Hi from Norway

[stem42]

Hi, I'm 35 and I write from Norway.

I just got into the hobby of home brewing and I love it. I'm looking forward to buy more adequate equipment and move from brewing "kits" to brewing with raw ingredients only.

Btw... in Norway alcoholic beverages sold in the shops must have an alcoholic content that is equal to or under 4,7 %. Grocery stores do not have a big selection of beers and they usually have the same commercial crappy lagers everywhere.

You can find the good beers in the state-owned liquor stores (for me it's an hour drive) but the prices are ridiculous. 3,8 $ is the lowest price for a 33ml. (a little more than a half pint) bottle of good beer. If I want a good stout or a nice ale I easily end up paying 6 to 10 $ every single pint of beer.

Thanks for giving me many reasons to start home brewing Norway, I'm grateful!

 

[CA_Mouse]

Welcome to the hobby and to HBT! I think we can all say that we feel the pain your wallet feels just for a good beer! Remember though, a good beer doesn't have to have a high ABV...

 

[Snowden]

Welcome to the site!

Are there similar restrictions placed on homebrew ABV as wth commercial beers?

 

[stem42]

Thanks! Absolutely, some of my favorite stouts are around 4,5% and I absolutely love them. It's just that I cannot find them in regular stores, you have to go to the "special" stores and give blood.

No, there are no restrictions on home-brew ABV... but if I remember correctly, anything over 65% is considered like drugs in Norway, hence punishable with big fines and even prison in some cases.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from Colorado

Can you get good ingredients? If so, you'll be surprised how good of a beer you can brew at home.

 

[podz]

Welcome to the hobby and to HBT! I think we can all say that we feel the pain your wallet feels just for a good beer! Remember though, a good beer doesn't have to have a high ABV...

It is the scandinavian standard to tax by alcohol percentage, and Norway probably does have the most expensive alcohol in the world. Finland and Sweden are not far behind, either, although Finland is not in Scandinavia.

 

[Dixon9717]

Welcome to your new hobby. It's actually more like an obsession then a hobby but with those ridiculous laws and prices I'm sure you will enjoy brewing.

 

[TX_Brewing]

Welcome! I spent a year living in Oslo, I can certainly vouch for the insane prices in Norway! We drove over to Sweden a couple of time a month to buy alcohol!!

 

[stem42]

Thanks for the solidarity

Yes, luckily home brewing is picking up very quickly in Norway (I wonder why ?!?!?!) and there are now a few companies offering good prices on brewing equipment and quality ingredients.

Now it's just a matter of choosing the right tools for my needs and start brewing like crazy!

hehe, I live on the east side of Norway (close to Oslo by the way)... Around here there are plenty of people who drive to Sweden to buy "cheap" alcohol. It's still very expensive compared to the rest of the world but for norwegian standards it's paradise.