– It’s fine to tap this. John Are Grjotheim and Ola Gjeilo take a mandatory taste test before 10,000 bottles of beer are to be tapped. The two founder-friends from Lom first started brewing beer in the basement, then in an old pig barn. But the demand was too great, and they were unable to produce enough. Now they have expanded – to what they call an adventure. LOMB: Fellow founders Ola Gjeilo (tv) and John Are Grjotheim (th) in Gudbrandsdalen have a bit to do now that the beer hall has increased sevenfold. Lom brewery produces beer under the Lomb brand. They brew lager beer, which has a local connection. Photo: Anders Bakkerud Larsen / news Several bankruptcies after corona, war and rising prices In a barn on the outside of the center in Lom, the friends are opening a completely newly built part of the barn as a brewery. For now, the brewery has managed to increase its volume sevenfold since it started in 2016. – It started, like so much else we do, as a coincidence. It has been very good. You can’t say anything else, smiles Grjotheim. The fermentation capacity has now been expanded from 10,000 to closer to 70,000 liters of beer. It is completely at odds with how many of the microbreweries experience the situation. BARN FOR PRODUCTION ROOM: In this barn in Lom, the friends are now opening a newly built part of the barn for brewing premises. The cellar and the old pig barn were too small when production took off. Photo: Anders Bakkerud Larsen / news The Brewery Association states that 44 percent of Norwegian microbreweries, also known as small-scale producers, have had a sharp decline in sales so far this year. – Many of the breweries struggle, and some have put in the years. We have seen several bankruptcies. Erlend Vagnild Fuglum is director of the Brewery Association. He says that the pandemic, electricity prices, the war and the general rise in prices have hit hard. UROA: Only 23 per cent of small-scale producers can report an increase in sales this year. Director Erlend Vagnild Fuglum of the Bryggeriforeininga is worried about how the diversity of small-scale breweries will look at the end of the year. Photo: Anders Bakkerud Larsen / news Fuglum also says that they saw a change in autumn, where more people are buying the cheaper beer brand. – Now we notice that people are tightening their belts, and then they buy fewer and cheaper products. It hits small-scale producers harder than many others, because they often have slightly more expensive products. Do you buy more cheap beer now than before? Yes. Buy less now. It will be too expensive 🍺 No. I buy as many microbrews as before 🍻 I’ve always only bought the cheaper brands 💰 Show result Local identity and a bit of luck Interest in microbrews exploded around 2017, and the number of microbreweries went from being a handful to over 150 in a short time. In 2018, the Breweries Association stated that they were not surprised if half of all microbreweries were gone in two years. MICROBRYGGJERI: Is a small, local brewery that, in connection with the production of beer, uses craft methods that are based on the classic brewing tradition. Here from Lomb brewery. Photo: Anders Bakkerud Larsen / news But Norwegians are fond of microbrews, and after two years there were no mass closures. Then came the corona virus, the war and the rise in prices – which again makes the Brewery Association uneasy. – We are worried about how the diversity of small-scale breweries will look at the end of the year. The little ones have a little less to go on, so when a tough period comes we are afraid that more people will have to throw in the towel, says Fuglum. The fellow founders from Lom believe they have succeeded because they have managed to keep costs down. Strong local identity is also an important factor. – Part of the secret is the local identity we have managed to give our beer, and to which we are loyal in all contexts. Everything from ingredients, the local ingredients, the profile and how the bottles look. But they have also had a bit of luck, Grjotheim believes. – It is not a bad idea to come from Lom when you want to start a brewery. We have based our profile on Lom. There is substantial tourism in Lom, which was a good drag at the start. It has formed a good basis for our turnover.
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Microbrewery from Lom is a huge success, despite corona, war and price increases – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
