As an Iceland-bound travel journalist and craft beer writer, I appreciated a recent guide on a Hertz web page that pointed out many of Iceland’s best craft breweries. The guide contained lots of helpful data and warned renters not to drink and drive, but, for obvious reasons, I questioned whether a rental car company should provide such information.
So, I contacted Hertz’s corporate office and asked the company for its views. Company spokeswoman Lauren Luster said the craft beer information was posted by a franchisee and would be removed. She provided a corporate statement about the matter.
Brewmaster Valgeir Valgeirsson (right) and an employee enjoy a Christmas beer, made from peas and … [+]
“Hertz prioritizes customer safety and does not condone drinking and driving,” the statement says. “We have reviewed our policies and our brand standards with our Iceland franchisee, and they have removed the content from their website.”
Travelers visiting a craft brewery in Iceland should always take public transportation or make sure that their drivers do not drink any alcoholic beverages. Besides concerns about personal safety and the safety of others, Iceland law forbids driving with 0.02% or more alcohol in one’s blood. Such a percentage could be reached with a single beer or glass of wine at a brewery or a restaurant and is four times less than the legal percentage in the USA.
For responsible travelers visiting a craft brewery in Iceland for food or drink, the following is some information originally provided by the Hertz franchisee.
Twelve “favorite” breweries were recommended, including four located in or near Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city. Borg Brugghus, Malbygg and Reykjavik Brewing are in the city, and Gaedingur is just outside in Kópavogur.
Borg Brugghus, according to the franchisee, has “a huge volume of diverse beers,” including stouts with 15% or higher ABV. Malbygg brewers, “the local experts in brewing hoppy beers,” constantly develop “new flavor combinations” and brew “a selection of stouts, wild ales and kettle-soured beers.”
Reykjavik Brewing Company was founded by a New Yorker and has 10 taps “at the only real taproom in downtown Reykjavik.” Gaedingur opened Microbar, Iceland’s first brewery in 2012, and now has Microbar taprooms in Reykjavik and Kópavogur.
Iceland’s Dokkan Brugghus has brewed various beers, including an ale with a seaweed hint. (Photo by … [+]
Recommended breweries in South Iceland are Brothers, Olvisholt and Olverk. Olverk Brewery, located in Hveragerði, is a brewery and a restaurant with wood-fired pizza.
East Iceland, which is home to Vatnajokull National Park, has a few “great breweries,” the franchisee said. They are Beljandi in the small fishing town of Breiðdalsvík and Austri Brugghús in Egilsstaðir.
In North Iceland, the franchisee said two of the best breweries are Bruggsmiðjan in Akureryi and Segull 67 in Siglufjörður. In West Iceland, the recommended brewery is Dokkan in Isafjorður, which brews its beers with water from the Westfjord mountains.
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