Knut Albert Solem

Tonight an orbituary. From 1882. knutalbert.substack.com/p/his-memory...

Time to do some serious planning for December. Freising-Regensburg-Forchheim-Bamberg-Leipzig-Dresden.

You have to take my word for it - it’s the Oslo Opera House behind the glasses.

More on Norwegian brewing history. But this time I talk to a real researcher. #bskybeer

When I wrote my last book, I didn’t know there are more rich Norwegian brewing archives to explore. More to come shortly. @beerpuffery.bsky.social

Sometimes I plan to chat with a brewer, make notes and write a substack piece. Sometimes I meet two brewers and their wives and have a good talk over a few beers, sitting there after closing time. And the photos and the reportage stops at the door. And it makes a better story the next time.

Yes diesel is expensive at £2 a litre but a milkshake IPA works out at about £18 a litre and tastes an awful lot worse.

Some bars have a better story: knutalbert.substack.com/p/bar-moskus...

Not that Amager Bryghus is in any way political. The beer? An 18% IPA.

A few nice beer places in Trondheim. One to be featured on Substack shortly, but also Øx Tap Room snd Trondhjem Mikrobryggeri.

Beware of Danes crossing. Report from a mountain brewery. knutalbert.substack.com/p/the-best-b...

My new book is finally out! A short, readable overall history of beer tracing the long lines in the development of beer. Seeing history like that inevitably brings out an overlooked side of the history of beer: beer as a source of massive power. Please repost! www.garshol.priv.no/download/pow...

The hunt for the first Norwegian pilsner.

Today's beery news notes were brought by many inc: @knutalbert.bsky.social @morrighani.bsky.social @katiematherkm.bsky.social @pelliclemag.com @davidjesudason.bsky.social @boakandbailey.bsky.social and a tie in the battle for newbie level expertise supremacy - plus some odd gak called protein beer.

Pravda Brewery in L’viv has done a first - a beer in honor of a Norwegian politician. Former prime minister and Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, is probably unaware of this. This could become a collectors item. The beer? Not bad at all, a bitter old school IPA.

Better off as an independent beer shop.

Here's a job ad from 1841, in which the citizens of Pilsen with the right to brew announced that they were currently building a brewery, to be finished in autumn 1842, and that they were looking for a brewer to fill the position of managing director or brewmaster by end of May 1842. #beerhistory

Hell yes. It was a long time ago. I can’t remember if I was in an office overlooking Hyde Park, London, where I worked, watching in terror with my coworkers as the whole thing unfolded, or if I was heroically digging bodies out of the rubble with my bloodied bare hands. Dodgy memory these days.

Meet a few brewers at Trondheim Brewery Festival. More regular updates to come. #bskybeer

Cafe Amsterdam, Oslo. Fine range of Belgian and a few Dutch beers and snacks. Friendly chatter, friendly service. A good place to meet up, hang at the bar or read a book.

In accordance with Bavarian tradition, a waiter will roll the coffin back and forth a few times on the table before opening. drinksint.com/erdinger-own...

I’ve seen Lars Marius speak at conferences and it’s always been super interesting and wildly popular with attendees. Set something up, people!

Trondheim Brewery Festival. Day 2 starts in ten minutes. 30 breweries, and the sun is peeking through.

Beer imports in pre-war Norway, what the newspaper ads can tell. @beerpuffery.bsky.social

Today I recomment Freising as a stopover - or a destination. #Bskybeer

Preparing for labelling. I can’t help do something else on bottle 42 of each release, and wonder if the person who receives it will get the reference. 😁

even if It happened tomorrow and all the destructive trade policies of the past 1.5 years were instantly undone, it wouldn't address the fundamental demand-side issue. the bulk of available evidence suggests the canadian drinking public just does not want to drink american booze anymore.

The Norwegian Government proposes minor changes to allow direct sales of alcohol from producers to consumers. I'm not very impressed. #BskyBeer

the irony of trump citing mistreatment of the american booze business as impetus for a new tariff that is almost certain to further decimate the american booze business really speaks to the mayhem of the moment i guess

One of the highlights fo the beer year for me - Bryggerifestivalen i Trondheim - The Trondheim Brewery Festival. Good beer, good people.

This week's now updated beery news notes were brought to you by @eoghanwalshbxl.bsky.social @boakandbailey.bsky.social @theguardian.com @everypubindublin.ie @morrighani.bsky.social @thebeernut.bsky.social @nigelsadler.bsky.social @velkyal.bsky.social @knutalbert.bsky.social @beervana.bsky.social

A new edition of the @camraofficial.bsky.social Good Beer Guide Belgium is very welcome. Well researched, well written. Cheers to Tim Skelton for carrying the torch forward!

There is beer to be found everywhere - if you look.

Sometime in the 1930s, Schepp's beer in Dallas offered a promotion: All you can drink for 60 cents an hour. Unrelated, Schepp's went out of business in 1939.

Recommended reading:

You don't have to go to the big beer festivals to have a good time.

I was in Munich in June - I think in 2015. I found this sign in a shop window…

A small beer festival in a small town. 30 degrees. Mellbygatans Beerfest in Lidköping, Sweden. Proper food, too. Bliss.

Last post from Germany for now - I couldn't leave Düsseldorf out, could I? Off to Sweden again tomorrow for a small, local beer festival. And to avoid the mayhem around here when Norway meets whoever on Friday evening.

Why not. I’d be interested to know about the beer range, though.

A rural Norwegian brewery today: substack.com/@knutalbert/...

Suburban Altbier before venturing into Düsseldorf. The detours are often the most charming. #BskyBeer

I spent a stupid amount of time writing & rewriting this, so I hope it ended up being an enjoyable read. I have to admit, I didn’t fully appreciate what has happened with Norwegian cider till I visited, and that context, the integration with farming, tourism, gastronomy, is something rare.

Ballantine, 1957. This ad's got layyyers...shifting consumer tastes, early nods to light beer, highlight specific hop varieties (in the 50s!), and using ale vs lager distinctions to juice the stats.

Brewing true Norwegian beer - in a building with a peculiar history. #BskyBeer

A Pentecost Festbier from the amazing Franconian brewery Knoblach. Grainy goodness, bitter tail. Full body, 5,8%. Bought in Sweden.

As my Cologne Substack post proved very popular, I need to follow up with Düsseldorf. A pity my favourite brewery and their restaurant closed last year. #BskyBeer

Enjoying a Maibock from Remmarslöv Gårdsbryggeri in Sweden, brought home from a quick border crossing yesterday. Full bodied, apples, a hint of apricots. Low bitterness, but not sweet. #BskyBeer

Yeast has been growing in Oetzi the Iceman's guts for thousands of years, scientists have discovered. The lead researcher told me they reproduced the yeast to make a "very, very good" sourdough bread -- and are working on brewing beer. My story for @en.afp.com: www.yahoo.com/news/science...