Viking Beer [1] [2] (or Víking bjór [ˈviːciŋkˈpjouːr̥] ) is an Icelandic brand, brewed by CCEP "Víking Brewery". [3] The brewery is located in Akureyri, Iceland, just south of the Arctic Circle.
The history of the brand of Víking beer can be traced back to 1939 when Efnagerð Siglufjarðar was established in the town of Siglufjörður in Northern Iceland. In 1945, the brewery moved to Akureyri and the name was changed to Efnagerð Akureyrar. In 1962, a new factory was built at Furuvellir 18, where it is still located today. The brewery name was changed to Víking hf. in 1994. The brewery merged several times with other companies, and then in early 2001, the brewery merged with Vífilfell hf. thus creating the largest company in Iceland in the beverage industry. That company was bought by Cobega and later merged with Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), and operates as Coca-Cola European Partners Ísland ehf. (in Reykjavík, where Coca-Cola is still bottled), while Víking is still brewed in Akureyri.
Viking Gylltur was by far the most sold beer in Iceland in 2017, and all of Víking's beer has over a quarter of the Icelandic market share (or half of all non-imported beer). [4] [5]
The Einstök brand (meaning one of a kind), is separate from Viking, while also bottled in Akureyri, and under CCEP, from the beginning mostly sold abroad. [6]
Víking mainly produces lager beers (while their craft beer brands are different). The most popular ones are:
In addition to the above, the brewery also makes seasonal beers for Christmas, Easter and Summer, as well as some all year round special beers such as Stout and Organic Pils.
Tooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, Australia. It produces beer under the Tooheys and Hahn Brewery trademarks, and is part of the Lion beverages group which was acquired by the Japanese Kirin Company in 2009.
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Staropramen Brewery in the Smíchov district of Prague is the second largest brewery in the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1869 and the brand name Staropramen, literally meaning “old spring”, was registered in 1911. It is owned by Molson Coors and its products are exported to 37 countries, mostly in Europe and North America.
The Carling Brewery was founded in 1840 by Thomas Carling in London, Canada. Carling lager was first sold in the United Kingdom in 1952, and in the early 1980s became the UK's most popular beer brand by volume sold. The company was acquired by Canadian Breweries, renamed Carling O'Keefe, and merged with the Molson Brewery, which then merged with Coors to form Molson Coors.
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Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş. produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in Turkey, the United States, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Anadolu Efes is a member of the Anadolu Group. Anadolu Group was founded in 1950 by the Özilhan and Yazıcı families. The Anadolu Group transformed into a holding company in 1969.
The Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. is a Japanese beverage holding company headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo.
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Beer, called maekju in Korean, was first introduced to Korea in the early 20th century. Seoul's first brewery opened in 1908. Two current major breweries date back to the 1930s. The third brewery established in Korea, Jinro Coors Brewery, was founded in the 1990s. It was later acquired by Oriental Breweries (OB). Hite Breweries's former name was Chosun Breweries, which was established in 1933. The company changed its name to Hite Breweries in 1998. OB Breweries established as Showa Kirin Breweries in 1933. The company changed its name to OB Breweries in 1995.
Beer in Iceland likely dates back to the island's settlement by Norsemen. In more modern history beer was effectively banned in Iceland for most of the 20th century. Since that ban was lifted in 1989, Iceland's consumption of beer has increased markedly and new breweries have begun to emerge.
Oriental Brewery or OB is a South Korean brewery currently owned by AB InBev, and initially founded by Doosan Group.
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Heineken N.V. is a Dutch brewer which owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly pale lager, though some other beer styles are produced. The two largest brands are Heineken and Tecate; though the portfolio includes Amstel, Fosters, Sagres, Cruzcampo, Skopsko, Affligem, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, Zlatý Bažant, Laško and Birra Moretti.
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The beers of the Caribbean are unique to each island in the region, although many are variants of the same style. Each island generally brews its own unique pale lager, the occasional stout, and often a non-alcoholic malta beverage. Contract-brewing of international beers is also common, with Heineken Pilsener and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout being the most popular. The beers vary between the islands to suit the taste and the brewing method used.
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Kgalagadi Breweries (Pty) Limited are brewers based in Gaborone, Botswana. They produce lager beers, traditional beers, bottled water and soft drinks under license. The brewery started out as Prinz Brau, with two brands, Prinz Brau and Prinz Deluxe.