To Oslo and Voss
Next week I get to go to Norway! I was delighted to receive an invitation to speak at the start of the three sessions of the Oslo Craft Beer Fest next Friday and Saturday. Since it doesn’t make sense to fly halfway around the world for a two-day event, I am making a week of it. I contacted Lars Marius Garshol, wondering if he could connect me to those wonderful farmhouse brewers he knows, and he did. On Monday the 9th I’ll catch a train to Voss to stay with Kjetil Dale and we’ll brew some beer together.
Along the way, I will get to see Lars, one of those people I consider a friend even though we’ve never met, as well as Portlander Abram Goldman-Armstrong, who now brews and makes cider at Fjordfolk an hour and a half south of Oslo in Sandefjord. I’m also going to pop in and check out Eik & Tid (Oak & Time), an Oslo brewery that is taking the traditions of farmhouse brewing into the modern era. I hope to have some great stuff for you here in the coming weeks.
As a programming note, expect some hiccups along the way. I’m leaving the computer home, so I’ll blog on my phone. Squarespace offers a stripped-down app for the phone, and it doesn’t handle photos as well as the desktop—they’ll be big and clunky. Importantly, I also won’t be able to send email links to posts as I’ve just started doing, nor the Saturday, May 7th digest. I hope to be active on Instagram and Twitter, however, so tune in there, as well.
I leave next Wednesday, so things will be normal here for a little while longer. Wish me well, and ping me with hot tips if you have them.