Beer Tours at the Heart of Beer Craftsmanship
Beertours.is are now offering guided tasting tours in North Iceland.
Lamb Inn Travel, a travel agency based at Öngulsstaðir, in the countryside just outside Akureyri, have started operating beer tours in and around Eyjafjörður. These tours revolve around beer tasting experiences, where products from local breweries will be sampled.
The development of microbreweries has been remarkable over the past ten years, ever since the Kaldi Brewery at Árskógssandur opened the first independent craft brewery in Iceland. Following this, two more have opened around the Troll Peninsula; Gæðingur in the Skagafjordur region, and Segull 67 in the town of Siglufjordur. These were joined by the established Viking brewery in Akureyri, who began production of their Einstök beer range, in addition to their other well known Viking beers.
Beer tourism is much more popular in the world than people generally realize. Groups are on the move, both across the Atlantic and from Europe, to experience beer production in other countries. The great advancements in Icelandic brewery culture have attracted the attention of foreign tourists, igniting the possibility that this type of tourism can thrive in Iceland and become a popular additional activity in the market.
Last year, Lamb Inn Travel welcomed a Canadian group in co-operation with ‘Beer Lovers Tours.’ This Canadian tour operator offers beer tours within Toronto, but has also sent groups to other countries. The group stayed in Iceland for seven days, visiting the Beer festival at Hólar, held annually by The Icelandic Beer Centre, and also tasting the products of many breweries in the country. Due to the success of this trip a second, longer tour has already been booked.
Beertours currently offer three different tours on their website; beertours.is, combining nature, history, and beer tasting.
The Coast Line Beer Tour comprises of a visit to the Segull 67 brewery in Siglufjorður, followed by a stop at the Kaldi brewery and Beer Spa in Árskógssandur (where guests can
find the unique experience of taking a dip in beer filled hot tubs). The final tasting is in the old Herring factory (now an art workshop and gallery) in Hjalteyri, where products from the Viking/Einstök range will be sampled.
The Countryside Culture and Local Food Tour takes place at the Öngulsstaðir farmhouse, where guests discover the remarkable history of the building. This is followed by a tasting of selected local beers, and then a two course meal at the nearby Lamb Inn restaurant, renowned for it’s roasted leg of lamb.
The Local Hiking and Tasting Tour viscerally combines Icelandic nature with culture, food and beer. Guests embark on a leisurely hike to take in the beautiful local scenery, before heading to the Öngulsstaðir farm for a beer tasting. The tour concludes with a two course meal at the Lamb Inn restaurant.
More tours, including a 10 hour tour around the Troll Peninsula, are currently in development at Lamb Inn Travel.
More details and bookings are available at www.beertours.is