2_6_ScanMag_72_Feb_2014_Text_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 04/02/2015 10:57 Page 55
Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
Photo: Thor Brødreskift
TOP LEFT: At the cosy pub at Flåmsbrygga you can taste real Viking cuisine – with a modern twist. LEFT: The stunning surroundings provide not only a gorgeous backdrop, but an invitation to a number of activities. RIGHT: Ægir Brewery produces more than 30 different kinds of beer.
A brew of the best As part of the beautiful Flåmsbrygga, where you can savour innovative Norwegian food, drinks and nature all at once, Ægir Brewery offers a story unlike any other. Brought to life by Evan W. Lewis and his wife Aud Melås, who took their passion of beer-brewing from the big USA to the comparatively tiny Sogn in Norway, Ægir has not only developed Norwegian beer palates – but also become a major west coast attraction. By Julie Lindén | Photos: Ægir Brewery
“When talking about our location, you have to address the entirety of what can be found here. Flåm is part of the UNESCO world heritage list, a place where you will come into contact with fantastic nature. Then you have the homey and cosy atmosphere of Flåmsbrygga, where you can take a seat at the pub and order the popular Viking menu that puts a modern twist on Viking cooking. It’s all a package, encompassing several unrivalled experiences and things to enjoy,” says Lewis about what visitors can expect when venturing west. Combining a hotel, conference facilities, a restaurant, a pub and a brewery in one
place has been an ideal way to introduce visitors to the craft of beer-brewing in a unified way, explains Lewis. The multiaward-winning beers of Ægir come alive when paired with exquisite dishes in the both the pub and restaurant, and conferences become experiences when paired with beer tastings in the state-ofthe-art brewery. It’s all as simple as Lewis’s love for brew. “When possible, we’re happy to describe the beers for our guests and teach them what we can about the different varieties and the brewing process,” says Lewis. “We produce over 30 kinds of our own, so of course there’s a need to guide the visitor to
the nuanced differences in taste between the different types.” He says that although he was quite unimpressed by his first impression of the standard Norwegian beer palate (“there is more to beer than the Pilsner”), the development of brew knowhow in the North is going in the right direction. “Definitely. There are a lot more enthusiasts to be found nowadays – it’s like seeing someone transfer their preference from fast-food to gourmet dining. People are more quality conscious.” Add to Ægir the breathtaking array of activities you can engage in while visiting, like kayaking and partaking in a fjord safari, or simply discovering more of Flåm, and your experience of enchanting diversity is complete.
For more information, please visit: flamsbrygga.no & aegirbrewery.com Contact Ægir to book guided tours of the brewery in advance of a visit.
Issue 73 | February 2015 | 55