Hardanger in Western Norway is a region world renowned for its fjordlandscape, boat building traditions and fruit gardens. The people here have for centuries lived off the areas natural resources. In Herad, rock carvings have shown evidence that in Neolithic time humans hunted and harvested food here!
Hardanger beer is a type of ‘korn oel’ (malted barley beer), produced by the people of this region.
This blog is a documentation of the production process and its historical roots in culture and traditions.

The brewing process begins with the selection of barley to be used. There is a wide variety of barley sold for this purpose. In Norway today, this is mostly imported, although traditionally it would have been harvested locally. The sought after quality is the sweetness of the barley. This is produced by germination of the barley seeds to release its natural sugar content. Today this is done in large drying ovens. Traditionally, the barley would have been left in a dry barn or attic to germinate. The seeds are then ground to a rough powder.

Production begins by boiling water with juniper tree branches in two cauldrons over an open fire. Water in one cauldron is used to clean and disinfect the equipment. The second cauldron is used for making the beer. Juniper branches add a subtle flavour to the water.
At this stage it is important to keep an eye on the temperature and maintain this below 65 degrees.


Using sterilised equipment is very important during the entire process, the reason being that once yeast is added controlled fermentation produces the alcohol, any bacteria interfering in this process can cause wild yeast to develop and ruin the beer.
All tools and equipment, used to handle the beer under brewing, should therefore be disinfected regularly.

Once the water has reached the correct temperature (65 degrees), the juniper tree branches are transferred to a second soaking barrel for use as a filter in a later stage.

The barley is then mixed with the water in a different soaking barrel.
There are different methods that can be used here. The main point is to ensure an even mixture is achieved, and that no pockets of dry barley develop in the barrel. The water is transferred using buckets from the cauldron to the barrel. And must be continuously stirred during this procedure.


The barrel is sealed and insulated using woollen blankets, and left to soak for approximately one hour.

It is then transferred to the soaking barrel containing juniper tree branches.
(According to preference, at this stage, hops can be sprinkled into the beer to complement the flavour.)
The beer is left to stand for approximately four to five hours in the second soaking barrel.
The beer should now have acquired a golden colour and sweet taste (bitter-sweet depending on the quantity of hops added) from the natural sugar content of the barley. The beer is drained from the barrel and transferred back to the cauldron for sugar and hops to be added.The flow rate during this procedure should be slow and uninterrupted to ensure the full flavour of all the ingredients is included. A rule of thumb is that the diameter of the stream should be no thicker than your small finger. (It is vital to test this before beginning the next stage of the process.)


Monitoring temperature under this stage is not so important, the liquid should boil and reduce the liquid content by between 10% - 30%, depending on the type of beer being made, i.e. 30% will produce a stout beer, whilst for a Xmas beer reduction is usually only circa 10%.
The hops are added and stirred in- hops are another question of preference, using a lot of hops produces a bitter beer and vice versa.
Adding sugar is another important question; the quantity of sugar used will determine the alcohol percentage of the beer, as it is the reaction between yeast and sugar that produces alcohol. The liquid is stirred continuously during this procedure.


The beer is now transferred to a fermenting barrel- using a sieve to filter out the hops. Again it is important to check taste and colour.




(In the west of Norway, traditionally it was common for a portion of the beer to be removed at this stage and given to children as a treat. The beer is sweet and nutritional, and at this point contains no alcohol.)
Before adding the yeast, the beer must cool to below 37.5 degrees. The yeast is then added to the beer. The barrel is insulated in woollen blankets and left to ferment for five to six days.
In the past, the yeast used would have been recycled. After the beer was finished, the residue dormant yeast would be collected from the bottom of the fermenting barrel and stored. It was collected either by soaking a linen cloth, sheet of flatbread or scooping a glass jar in the sediments. This was then stored in a cool, dry place for the next brew.

After 5 to 6 days fermentation is complete and the beer is ready. A sign that the fermentation process is complete is a thick layered ring which forms on the inside of the barrel, approx. 10 cm above the beer.

The beer is tapped into bottles and plastic jerry cans. At this stage the beer is still cloudy and should be left to settle for at least a week in a cold place- this is to avoid fermentation beginning again, which can occur in high temperatures.
the residual dormant yeast can be collected from the bottom of the barrel.




It is custom to mark the occasion with a small celebration- called oppskåka. The cosy ambience of the eldhus is ideal for this. The beer is generously tasted, and judged in the ensuing merriment.