Lonely_Planet_Asia_September_2017

BEER TOUR

PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK, DAVID NOTON, EINSTÖK BEER COMPANY. BORG BRUGGHÚS

Borg Brugghús

Ölgerðin Brewery, Grjóthálsi 7–11, Reykjavík;

borgbrugghus.is; 00 354 412 8000

OTour OTakeout

The impulsive, creative child of the Ölgerðin brewery –

brewers of Iceland’s leading lagers, ciders and fizzy pop –

the Borg microbrewery weaves its magic from Western

European brewing know-how and pure Icelandic water.

Visiting the brewery involves joining a dedicated beer tour,

but any Icelandic bar worth its pickled herring carries a

range of Borg bottles. Adventurous palates may care to

sample the Fenrir Taðreyktur IPA Nr. 26, prepared with

sheep-dung smoked malt, which conjures up some of the

sensation of sitting inside a smoke-filled Viking longhouse.

Or perhaps play it safe with the Surtur Imperial Stout.

Laugardalur

Translated as ‘Hot

Springs Valley’, here’s

a soothing sprawl of

pools, gardens, and hot

springs surrounding

Reykjavík’s biggest

thermal swimming

pool and the city’s

former washhouse.

Árbær Open-Air

Museum

Reykjavík’s quaint

working village of

traditional Icelandic

homes and tradesfolk

offers a glimpse of the

tough lives of islanders

before the modern age.

reykjavikcitymuseum.is

THINGS TO DO NEARBY

Ale Catch-all term for

top-fermented beer,

after the type of yeast

used (now there are

many more varieties of

yeast), see also Lager

Biere de Garde A

traditional style of beer

from northern France

that is stored (garde)

Blonde / Golden Ale

A light, gold-hued beer,

often a summery choice

Craft brewing

Small-scale, creative,

independent brewers

Dry-hopped When

hops are added to a beer

during fermentation or

conditioning (makes it

extra-hoppy)

Imperial Most usually

applied to an extra-

strong style of stout

India Pale Ale An

extra-strong, highly

hopped type of pale ale

(IPA) from Britain but

now interpreted by

other nations

Lager A bottom-

fermented beer, after

the type of yeast used;

often stored in cold

tanks before sale

Malt Grain, typically

barley, that has started

germination then

been halted by heating

in a kiln

Pale ale A pale, hoppy

ale from Britain, now

a craft beer standard

Pilsner A lager from

the Czech Republic

Rye beer When rye

replaces barley

Saison A sharp Belgian

ale brewed in spring

Sour A style of beer

that includes lambic

(a flat, dry, acidic beer)

and gueuze (a blend of

old and young lambics)

Wheat beer An ale

that uses a significant

amount of wheat in lieu

of barley; the two main

varieties are weissbier

and witbier

HOW TO ASK FOR A BEER IN LOCAL LANGUAGE?

Bjór vinsamlegast

HOW TO SAY CHEERS? Skál!

SIGNATURE BEER STYLE? Pale ale

LOCAL BAR SNACK? Chips are popular, and expect to

find pickled herring

DON’T: Copy the locals and pre-load with drinks before

you go out; you’re here to taste not get wasted.

In Iceland, 1 March is known nationally as

Beer Day. Why? It was on that day in 1989 that

full-strength beer was legalised again after Icelanders

voted in a 1915 referendum to ban all alcohol. From a

standing start, the craft beer scene has accelerated at

an impressive rate. There are about a dozen breweries

and, remarkably, they’re not all located in the capital,

where much of Iceland’s population of 330,000 live.

One of the first breweries, Ölvisholt Brugghús, was

founded in southern Iceland; and perhaps the

best-known brewery, Einstök, is on the north coast.

Tourists should be reassured that prices are not as

high as might be feared: you’ll pay less than £7.50 for

a local brew if you take advantage of the happy hours

offered by most Reykjavík bars. The city’s nightlife is

strong, and on Beer Day the party lasts all night.

Full-strength beer has been legal in

Iceland for less than 30 years. But

the country’s craft beer scene has

accelerated at an impressive rate

Iceland

Einstök Beer

Company

Furuvellir 18, Akureyri;

einstokbeer.com;

00 354 462 1444

OTour OTakeout

Just a snowball-throw from

the Arctic Circle, Einstök

Beer Company brews its

craft ales from some of the

purest water on the planet. Filtered through prehistoric lava

flows, this pristine H 2 0 gives a crisp, clear base to everything

from porter to bilberry-flavour witbier.

Lystigarðurinn

A garden thriving on

the edge of the Arctic

Circle? The world’s most

northerly botanic gardens

hosts everything from

Alpine shrubs to Icelandic

summer blooms.

lystigardur.akureyri.is

Akureyrarkirkja

Akureyri’s landmark

church pays architectural

homage to the volcanic

landscape, with

buttresses and organ

pipes like basalt columns

and an ice-white, glacial

interior. akirkja.is

THINGS TO DO NEARBY