we had to book a night in Flam and pay for the no-show night in Bergen), but it was so worth.

We arrived in the little fjord town of Flam after a mudslide had taken over the area. The brewery complex (which also houses a hotel and several touristic outposts) was flooded with thick mud and thoroughly deserted. But the brewpub was open! We were the only ones there pretty much, along with a friendly local with whom we struck a conversation.

Aegir is built to resemble a Viking hall and/or church, with a fireplace inside, an open floorplan and massively high ceilings. What a beautiful, cozy place! There is a restaurant upstairs that was closed that night, but the bartender directed us to a place nearby with good food.

I didn’t take notes that night but what the listings say about five or six beers on tap sounds right… I feel like the better brews were all on bottles, including Lynchburg Natt, a barrel-aged imperial porter in which I spent most of our life savings.

I had a tasting tray with their regular lineup and was not too impressed: blonde Boyla, copper Hod, amber Rallar, Sumbel porter and IPA. These last two are pretty good and the rest are a bit too unadventurous/average. We also had a bottle of Hyrrokin Peated IPA and it was incredible, and of course the mighty Lynchburg Natt. This beer alone makes Aegir a hitter in my book. At a Vinmonopolet elsewhere, I bought bottles of Tors Hammer barleywine and regular Natt Imp Porter.

Prices were outrageous. The Lynchburg was around $27; this beer sells in the US, when available, for around $14. But you know what? It was worth. I still think of Aegir and how incredible it was drinking all those good brews in the middle of a fjord. I highly recommend staying in the hotel as well.

 

 

Brewery and restaurant are in the same building, which looks like a stave church. The interior felt like a Viking living room- sheepskins thrown on wood benches surrounding a fire pit. I didn't want to leave. The food and beers are excellent, but a little pricey... but so is everything else in Norway. This place is we ll worth checking out, even if you're only in Flam for an hour. Personally, I liked the amber ale the best. Many beverages were drunk that evening, but they were all delicious. They also have a shop off to the side where you can purchase beers.

The infamous viking brewpub - nestled on the cozy Flam harbor, approximately 20 feet from my hotel.

Truly a wonderful exterior, and the interior isnt too far behind with the communal fire pit and cozy couch set up. We arrived immediately as this place opened (8pm) as we were staying in Flam for a night on our way across the Fjord.

The IPA is pretty lovely - everything else I tried was merely average by most standards. They had some interesting barrel aged or rarer bottle releases that were scary to crank the currency conversion on.

the bartender on our visit was great - easily the most meaningful conversations I had with a Norwegian on our trip, mostly about beer.

there were 2 things on the menu for food - pizza and a burger. At first, this kind of bummed me out as we really needed dinner and there was only 1 or 2 other options within miles. However, the pizza was made with creme fraiche instead of red sauce and was topped with local arugula, goat cheese from a nearby farm and local sausage. Quite nice.

very cool spot - and the location was like winning the lottery - not a lot of brewpubs in Norway and this one couldnt have been closer.

Arrived in town by boat and searched this place out immediately after reading about the beers on various Scandinavian beer blogs but never seeing it around in the store, even in Stavanger, Norway. Boy was I not disappointed. The bryggeri has an interesting design to it--circular with tables and viking-themed chairs ringing the outside and a wooden bar with stools around the middle. I wandered up to the tap area and was greeted by a pleasant gentleman who described the beers and offered a sample of each for the price of a .5L serving of one. Having already tried the IPA next door with lunch, I knew I wanted another.

While enjoying the delicious IPA which has a taste very similar to American IPAs, I asked about the availability in Stavanger. Sure enough, I was given information about where I could find these beers (The Cardinal). There is also a gift shop area where you can purchase T-shirts, bottled beers, and beer glasses (I picked one up to remind myself of this fantastic bryggeri).

A first class experience, very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Delightful brewery in a spectacular, beautiful setting by the water.

I arrived in Flam early July just off its namesake railway. What a great surprise to find smack dab in the heart of the tourist center of town a brewpub! Unfortunately it was closed until just about the time that my boat was due to depart. Luckily next door was a resto that had several of their beers available on draft. Got to try some of those to my enormous enjoyment. And as luck would further have it, word got around to the brewmaster, Evan, that I was enjoying the beere and he personally stopped by my table and invited me for a little vilsit to the brewpub. Had a nice chat, a little swag, and a big smile. Maybe we'll be able to have some of their beers in USA someday soon. I hope so! Quaffable brew.