Let’s make it clear: if you want to have a beer, Flåm is certainly not the easiest place to reach. Even if you happen to be around Sognerfjord, in Norway, which is one of the access points to this micro-village, located at the end of the largest fiord on the planet. It is certainly a godforsaken place but well known among the adventure travellers and fans of the beautiful landscapes of the North, who arrive here on cruise ships and ferry boats, or comfortably sitting in the wagons of the train that from Myrdal arrives to Flåm in 40 minutes, overcoming some incredible altitude gaps and approaching monumental waterfalls, filling the visitors with awe.
Flåm, it needs to be said, is not a real village. In fact it is a large quay where ships can dock in the final part of the fiord, around which a couple of hotels were created, together with some inevitable tourist shops, two restaurants (these are inside the hotels), the train station (the last stop being here) and, true surprise, the Aegir brewery. In fact, it is a micro-brewery which should not be missed, both for the quality of the beers and for the absolutely original setting which recalls Norwegian mythology and Nordic sagas.
It’s not by chance that
Aegir Brewery is named after a giant, the brother of
Kari (the wind) and
Logi (the fire), known as the lord of the Ocean. The interior of the brewery, opened in June 2007, is designed to recall the traditional Viking world, where stone and wood dominate and where the warmth of the setting invites you to taste a large part of the excellent beers in the list - from the
Witbier (white beer) very close to the tradition of Belgian beers but with the addition of coriander and orange, to the splendid
Ipa (
India Pale Ale), beer of the year in 2012, in which one can appreciate the strong bitter taste of the hop.
And again, there’s the (dark)
Natt Imperial Porter for which the Amarillo hop is used, very rich with its chocolate aftertaste, the
Bøyla Blond Ale, more easy to drink and fruity, similar to the classic
RedLager. These however are only four examples out of a long series which comprises even the typically seasonal beers, without forgetting that it’s not easy to renounce to taste the
Lynchburg Natt, produced by letting the
Natt Imperial Porter rest for four months in bourbon barrels, so that it can acquire the vanilla and coconut notes of the American barrel.
The brewery, organising some themed tastings, over the past two years has also began to produce aquavit and two types of whiskey (one of which is a single malt). Finally, here you can taste some classics, from Caesar salad to hamburgers, from fish soup to salmon. The
Aegir’s success was so big that one year ago the (American) owner decided to open another workshop/warehouse in Flåm to bring the yearly production to 6 thousand hectolitres and, potentially, over the years, to reach up to 20 thousand hectolitres per year.
