New Scandinavian Brews

It gives me great pleasure to announce that The Cellars now have a great selection of Scandinavian beers. Minnesota has had very poor representation of beers from this part of the world. Brands such as Ringness, Nordic Wolf, Aass, Hansa and the like have come and gone over the years leaving us with almost nothing to put into the hands of our customers. It has seemed like a crime that in an area that has such high numbers of Scandahoovians (myself included) that we have next to nothing available. Local beer guru Brad “The Beerguy” has come charging to the rescue bringing some excellent suds to us. The timing couldn’t be better as this is traditionally the time of year we are most often asked about them with holiday family reunions and parties.

Nogne-Ø (Noegne-Oe) is a little brewery that was started in 2002 in southern Norway by two home brewers that wanted to make high quality craft beers. They call themselves the “No Compromise” brewery as they steadfastly stick to their vision of making the best in their country and this is evident from the first sip. We have their Pale Ale (a refreshing light ale with generous hops and malty caramel taste), Brown Ale (made with 5 roasted malts in an English Ale style), Porter (dark heavy ale with very roasted malt that imparts flavors of coffee and dry fruits), Imperial Stout (velvety smooth chocolate/coffee creamy dark brew—99 percentile on Rate Beer!!) and Winter Ale (malty and rounded with complex mouthfeel). They are all unfiltered and unpasteurized. The guys even hand cap every bottle!

Another fantastic Norwegian addition is Haand Brewery. It’s operated by 4 guys that know how to make killer beer. Check out the Norwegian Wood smoked ale with juniper berries that displays a smoky taste because it was kilned by fire and then spiced. Perfect for the holidays! After that, pour a bottle of Dark Force double extreme imperial wheat stout. The sweet malted wheat gives way to the chocolate roastedness of the stout for a dazzling brew.

Our offering from Sweden is the Pripps Carnegie Porter. It has a dark color and nice tan head when poured and will take the chill off on a cool night. Delicious!

Ølfabrikken Brewery of Denmark comes to the table with an incredible Porter that is hearty, rich, robust and is also bottle conditioned. This beer is a blockbuster. Now we just need to get these guys to give us more of their great line!

All of the aforementioned beers come in single bottles (not six packs) so you can try a wide variety without breaking the bank. These brews definitely show us what a great area of the world this is for uncompromising quality and excellence. Skål!