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One to watch, but the norwegian government have announced they are to reconsider their beer sales laws, to make it easier for small producers.

Currently, off sales for any alcohoic beverage above 4.7% abv can only be purchased at the state owned Vinmonopolet (the wine monopoly). So the sale of beer is effectively split, you can't see beers of 4.6% and 4.8% in the same shop (Actually you don't see beers of 4.8% at all, unless it is an import, local breweries brew to suit the sales channel). The new government promised to investigate allowing high abv beers to be sold outside of the monopolies, and interestingly direct from the producer.

EDIT: the article I linked to has just been updated to say that the report will mostly concentrate on the advertising ban on beer. Currently all alcohol advertising is banned in Norway. Even restaurants and bars cannot show pictures, or provide descriptions of the beers they serve on their websites.


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"brian_c":1bjuf445 wrote: Currently, off sales for any alcohoic beverage above 4.7% abv can only be purchased at the state owned Vinmonopolet (the wine monopoly).[/quote:1bjuf445]


One positive an possibly the only of the state monopoly is that they have to offer everyone's beer, or so it was pointed out to me <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

Explains why I can only find 3% or 8% beers over there <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->