UNA Mikrobryggeri & Kjøkken

I’ll admit, I seriously underestimated the drive to Bergen from Oslo. It sure was pretty, but what I thought would be a “quick” seven-hour drive through fast, modern highways USA-style turned out to be a tortuous, slow journey through two-lane highways, massive fjords, brain-bending mountain passes and tunnels so long they have traffic circles and exits inside. The scenery was breathtaking, but it took a lot longer than I thought and ended up staying the night at Aegir Brewery and hotel in the little fjord town of Flam.

When we did get to Bergen, we immediately loved it there and wished we had more time. There is so much energy in town! Walking around the old city was truly magical… and lucky us, strolling around the Bryggen World Heritage Area we stumbled upon Una, a new brewpub, bar and restaurant.

The joint opened in May 2014 and started producing beer in around November 2014. They have twenty taps, mostly local and regional/Scandinavian: Lervis, Voss, 7Fjell, Nogne, Mikkeller, Kinn, Lokka… and all sorts of styles from a pilsner to a 13.5% black ale.

I tried Lervig 1349, Voss Oregonian, 7Fjell IPA, Nogne Imperial Rye Porter, Nogne Barrel Imperial Stout ’12 (bottle), 7Fjell-Boll KoffeeStout, Lervig Rye IPA… both the drafts and the bottle menu are outstanding, and sort-of-fairly priced considering Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world.

The bartenders are knowledgeable, helpful and passionate. I had fun chatting with them and asking for samples. They’ll give you tastings and guide you around.

Upstairs there is the Una restaurant, which shares a name but is not connected to the brewpub/bar (or so I was told). The food up there is to die for, including crayfish soup, smoked reindeer, beef tartar, bone marrow and more. It wasn’t cheap but the food was extraordinary. A great night for the wife’s birthday!