If you are a craft beer enthusiast, you must book a Svalbard Bryggeri tasting on your trip to the far north. This is the world’s northernmost brewery and the water that brews the beer comes from local glaciers and is easily the purest on Earth.
This guide will detail how to book a tasting at Svalbard Bryggeri and what to expect when there. I also answer any FAQs later in the guide after I recap my experience at the Svalbard Brewery.
Do you have any questions about booking a Svalbard Brewery tasting? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!
In this post...
About Svalbard Bryggeri
I honestly don’t want to write too much here about the history of the brewery (at least more than you can find online) because the story was insanely entertaining the way it was told to us at the tasting.
But a quick overview is that founder and CEO, Robert Johansen, had several jobs over the years (including his dream job of being a pilot) when he started to petition the city to build a brewery on Svalbard.
BOOK HERE: Beer tasting at Svalbard Bryggeri
It took years (4 of them, to be exact) and an escalation to the Norwegian government in Oslo before permission was granted to him and Anne-Grete Johansen, the co-founder.
The story told to us was so entertaining and enthralling that you just knew the beer would be kick-ass after all the efforts it took to be allowed to brew on Svalbard.
And the beer IS that good. What do you expect when you brew beer from 2,000-year-old glaciers?
Svalbard Bryggeri is beautiful and the tasting room is cozy and overlooks the room brewing the beer.
The Longyearbyen brewery has a few employees and I heard nothing but positive things about the work environment and culture at the brewery, leaving me with a passion to perhaps work there one day (you know, pending I move to Svalbard and all).
Book your Svalbard Bryggeri tasting here!
Svalbard Bryggeri Tasting Session (A Quick Review!)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Meeting Point: at Svalbard Bryggeri
Language: English, Norwegian (they spoke in both and had the room split in two)
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The tours and tastings are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at the Svalbard Bryggeri.
They start at 6pm and last 1.5 hours (I think mine ran over a bit). I honestly thought I would be one of the only people visiting the Svalbard Bryggeri the night I went.
I quickly realized that this tasting session is an insanely popular thing to do when visiting Svalbard!
Each tasting session must have a minimum of 4 people and a maximum of 40 are permitted per session. You will get a chance to taste 5 beers, with the option to purchase more at the end (or a takeaway beer).
I had already tried a lot of the brewery’s portfolio in the bars in Longyearbyen, so I kind of knew what I was working with and I was able to purchase a seasonal small-batch beer at the end.
You will need to book your tour in advance, which is currently 475–495 NOK per person in 2024 (about $43–45). The price difference is just dependent on the time of the year you’re booking (summer is more expensive).
One thing to note is that you will need to figure out how to get to Svalbard Bryggeri because it is not located in Longyearbyen’s center.
I opted to walk there from where I was staying (it took like 20–30 minutes from the center). You can also book a taxi, which is a more expensive option.
If you are visiting during the summer months, it will still be sunny at that time of the day. On the flip side, it will be dark if you visit in the winter.
I did my tasting at the Svalbard Bryggeri at the end of September, and it got dark at around 8pm then, so I had a little light to work with.
Can you buy Svalbard Bryggeri beer in Longyearbyen?
Yes! You can find the beer at almost any restaurant or bar in town! They will have a few options, as well as Svalbard Bryggeri’s canned water. I highly recommend both.
Can you buy Svalbard Bryggeri beer outside of Svalbard?
Yes, you can find it across mainland Norway as well as some other places in Europe. They are looking to expand currently, so I will update this once I know more!
Do they take credit cards at the Svalbard Brewery?
Yes, they take all major credit cards for payment.
How old do you need to be to do a Svalbard Bryggeri tour and tasting?
It does not state a minimum age for joining the tasting, but you must be 18+ to order and consume beer in Norway.
Should you book a Svalbard Bryggeri tour and tasting?
Yes, I think it is a fantastic thing to do when you’re in Svalbard! It is especially a great thing for those visiting outside of the summer months, as boat tours are not running and options can be fewer when it comes to excursions.
But I do think it is a worthwhile experience year-round! It is a social activity too, and I met people from all over the world, including Norwegians from Bergen, Chinese students traveling around Europe, and climate change scientists from Wisconsin.
It was a unique evening, and one I recommend to adult visitors.
Book your Svalbard Bryggeri tasting here!
Do you have any questions about booking a tasting at Svalbard Bryggeri? Let me know in the comments!
More Svalbard Travel Guides
- Svalbard travel tips
- Things to do in Svalbard
- Visiting the Svalbard Museum
- Svalbard in winter
- Svalbard snowmobiling tours
- Svalbard northern lights tours
- Where to stay in Longyearbyen
- Photo wildlife tour from Longyearbyen
- Svalbard ice caves
- Boat excursions in Svalbard
- Best places to eat in Longyearbyen
- Best time to visit Svalbard
- Svalbard in March
- Popular Svalbard tours
- Gruve 3 mine tour
- Svalbard walrus safari review
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Megan is a travel blogger and writer with a background in digital marketing. Originally from Richmond, VA, she now splits her time between Frankfurt, Germany and Arctic Finland after also living in Norway, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. She has a passion for winter travel, as well as the Nordic countries, but you can also find her eating her way through Italy, perusing perfume stores in Paris, or taking road trips through the USA. Megan has written for or been featured by National Geographic, Forbes, Lonely Planet, the New York Times, and more. She co-authored Fodor’s Travel ‘Essential Norway’ and has visited 45 US states and 100+ countries.