Do you want to experience the drinking culture in Iceland? Want to try the best craft beers in Iceland? Looking for the best bars in Reykjavik for craft beers?
To the delight of both locals and visitors, the craft beer trend is picking up in Reykjavik in full force. In the past, bars predominantly served mainstream lager beers like Víking or Carlsberg (the “non-patriotic drink” from Denmark). Beer was even considered so non-patriotic that it was banned in the country until 1989! Nowadays you can find a fine selection of craft beers in nearly every bar in downtown Reykjavik.
If you are looking for the very best, allow us to present the “Craft Bar Trinity in Reykjavik” (a term coined by the beer enthusiasts in Guide to Iceland) – Skúli Craftsbar, MicroBar, and Mikkeller & Friends.
All three are within 3 minutes of walking from each other. So you can tipsy your way to the next even if you had one drink too many, or two, or three, or 12. OK maybe not 12. If you don´t like to hop alone you can even join a guided Icelandic beer tour. You know what they say: when in Iceland, drink as the Vikings do.
Skúli Craftsbar – The Classy
While offering a happy hour between 2 and 7pm, Skúli Craftsbar is the best spot to start the evening/afternoon and dip into the Icelandic craft beer scene. Here you can find up to 14 different beers on tap with a strong focus on the award winning brews from the Borg brewery. The atmosphere is relaxed and warm, with a bright wooden bar and dark wood interior following a classic approach, the most “grown-up” one among our “Craft Bar Trinity”.
The beer is not cheap but you can choose among some of the best beers of Iceland, served by very knowledgeable and friendly staff. If you are in the mood of tasting different brews, they also offer small glasses, a big plus for the wallet.
Staples at Skúli include award winning Bríó (Pilsner), Garún (Imperial Stout) as well as Úlfur (Indian Pale Ale), all from Borg Brewery. If you like to try something more experimental/funky/weird, the word choice depending on your beer nerdiness level, you should ask for Leifur, named after the famous Icelander Leifur Eiríksson (or Leifur Heppni - Leifur the Lucky) who discovered America years before this famous dude Columbus, who tried to make his way to the east while travelling west. Considered a Nordic Saison, Leifur is brewed with an arctic thyme from Iceland. It comes with a fresh taste, perfect to drink in a bright Icelandic summer night (or to brighten yourself up in the dark Icelandic winter nights).
If you'd like to go even more avant-garde, try ordering a so-called Tilraunalögun (literally translates as “experimental features") – an experimental brew that has no name yet, only served to test the market. In our case it was a Sour Ale that comes with a strong and unique taste. Kind of sour as the name suggests, then with a little note of the Icelandic hot spring smell... really hard to describe. Let’s just say it’s not made for everybody. Best is to try for yourself!
If the current mix of different beers on tap does not suit your taste, bear in mind that there is a massive selection of premium bottled craft brews from all over the world available too. Just ask you friendly bartender!
Skúli Craftsbar
Address: Aðalstræti 9, 101 Reykjavik
Opening Hour: Sunday-Thursday: 2pm – 11pm; Friday & Saturday: 2pm – 1am
Happy Hour: 2pm – 7pm
Price: 700 ISK and up
MicroBar – The Pragmatic
Right around the corner of Skúli you'll find MicroBar, probably one of the oldest craft beer bars in Iceland (about 3 years old). Its ambience and interior has more of a modern and pragmatic approach and probably in slight contrast to what you associate with craft beer. Regardless, the beers are top-notch and you can choose among up to 10 beers on tap plus a real large variety of bottled craft beers from around the world.
If decision-making is not your forte, you can order a beer tasting tray for a special price (just like our self-drive packages with the best sights of Iceland!). What Borg beer is to Skúli, is what the Gæðingur beer is to MicroBar (both Borg and Gæðingur are Icelandic breweries).
Gæðingur is a small brewery in north Iceland. Actually the bar and the beer go hand in hand since they belong to the same owner. No wonder you can find a dedicated MicroBar brew to order on tap. Switching from the summer fresh and quirky experimental brews in Skúli, we recommend to go for the stronger and darker choices here. If you like the rich and strong taste of chocolate or coffee, the Stout from Gæðingur will be your new best friend (or worst enemy).
If you or your friends are not that much into fancy craft beers you can also enjoy a good traditional pilsner from Kaldi brewery in north Iceland with a Czech brewmeister.
MicroBar
Address: Vesturgata 2, 101 Reykjavik (Basement of Reykjavik Restaurant) (The previous Austurstræti 6 location has closed since Nov 2015)
Opening Hour: 4pm – 12:30am
Happy Hour: 5pm – 7pm
Price: 700 ISK and up
Mikkeller & Friends – The Tasteful
Among our “Craft Bar Trinity”, Mikkeller & Friends is the most unique in terms of atmosphere and interior. A cozy choice either to visit on your own or with friends.
But if you find it difficult to choose among all the beer options we mentioned above, then Mikkeler & Friends will make your life even more complicated (happily!). Here you can choose among 20 different beers on tap! The small glass option, like in Skúli, comes in handy and they even offer you to try before you buy.
Beer experts already know that Mikkeller is a Danish company brewing in collaboration with established microbreweries around the world. It is no wonder they opened a bar in downtown Reykjavik. Here you can find beers on tap that you hardly find anywhere else, for example the HVERFISGATA PILS (Hverfisgata is the name of the street where the bar is located), a fresh and easy-to-drink lager. Other examples are SUR CITRA, an IPA style brew concocted with skins of citrus fruits, adding a fruity and summery touch to a hoppy brew, and then the HVERFISGATA SPONTAN, a Reykjavik exclusive that has quite the surprise. Beers change every week so there is always something new to try and former favorites to relish in your memory.
Mikkeller & Friends
Address: Hvervisgata 12, 101 Reykjavik
Opening Hour: 4pm (2pm on Fri & Sat) – 12am (1am on Thu - Sat)
Price: 700 ISK and up
This article has been made possible thanks to our Guide to Iceland blogger/beer-enthusiast panel. We would like to thank Xiaochen for converting a nerdy and scientific thesis to a piece of reading pleasure. Further we have to thank our craft beer nerds specialists Francisco and Oliver for the heavy lifting of drafting, photographing, and drinking.
