At Aass Bryggeri you have the opportunity to take a tour of the brewery, sample the beers and relax with a delicious dinner.
Tradition and invention — visit Norway’s oldest active brewery to explore new flavours With a rich history stretching back to the 19th century, Norwegian brewery Aass Bryggeri, located by the river in one of Norway’s biggest cities, Drammen, has found the balance between tradition and invention, supplying classic and innovative beer to shops, hotels and restaurants all over the country. By Alyssa Nilsen | Photos: Aass Bryggeri
Founded by Ole Pehrson in 1834, the brewery was purchased by Poul Lauritz Aass along with H.F. Gjessing in 1860. After the big Drammen town fire in 1866, Poul Lauritz acquired Gjessing’s part of the property, and it has remained in the Aass family since then. Initially dealing in timber, groceries, shipping and baking as well as brewing, the company later decided to focus its efforts on brewing beer and other beverages, slowly becoming the brand we know it to be today. The company has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings, contin92 | Issue 126 | July 2019
uing production and distribution even throughout the war and the post-war years. Aass Bryggeri has been a family company for five generations and is currently run by Christian August Knudsen Aass. It is the oldest stillactive Norwegian brewery, with more than 180 years of experience, and is one of Norway’s few remaining independent breweries.
Explore the brewery, learn its history and sample its products Should you want to learn a little bit more about beer and the brewery’s history,
and sample different varieties along with good food, there’s Ølskolen, Aass Brewery’s beer school. With the motto that beer is culture, it aims to give groups of friends, companies or other gatherings an educational and tasty experience, with a side portion of humour. Guests can expect a tour of the brewery, where they get to see all the various rooms and tools, both historic and modern, and hear tales of its history and various happenings throughout the years. There are two packages to choose from, a two-hour package that involves the guided tour, ending with an educational beer-tasting session, and a larger four-hour package that also includes a delicious dinner in addition to the tour and the beer-tasting. “We want to show people that beer is perfect with more than just peanuts and snacks while