Plans for beer breweries on top of the world
A Norwegian and a Russian company have applied for licenses to brew beer on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
The Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services is currently considering two applications for permissions to establish a brewery, that will give the Mack brewwry in Tromsø, Northern Norway, competition to earn the slogan “The northernmost brewery in the world”, ABC Nyheter reports.
One application has been sent by the Russian state owned trust “Arktikugol”, which is more known for the production of coal. The company wants to produce 50.000 liters of beer in the Russian settlement of Barentsburg.
The other application comes from the Norwegian home-brewer Robert Johansen, who has plans for production of 100.000 liters annually. According to Johansen, people on Svalbard consume 400-450.000 liters of beer every year.
According to the Law on Svalbard of 1928 production of alcohol is illegal on Svalbard. The ministry has nevertheless not rejected the applications. Svalbard, and especially Longyearbyen, has changed a lot since the law was introduced. What used to be a though, male dominated mining society is now a thriving local community with young families and many students.
The northernmost brewery in the world at the current moment is Mack, located in Tromsø on 69°N. Longyearbyen is located on 78°N.
