Nøgne Ø: A top-class brewery

,

No Comments

Making Norway’s best beer

Fancy a beer? Then remember this name, Nøgne Ø, next time you go down to your local Vinmonopolet! The brewery (the name means ‘barren isle’, and comes from a poem by Henrik Ibsen!) snapped the first four places in the Norwegian Beer Club Association’s (Norøl’s) listing of Norway’s best beers in 2009. The winner in the ‘Norwegian beer of the year’ category was Nøgne Ø Special Holiday Ale. Nøgne Ø had new fewer than 8 beers in the top 10 in this category. The ‘Norwegian brewery of the year’ award went to (no points for guessing!) Nøgne Ø, followed by Haandbryggeriet, Aass and Berentsen Brygghus.

Best imported beers, by the way, were the Danish Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel which came first, followed by American Flying Dog Snake Dog and Stone Brewing Special Holiday Ale.

I haven’t tried any of these yet, so I can’t tell you more, but I thought that was an impressive pedigree. I promise to investigate on your behalf! Cheers! (or rather Skål!)

More info on Nøgne Ø, in English, at www.nogne-o.com

More on beer in Norway at the Beer Academy in Oslo www.ol-akademiet.no (Norwegian only)

,

No Comments

Fredrikstad artist Erik Formoe at work

Watch Fredrikstad-based artist Erik Formoe work on some of his paintings prior to the opening of the ‘5 fra Østfold’ exhibition at Gallery Gerner in Moss (see below).

, ,

1 Comment

‘5 fra Østfold’, Galleri Gerner in Moss

Interested in art? Then check out the ‘5 fra Østfold’ exhibition at Gallery Gerner in Moss, opening tomorrow (13 March 2010), and discover the work of five local artists all under one roof. From paintings by artists with such different styles as Erik Formoe and Dag Ronny Pettersen, to digital art by Tom Bjørnland and Karl Orud, and sculptures by Petter Hepsø, there is bound to be something for every taste. The exhibition is on until 4 April, and entry is free.

Henrik Gerners gate 7, Moss. Tel: 69 25 77 75, www.ghg.as. Opening times: Tue-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-4pm.

, , , , , ,

No Comments

Supporting local artisans

, , , ,

No Comments

Lannem Pottery

Established for over 50 years, Lannem Pottery, located just outside Rakkestad in Indre-Østfold, is one of the oldest in Norway. Here you can watch the local potter at work in the studio, shaping the clay on his wheel, before browsing the big showroom for the finished product – an extensive range of Lannem earthenware and ceramics are on sale, with a range of colours and models to choose from. Bargain hunters should look at for the second grade products (products with minor flaws, yet fully usable) not retailing in other shops, but available at a good price at Lannem. Østfoldstua, the onsite cafe, is a cosy place if you fancy a hot drink or a waffle, and there are picnic tables outside should you visit on a sunny summer day.

Along Rv22, 4km north of Rakkestad. Tel: 69 22 20 12, www.lannem.no. Opening times: Mon-Fri 1000-1630 (Thur until 1800), Sat 1000-1400. Closed Sundays.

, , , ,

No Comments

Norway: Powered by Nature

A great video showcasing Norway’s stunning scenery, courtesy of Visit Norway (www.visitnorway.com)

,

3 Comments

A history of Norway in 10 key dates

- 800–1066 The Vikings invade Europe on their famous longships.

- 1030 Olaf Haraldsson is killed at the battle of Stiklestad. He was the driving force behind Norway’s conversion to Christianity, and was later canonized, and known as St Olav.

- 1349 The Black Plague kills half of Norway’s inhabitants.

- 1450 Norway becomes a subject of the Danish Crown. It will remain under its authority for almost 400 years.

- 1814 Secession from Denmark. The peace treaty of Kiel gives Norway to Sweden. The Norwegian constitution is written.

- 1825 First wave of Norwegian immigrations to the USA. The big exodus starts.

- 1905 The union with Sweden is dissolved and Norway becomes independent.

- 1960s Oil is found in the North Sea, a discovery that will change the fortunes of the country significantly.

- 1972 Norway votes against EU membership (it will do so again in 1994).

- 1994 The winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer.

,

3 Comments

A Norwegian classic

, , , , ,

2 Comments

Out Stealing Horses (Per Petterson, 2003)

67-year-old Trond has moved from the city to a rustic cabin by the Swedish border, in an isolated part of eastern Norway. After the death of his wife and sister, he has no great ambitions for the rest of his life, which he plans to live out as quietly as possible in his new country retreat. But an impromptu meeting with his neighbour, Lars, forces him to reflect on events that took place some 50 years earlier, in the summer of 1948. A summer that was to have a profound impact on the rest of his life, although Trond knew nothing of it at the time. A beautiful, soberly written yet deeply felt novel about youth, love, loss and life itself, Nordic in tone and setting, but universal in the themes in encompasses.

The winner of various prestigious literary awards, including the 2007 Dublin IMPAC Award, Out Stealing Horses was also named in Time magazine as one of the Top 10 Fiction Books of 2007. The book has sold 230,000 copies worldwide and spent 70 weeks on the Norwegian bestseller list. The English edition was translated by Anne Born.

Praise for Out Stealing Horses:

“A gripping account of such originality as to expand the reader’s own experience of life.” Thomas McGuane, The New York Times Book Review

“From the first terse sentences of this mesmerizing Norwegian novel about youth, memory, and, yes, horse stealing, you know you’re in the hands of a master storyteller.” Newsweek

“Petterson’s spare and deliberate prose has astonishing force.” The New Yorker

“Petterson tells a Bergman-esque tale of a solitary man coming to grips with his past…” Entertainment Weekly

“That’s the effect of Per Petterson’s award-winning novel: It hits you in the heart at close range.” Alan Cheuse, NPR’s All Things Considered

“A masterpiece of tough romance . . . ” The New York Sun

, , , , ,

1 Comment