Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
Over the horizon At the end of the eighth century, the beginning of the Viking era, there were men who had a burning desire to head west towards the horizon to see what was beyond. Even though they were taught that the world was flat, and that they would fall off the face of the earth, they just had to get on their boats to explore the boundaries for themselves. By Andrea Bærland | Photos: Marta Øgaard
“We had a similar urge for adventure when we wanted to start a brewery. The thought of starting our own craft beer brewery was the dream that kept us awake at night,” says Thomas Sjue, co-founder and marketing manager at Austmann Bryggeri. And start a brewery they did, but naturally nobody with sound economic judgement wanted to take the gamble on three young men trying to start a brewery. “We visited all the banks. In our shortest meeting I didn’t even get the opportunity to taste my coffee before our proposal was declined,” Sjue says.
Three generous ladies The ever-generous bank of mum became the solution, and two mothers and an 56 | Issue 85 | February 2016
aunt put their houses up as collateral for the loans. “With three houses in the bag it was a totally different story. In total we borrowed 1.5 million NOK, which to us seemed like an enormous sum of money, and we intended to start a brewery with it,” Sjue says. “Everyone thought it was madness, and it definitely was. Most breweries buy equipment for far more than that, and we had to renovate the building as well.” But the guys at Austmann were careful with their money and managed to squeeze a fully-fledged brewery out of their cash. “Everything we could legally do ourselves, we did during the renovation period: everything from cleaning to putting down new floors, and it all happened during the coldest winter
Trondheim had seen in over 50 years,” Sjue recalls. In July 2013, Austmann Bryggeri was ready to start production and began with setting the first batch of Tre Gamle Damer, a Belgian pale ale honouring the three women who had made their brewery dreams come true. To this day, Tre Gamle Damer, their first of nearly 70 different brews, remains the brewery’s best seller. “It is a beer that is very typical for what we do. The fermentation process takes place in open tanks the old fashioned way rather than in closed tanks, which gives the beer a complex yet soft taste. Tre Gamle Damer is a light and easy-to-drink craft beer that everyone can enjoy,” Sjue explains.
A taste of the world But being Austmenn, the brewers also have a sense of adventure when it comes to their recipes. For instance, they have made a stout with fresh blueberries, as well as frequently using ingredients such as sea buckthorn and cocoa.