Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
The zero-waste brewery aims to be both innovative and environmentally conscious in their production of beer.
‘The best beer has not been brewed yet’ Environmentally conscious and innovative brewery Hogna Brygg (‘Hogna Brew’) is constantly striving to improve flavour combinations and brewing processes through a belief that “the best beer hasn’t been brewed yet”. By Line Elise Svanevik | Photos: Hogna Brygg
The brewery was the first in Norway to focus solely on cans as opposed to glass bottles, in part due to quality improvement, and in part due to the fact that cans are recyclable and you get a small refund upon returning them, providing people with an incentive to recycle. “We don’t have much waste in the brewery – we built the brew house out of old dairy equipment, and all of our spent grain we deliver as animal food,” says CEO Liv Bogen. It all started when Bogen’s husband Sturla went to the UK for a work project, and came back with a brewing kit that 42 | Issue 109 | February 2018
resembled a cake mix. “The result was amazing,” Liv recalls. “Next, he bought some wholegrain and learnt the fundamentals of brewing.” Sturla created some lighter beers, then some flavourful darker ones, and the success led Liv to decide to train to become a beer sommelier. “I found it fascinating that you could achieve so many different flavours out of a pot of grain and water,” she laughs. Both Liv and Sturla have kept their day jobs in accounting and the oil industry.
Joined by their friends Ingebrigt, their Gyro Gearloose; Morten, production and sales; and head brewer Ola, they make the newly established brewery what it is today. “Ola, the head brewer, has been a homebrewer for seven or eight years and came to join us during the recession in the oil industry. He decided to quit his job and start brewing full time, so he’s been the one working 100 per cent since we decided to open in October 2016,” Liv says, adding that Ola spent two years developing the recipes for the beer now available at the brewery.
Cans over bottles Despite being conscious of the environment, the reason to opt for cans was not purely idealistic. “It also provides a better flavour, as it preserves the beer in a better way,” explains Liv. “The beer