Bergen's Juleøl Trail

Every November, Bergen's breweries release their juleøl, the Christmas beer that marks the start of the Norwegian winter. In a single day, this Festi'Tour links the Hanseatic façades of Bryggen to the hall of a converted shipyard, where three hundred beer-lovers gather, glass in hand, for the season's first sip. Between UNESCO heritage and local breweries, the city reveals itself one glass at a time.

MEET Meeting Bergen's brewers starts with a trip back in time: Hansa, founded in 1891 by Waldemar Stoud Platou at the foot of Mount Fløyen, brewed juleøl by nineteenth-century methods for decades before becoming, after its 1997 merger with Borg, one of Norway's largest brewing groups. At the other end of the spectrum, a younger craft scene keeps the same winter tradition alive on a smaller scale, and the friendly rivalry between the historic house and the independent brewers is exactly what the festival brings under one roof each year.

TASTE Juleøl is strong and spiced: an amber lager, often above 6% ABV, flavoured with notes of caramel, cinnamon or clove, brewed to go with pinnekjøtt and long December evenings. At 7 Fjell Bryggeri, Bergen's largest independent brewery, founded in 2013 and named after the seven mountains that ring the city, a guided tasting lets visitors compare several styles before heading to the festival — a useful warm-up for picking favourites from the day's selection.

DISCOVER Bergen reveals itself through its wharf before it reveals itself through its beer. Bryggen, a row of wooden façades inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1979, recalls the city's days as a Hanseatic trading post, when dried cod from the north was traded here for wine and beer from the south. The narrow lanes between the old merchant houses, today workshops and small museums, make for an hour's wander before heading uphill to meet the city's brewers.

JOIN The meeting point is Sardinen, in the USF Verftet's converted shipyard hall: two three-hour sessions, capped at three hundred people each, so every brewery gets its place around a tasting glass and tokens to trade for the day's juleøl. There's no festival pass or all-day ticket, so it's best to book online ahead of time. The second, early-evening session flows naturally from the day that began at Bryggen.

Breweries 2

Heritage & landmarks 1

The festival 1

1. Day 1 · Saturday, November 14, 2026
   1. 1
      10:00

      Bryggen

      DISCOVER Must-see

      #unesco #heritage #hanseatic

   2. 2
      11:00

      Hansa Borg Bryggerier (Hansa Bryggeri Bergen)

      MEET Recommended

      #history #brewery #heritage

   3. 3
      13:30

      7 Fjell Bryggeri

      TASTE Recommended

      #craft #tasting #independent

   4. ★
      17:00

      Juleølfestivalen Bergen 2026

      JOIN Must-see

      #festival #christmas-beer #juleol

Festival

Juleølfestivalen 2026 — Saturday 14 November, two sessions (1–4pm and 5–8pm)

Venue

Sardinen, USF Verftet, Georgernes Verft 12, 5011 Bergen

Admission

Ticket required per session (from NOK 425, tasting glass and tokens included) ; capped at 300 people per session, online sales only, no all-day pass

The walk

One day on foot and by local transport: Bryggen (historic centre), then the city's breweries before the evening festival

Official website

usf.no/arrangementer