Ok, I’ll strike this one off of my bucket list (just like seeing the Northern Lights!)

Fishing in a Norwegian Fjord in winter …. yes!  What a blast!  I had a great time with my new Norwegian friends — good fellowship (and we caught a few fish!)

How do you celebrate the ending of such a  great day?  You drink a nice Norwegian Beer! Ha ha!

This one was a Hansa Fatøl — a decent beer … not the greatest, but it worked.  Although they can trace a brewing tradition for about 400 years, this company is a result of several mergers of Norwegian Breweries.

Beer Mentor

Although I am in Norway, there are some Austrians here with us.  I had the pleasure of hanging out with one of them today … and he had brought a few different beers with him … and some home made Schnapps.  The Schnapps he brought is called “Obstler” — which means it is a mix of fruit … in this instance Apple and Pear.

Wow! This stuff was good — it set me up nicely to follow it with a good Austrian Beer: Schwechater.   They’ve been making beer for 350 years — not real old, but old enough!   This is a very nice beer … I’m looking forward to visiting Vienna in April and sampling a few more Austrian brews.

Beer (and Schnapps) Mentor

Today my friend took me up to his “hometown”–where his parents live.  This was a pretty cool trip — we saw some interesting sights (Viking Museum, a Church built in the 1200s, and the Liquor store!).  Here are a sampling of the pictures I took of this trip …

I’m not a cold weather fan, but this place is beautiful.  Wow.  The scenery here is just spectacular.  I did go into the Liquor store and picked up a Norwegian specialty–aquavit.  Aquavit means “Water of Life”–similar to the Gaelic word for “Whisky.”  Actually, I got a couple of bottles …

The one called “Linie Aquavit” has a special story associated with it, but the short version is that it is sent on a ship from Norway to Australia (in French Oak casks) and then back, therefore crossing the equator — that’s why it’s called Linie.  The thought is the sloshing back and forth in the cask adds a certain characteristic to it — I’m ready to try!

So, what beer would be appropriate to close out my great day today?  Well, how about the Mack “Arctic Beer.”  We are above the Arctic Circle here–I have seen the Northern Lights.  It’s only appropriate!  LOL

(Yes, I sleep in the same shirt every night) Ha ha!

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

Today was a relaxation day for me (if you call running 3 miles relaxing…)  I went to the room to watch a movie (check out the headphones) (The Legend of the Shadowless Sword – recommended) and enjoy a nice Norwegian Beer.   This beer is brewed by Frydenlund (actually Ringnes Brewery) in Oslo.  A smooth style lager that is quite enjoyable: Frydenlund Fatøl.

Beer Mentor

First, before I talk about my day’s beer, you can see a picture of my “beer stash” I have to help us pass the time while we are here in Norway.  Of course, I haven’t been drinking any of this since I’ve got all this expensive Norwegian Beer to drink! LOL

However, I am helping the others in the group keep themselves “beerhydrated.”

Today’s beer was another one from the Mack Brewery: Haakon.  This beer was named for a Norwegian king (I think) and you can see the helmeted figure on the bottom of the can.  Either way, it was a decent beer … fit for a king? Maybe ….

Beer Mentor

Some of you have been asking me to post the list of beers (so far).  I’ve been able to keep up with my tour here in Norway (Ok, it is a little expensive — 6 beers cost me about $30) … but I’m determined to hit my 180 beers in 180 days.  Although I had scaled it back to 100 beers in 100 days, I’m pushing it back out for a “stretch goal!”

So, here’s the current list.

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

———— The List

1. Sanwald Hefeweizen
2. Stuttgarter Hofbrau Pilsener
3. Stuttgarter Kristall Weizen
4. Losch-Zwerg
5. Vario-Weizen
6. Dinkelacker CD Pils
7. Dinkelacker Volksfestbier
8. Dinkelacker Privat Pils
9. Wulle Bier
10. Dinkelacker Das Schwarze
11. Budvar (Czech beer)
12. Dinkelacker Maerzen
13. Wuerburger Hofbraeu Premium Pilsener
14. Schoenbuch Pilsener
15. Cluss Natuertrub Pilsener
16. Zwick’l Kellerbier
17. Schoenbuch Bock Bier
18. Schoefferhoffer Grapefruit
19. Valentins Weissbier
20. Schoenbuch Polar Weizen
21. Koestrizer Schwarzbier
22. Orval
23. Westmalle Trappist Extra
24. Chimay Speciale Poteaupre
25. Hoepfner Hefe-Weizen
26. Gordon Finest Silver
27. Westvleteren 12
28. Chimay Tripel
29. Het Kappitel Abt (Quadruppel)
30. Gold Ochsen Pilsener
31. Jever Pilsner
32. Westmalle Tripel
33. Hommel Bier (Poperinge)
34. Westvleteren Blond
35. Koningshoeven Blonde
36. Rothaus Tannen Zaepfle
37. Achel Blonde
38. Andechs KlosterBrau
39. Koenigshoven Dubbel
40. Westvleteren 8
41. Reutberger Kloester Hell
42. Rochefort 6
43. Pilsner Urquell
44. Leffe Dark
45. Krusovice Dark Bier
46. Malteser Weizen
47. Zwiefalter Kloster Pils
48. Rochefort 8
49. Stuttgarter Hofbrau Buegel Pilsener
50. Koningshoeven Quadrupel
51. Bitburger Premium Pilsener
52. Gaffel Koelsch
53. Hannen Altbier
54. Zwiefalter Dinkelbier
55. Rochefort 10
56. Schoenbuch Ur-Edel
57. Fuerstenberg Export
58. Parkbrau Pilsener
59. Bischoff Premium Pilsener
60. Franziskaner Dunkel Weizen
61. Karlsberg Ur-Pils
62. Gordon Finest Gold
63. Flensburger Pilsener
64. Augustiner Oktoberfest Bier
65. Leinenkugels Creamy Dark
66. Leinenkugels Red Lager
67. Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Hell
68. Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Dunkel
69. Paulaner Original Munchner Dunkel
70. Mittenwald Josefi Bock Dunkel
71. Augustiner Dunkel
72. Guinness Stout
73. Antonius Brau (homemade)
74. Schlappeseppel Special
75. Krombacher Pilsner
76. Radler (Bernkastel-Keus)
77. Leinenkugels Fireside Nut Brown Ale
78. Kilkenny
79. Zwiefalter Abt
80. Chimay Red – Brown
81. Achel Brown
82. Koningshoeven Isid’or
83. Chimay Blue – Grand Reserve
84. Koningshoeven Witte Biere
85. Koningshoeven Tripel
86. Fasnet Bier (Schoenbuch)
87. Westmalle Dubbel
88. Wiefalten Hefe Dunkel Weizen
89. Wiefalten Festbier
90. Ettaler Kloster Dunkel
91. Zischke Kellerbier Dunkel
92. Dos Equis Dark
93. Eichbaum Rotes Raeuberbier
94. Monschhof Pilsner
95. Karlsberg Feingold
96. Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse
97. Ettaler Benediktiner Weizen
98. Zwiefalter Schwarzer Keiler
99. Ettaler Doppelbock (Curator)
100. Koenig Ludwig Weizen
101. Zwiefalter HefeTrub
102. Maisel’s Dunkel
103. Miller Light
104. Schwaben Brau “Das Helle”
105. Mack’s Fatøl
106. Macks Pilsener Lite
107. Mack’s Ice
108. Mack’s “Arctic Lite”
109. Jacobsen’s Saaz Blonde
110. Nordlands Pils (Ringnes)

I picked this one up because it looked like a Viking beer … see the picture?  Since I was in Norway, it seemed like the right thing to do!  So, I tried it.  It was ok — I hope the others I have are better.  This one is brewed by Ringnes Brewerey in Trondheim (also part of the Carlsberg Group).

They can’t all be great beers … but as long as they are good, I’m happy!

Beer Mentor

I went back to “Rema 1000” for some more beer to finish out my Norwegian Beer tour.  Here’s a picture of the last six I bought that should carry me to the end of this trip.

I picked out the Jacobsen beer this time… the “Saaz Blonde.”  This beer is actually from Denmark (Jacobsen is the craft brewery from Carlsberg).  I really enjoyed this beer — as soon as I tasted it, I thought I was drinking a nice Belgian blonde.  This beer definitely deserves a nice rating … so, tomorrow, I will continue my Norwegian sampling …

(by the way, that’s not my Miller Lite in the background …)

Beer Mentor

Dad’s birthday was today — happy birthday, Dad!  Well deserved — only a 67 year old middle-aged man! Ha!  Today, to celebrate your birthday, I had another Mack beer AND I did my laundry.  This was another Lite beer — Mack’s Arctic Lite (I’m saving the Arctic for later).

You will like the second part of my celebration for dad’s birthday — laundry.  I was trying to use these Norwegian washing machines which wouldn’t be so bad if they had instructions in English!  If you can figure out the instructions from these pictures, more power to you!

I finally got two of them working, finished the wash, then “hung them up to dry.”  This place had drying cages for your clothes — it is a separate warm room that dries them pretty quick.  Oh well, the wonderful experiences you get in different countries! LOL

Beer Mentor

What a great day I had today.  My new friend Ronny took me to his “in-laws” house for dinner.  And what a dinner!  It was fresh cod (caught the day before in the Norwegian Sea), fresh cod eggs, and fresh cod liver … chased down with some potatos and Acquavit!

Check out the photos of the food.  This was wonderful stuff!  The people were great, and my night cap back in the dorm was a good little Mack beer … the Ice (appropriate, right?)

A great night all the way around!

Beer Mentor