What are the best beers in Iceland? Icelanders do not have a long history with beer. It was banned from 1915 to 1989. Before the ban, you could buy beer, but there isn’t much information about it. Before imported beer, Icelanders, like many others, brewed their own beer. But since our water is so clean, we did not have the same need for it as others.
Icelanders being how they are, we never want to be left behind. We love being the best at something. And it happens pretty often for such a small nation if we measure it by per capita. For example, we had the biggest bank bankruptcy in economic history in 2008… per capita, of course.
We don’t want to be left behind and thought to be tacky. We want to be on top of things. However, it wasn’t until a few years into the new century that we started brewing something other than lager. For the first almost 20 years, the two big breweries already established (Víking and Egils) dominated the market.
The beer market changed little after Kaldi opened in the late 2000s, and today, there are around 25 breweries in Iceland.
Despite the number of breweries, the lager beers Víking (owned by CCEP) and Gull (owned by Ölgerðin) are still consistently the most-sold lagers in Iceland. Ölgerðin also manufactures the lager Boli.
Most Popular Beers in Vínbúðin
The top three beers sold in the state liquor store Vínbúðin (literally: Wine Store) are consistently the same.
The store has two beer categories: lager and other beer. The Vínbúð is technically the only place you can buy beer, apart from bars and restaurants in Iceland. However, a few online stores sell beer, and a newly signed law allows breweries to sell their beer onsite. You can also check out Heimkaup and Sante.
But, regardless of that, Vínbúðin is the best place to see what kind of beer people generally drink in Iceland. Gull Lite in 500ml and 330ml cans has been the most-sold beer for the past two years (2023 and 2024). But are the beers sold the most necessarily the best in Iceland? Maybe not, but it shows, without a doubt, that people generally like those beers.
In 2019, it was Víking Gull, Faxe (a Danish beer), and Viking Lager. That shows that Gull lite is gaining popularity. It is a light beer, maybe a bit in the vein of Corona Extra. Víking Lite Lime is consistently the most sold in the category “Other beers and ales.” As the name implies, it is a light beer with a lime taste. You could maybe compare it to Corona Extra with a wedge of lime.
Top ten 2024:
- Gull Lite (500ml)
- Gull Lite (330ml)
- Boli Premium
- Víking Gylltur
- Egils Gull
- Tuborg Green
- Faxe Premium
- Tuborg Classic
- Viking Lager
- Viking Lite
Top ten 2023:
- Gull Lite (500ml)
- Gull Lite (330ml)
- Boli Premium
- Viking Gylltur
- Egils Gull
- Tuborg Green
- Tuborg Classic
- Faxe Premium
- Viking Lite
- Viking Gylltur
Top ten in “other beers and ales” 2023:
- Einstök White Ale (Can)
- Gull Lite Summer White Ale
- Gull Lite Christmas White Ale (330ml)
- Kronenbourg 1664 Blank (bottle)
- Desperados
- Einstök White Ale (bottle)
- Hvít Jól Mandarin White Ale
- Helga nr. 69 Raspberry Sour
- Víking Summer Ale
- Gull Lite Christmas White Ale (500ml)
Top ten in “other beers and ales” 2024:
- Einstök White Ale (Can)
- Gull Lite Summer White Ale
- Gull Lite Christmas White Ale (330ml)
- Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc (bottle)
- Einstök White Ale (bottle)
- Gull Lite Christmas White Ale (500ml)
- Hvít Jól Mandarin White Ale
- Helga nr. 69 Raspberry Sour
- Salitos Tequila
- Skyrjarmur Blueberry sour
Most Popular Beers on Untappd and Rateabeer
Rating sites like Untappd and Rateabeer give a different view of beer. Beer enthusiasts are generally the only people who consistently rate beers on those sites.
What is different about those sites is that stouts and porters always get the highest votes. They have complex and fuller tastes and are generally just “one-off” beers that have not been manufactured in large quantities for many years. So, you might not be able to get the beers on these lists. Also, note we have chosen just to show you the top-rated Icelandic beers, not the overall best beers rated in Iceland.
Many of the beers are still available, but not the exact same version. But looking at the lists, you can see that Surtur and Garún are the two beers consistently voted into the top 10 list of best beers in Iceland. Even if you can’t find exactly that number, we recommend you try it.
When this blog was written, Surtur was not available in Vínbúðin, but you can buy Garún number 19. The Borg Brewery is owned by Ölgerðin, which also manufactures Gull.
Rate A Beer’s top ten Icelandic beers:
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 8,8 – 2020 Aged Bourbon and Cognac Casks
- Borg – Garún Icelandic Stout Nr. 19,3
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 8 R
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 38
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 61
- Ölvisholt Lava
- Borg – Garún Icelandic Stout Nr. 19
- Borg – Garún Icelandic Stout Nr. 19,4 (Brennivín BA)
- Borg – Hurðarskellir
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 30
Untappd’s top ten Icelandic beers:
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 8,8 – 2020 Aged Bourbon and Cognac Casks
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 8,2 (Bourbon BA)
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 8,4 (Single Malt Whiskey BA)
- Borg – Garún Nr. 19,3 (Bourbon BA)
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 61 (2019)
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 38
- Borg – Surtur nr 8,9 (Mezcal BA)
- Malbygg – Brewhaha
- Borg – Hurðarskellir Nr. 54
- Borg – Surtur Nr. 8,5 (Armagnac BA)
Borg describes Surtur this way: “Under the tanned creamy head, shades of fire-roasted corn and burnt sugar blend mysteriously with darker tones of chocolate, strong coffee and licorice.” Additionally, number 8,8 was aged in “bourbon casks giving it a smooth character with sweet yet sophisticated tones of vanilla and an oaky aroma.” Number 8,4 was aged in “Single Malt Scotch Whisky casks, lending it bittersweet tones of berries and vanilla.”
For Garún nr. 19,3, Borg said it was aged in Bourbon casks and had hints of chocolate, coffee, licorice and vanilla.
More Beer!
Icelanders love brewing speciality beers, and each season has new beers. Summer beers, Christmas beers, Þorrablót beers and Easter Beers. So, when you come to Iceland, you will always find something new to try.
But where to try them? Skúli Fógeti and Session Bar are the best bars for speciality beers. Additionally, we recommend Micro Bar run by Gæðingur Brewery, Tónabíó run by RVK Brewing Company and Malbygg Tap Room, run by Malbygg Brewery.
Have you tried any of these beers? What do you think are the best beers in Iceland? If you want to try more beers, we recommend you check out our Reykjavik Beer and Booze tour. We also have a Private Reykjavik Microbrewery & Distillery Tour, where we visit a few of Reykjavik’s best breweries and distilleries. If you want to taste new beers on your travels around Iceland, check out our Craft Breweries in Iceland blog post.
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