Further Information

Öldur - Meadery

Helgi and Sigurjón have already made themselves known as Iceland's master mazers under the name Öldur. They went to the Annual Beer Festival at Hólar earlier this summer and took home three out of four awards. The awards were for the best booth at the festival, the third best "beer" was Rjóð and the second best "beer" was Blámi.

Öldur only works with the best ingredients which in return yields a high class mead that is ever so tasty.

Mead and beer. What is the difference?

In Iceland there is a big misconception about mead as many people think that mead is just a different word for beer. This couldn't be further from the truth. Mead and beer have different ingredients and therefore are two very different drinks.

Alcoholic beverages come in many forms. What we call those drinks is based on where the fermentable sugars come from. Wine comes from grapes, beer comes from grains and mead comes from honey.

There is no other meadery in Iceland, and that is why Öldur stands out on the market. Mead can take many forms just like wine and beer, but mead can be like wine with higher alcohol content (about 15%) and served uncarbonated, but then again mead can be more like beer with lower alcohol content (about 5% for example) and served carbonated. Additionally different kinds can be made with fruit, berries or spices as well as blending with either wine or beer. The possibilities are endless and there is no knowing what the brewmaster of Öldur will think of doing next.

A fun fact. Mead is gluten free and is therefore a great option for gluten intolerant people.

Who are the founders of Öldur?

The founders are Helgi Þórir Sveinsson and Sigurjón Friðrik Garðarsson. They are experienced homebrewers who have both won awards at the Icelandic home brewing club competition lead by Fagun. They have also served on the board of the club.

Helgi has a degree in economics from the University of Iceland. Soon after graduation he discovered that a desk job at the office was not something he wanted. He then turned to his hobby and became a brewer. He has worked at two of the breweries in Iceland and has vast experience as a brewer. Currently he is working as a distiller for an Icelandic distillery. He also has a website www.gerjun.is where he spreads his knowledge (sorry, that site is in Icelandic only).

Sigurjon comes from the movie industry where he has been a visual effects artist for many years. He has been a homebrewer for nearly 4 years and took first place in the open category as well as best of show in the homebrew club competition this year.

Why a meadery?

Of course it is the passion for great mead that made us want to do this and Iceland needs mead! But we don't only want to brew exceptional mead, we also want to engage with our customers, and that leads us to the Elder Council.

The Elder Council

The Elder Council is made up of the Elders of Öldur. The Elder Council has meetings every other month and discusses the meads that are in production, as well as tasting pilot brews that are still in development and thus have an input and saying on what will be brewed in the future. The Elders will be people we trust and are from the brewing scene or are involved with beer or mead culture. We are going to open up to the public to get on board and you can become and Elder by pledging on the right.

What needs to happen next

There are many things to look into when you need to prepare a building for brewing. We have already secured a place but we need the final push to get everything ready for brewing.

This is where you can come to our rescue and pledge some donations. By donating you are not only helping us out, you are also getting craft mead. This can be anything from one bottle to 3 kegs of mead in your party, or have you always wondered what it's like to design and brew your own mead? Have a look and see what you can get by helping us out!

Please note!!!!!!

Please note!!! Rewards that can not be picked up from our site will be sent on the recipient's expense.

Kegs for your party will be delivered free within the Reykjavík area. If you are outside that area you will need to pick them up yourself or have them delivered at a cost.

If the brewmasters are serving your guests they can come to your party at no extra cost within the Reykjavík area. Outside that area there will be added travel cost and even an overnight stay if it is far away.