Knut Albert Solem

Get out of that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans The Nordic countries have a long history of regulating access to alcohol.

More liberal alcohol laws in Sweden, step by step.

Evening and overnight in Porsgrunn, Norway. My research showed no beer bars of interest. Happy to find beers from regional Lindheim Ølkompani, world famous, but their session beers also closer to home. At the Merci restaurant, delicious French inspired food.

Today marks the 67th anniversary of the day the music died. Feb. 3, 1959. 67 years ago today (at 1:00 a.m.), the plane carrying Buddy, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson went down in a field near Clear Lake, Iowa. I took this photo at the edge of that field in 2014.

Sad to see that one myth (nobody drank water in the Middle Ages) is being replaced by another myth (people didn't drink beer every day against thirst instead of water).

The reality seems to be that those who could drank beer all day every day, but many couldn't. And not just in the Middle Ages.

The pub at the end of the promenade Way back when I started blogging, finding interesting beer spots was mote of a challenge.

More from Gran Canaria.

Fikk med meg hans fantastiske Storyteller-konsert i Oslo.

Won’t be here until April.

The problem is often that they don’t understand the question. I generally avoid buing canned pale ales or IPAs for the same reason. Some brand their stuff West Coast when it’s not.

On the up side it's Catwalda Doppelbock brew day again tomorrow

Got a bottle and a glass at the brewery in December, a perpect tipple on a cold evenng.

Neil Young Trashes Amazon, Gives His Complete Musical Catalog to Greenland for Free - Rolling Stone

Kanskje de kunne bruke litt humor også, der har Rødt utmanøvrert dem fullstendig.

Pale lagers in the sun Beer hunting in Gran Canaria

Nice beach, good food, but what about the beer?

Zumen - A different kind of beer festival Beer festivals come in all shapes and sizes.

Franconian beer closer to home.

Amen

If I owned Fuller’s, no one would ever hand John a bill.

The red triangle that made  history: celebrating 150 years of UK Trade Mark no. 1 To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the trade mark registry, this blog explores the history of the first trade mark - and you can now have your say on the most iconic trade mark in history...

The Intellectual Property Office is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the trade mark registry with a new blog post: ipo.blog.gov.uk/2026/01/08/t...

Back to beer writing After some years away, I’ve decided to do some beer writing in English again.

Back to beer writing - on Substack: open.substack.com/pub/knutalbe...

A Bloedbroeder for me, please!

Would be great to try. Where is this on sale?

A Barley Wine from Eppelein & Friends in Nürnberg. The winter chill is knocking on the door. Bottled 2023, so smooth and balanced. I’d be happy to have a few of those in the cellar.

Lovely Barley Wine from the Vega brewery in Gothenburg. Barrel ages, smooth, complex flavours. Limited edition, the web pages of Systembolaget gives access to many gems like this.

Interesting. They should stay away from Norway, then, where 95% of all new cars are electric. (And we’re doing quite all right).

I found it quite nice. Not much of a body, but a nice roasty flavor.

It was sold as Black, 4,1%. I can ask for a photo of the keg label?

The British regional breweries are seldom to be found in Norway, on tap or bottled. Happy to see both The Reverend James ordinary bitter and a stout from Brains in Cardiff on tap at Røør in Oslo.

The importance of being malted: making malt and malt sugars from cereals in the Palaeolithic. The Shanidar Cave: one of the places where the ancient magic of malt was first discovered. (image: Wikimedia)  I should have presented this...

🏺How was #malt discovered? I should've presented this at the World Neolithic Congress last year but was not able to. So I submitted it to PAST, the newsletter of The Prehistoric Society. It was published last month in the November issue. It should be online soon!
merryn.dineley.com/2025/12/the-...

Next yesr, @larsga.bsky.social ?

Not only three wise men, but all of them!

Winter Stories

open.spotify.com/album/4lCgfb...