In the far north of Norway, beer is brewed in accordance with the German Purity Law. Mack's Ølbryggeri is located at 69 degrees latitude, making it the northernmost industrial brewery in the world. Mack has around 20 different types of beer on offer, as well as water and various soft drinks, the majority of which are produced under licence for the Coca-Cola Company. German filling technology is used for bottling, among other things.
Mack was founded in Tromsø in 1877 by Ludwig Markus Mack, the son of an immigrant baker from Braunschweig. The family business, now in its fifth generation, is today the fourth largest brewery in Norway. Etwa 20 verschiedene Biersorten umfasst das Portfolio, vor allem Lagerbiere, aber auch IPA, Wit und Stout. Bestseller sind das Isbjørn Pilsner (das norwegische Wort für Eisbär) und das dunkle Nordlys (Nordlicht). Die arktischen Biere aus Macks Ølbryggeri haben in Norwegen einen Marktanteil von rund zehn Prozent.
Rune Lennart Andreassen ist seit 2008 der Chefbraumeister und verfolgt ein ambitioniertes Ziel: „Wir verfolgen die Strategie, to become the most important brewery in Norway.“ Mack is today one of five industrial breweries in Norway and at the same time the northernmost brewery not just of the country, but of the world. Further north, only the Svalbard Bryggeri (Mack is a co-owner here) brews on Spitsbergen, but this small microbrewery produces just as much beer in a year as Mack does in a day.
Licence bottling for Coca-Cola
Years ago, the company's location in the centre of Tromsø became too small, so in 2012 the production moved to Nordkjosbotn, 70 kilometres away - and increased the volume of beer produced from 95,000 to 240,000 hectolitres per year within ten years. At full capacity, Mack could even produce up to 300,000 hectolitres of beer per year. The company's second mainstay is soft drinks, cider and iced teas. Andreassen: „We produce around 80 per cent of our soft drinks under licence for the Coca-Cola Company and have many audits here at the plant.“ They are filled in disposable PET bottles, die platzsparend als Preforms angeliefert und auf eigenen Maschinen zu Flaschen geblasen werden. Glasflaschen befüllt Mack heute nur noch für Restaurants und Hotels.
Die Biere dagegen kommen fast ausschließlich in die Dose. „90 per cent of Norwegian beers are now bottled in cans“, explains Rune Andreassen, who is also responsible for sustainability at the company. Cans and PET bottles are part of the Norwegian deposit system, which was developed by Infinitum and is considered one of the most efficient in the world. The empty disposable containers are sold in the supermarkets via the vending machines of the Norwegian manufacturer Tomra were taken back - with a return rate of over 92 per cent.
„Früher gab es auch Mehrwegsysteme, die sich in Norwegen aber aufgrund der enormen Entfernungen und der weit verstreut lebendenden Bevölkerung als wenig umweltfreundlich erwiesen haben. Für Brauereien war es damals fast unmöglich, Gebinde zurück in ihre Werke zu bekommen. Daher haben alle norwegischen Brauereien die Waschmaschinen für PET-Mehrwegflaschen zwischen 2012 und 2015 wieder abgeschafft. Eine Wiedereinführung wäre ein Schritt vorwärts und zwei Schritte zurück.“
Rune Lennart Andreassen, Head brewmaster
Modern technology from all over Europe
The new production facility on Balsfjord not only offers plenty of space and the best glacier water, but also logistical advantages. All beverages can be transported by lorry directly via the European route E6, the longest continuous road connection in Scandinavia. „The good transport links are important for us, as we have grown considerably in recent years. 2024 was even the best sales year in the company's history“, reports Rune Andreassen. The significant growth was also made possible by the Investment in modern technical equipment from renowned European mechanical engineering companies.
Krones, for example, supplied the main filling line for beverage cans with a capacity of 25,000 cans per hour. A smaller filling line for cans and glass bottles with a capacity of 8,000 units per hour was supplied by the Slovenian manufacturer Vipoll, a GEA Group company. „We use this line for limited runs, for example when we fill speciality beers in glass bottles.“ Both bottling lines are fully automated and work with robot support in der Endverpackung.
Umgestellt wurde auch die Fassabfüllung auf eine Keykeg-system. The transparent, double-walled plastic drums from the Dutch manufacturer OneCircle are equipped with an inner bag in which the beers can be kept for around five weeks. The Norwegian return partner Infinitum then ensures that Empty keykegs prepared for reuse werden. Schließlich füllt Mack Bulkbier in 1.000-Liter-Tanks ab, die mit hygienischen Biertankinnenhüllen aus 14-Schicht-Coextrusionsfolie des deutschen Herstellers Nittel aus Halle ausgekleidet sind.
Die Softdrinks wiederum füllt Mack auf einer Abfüll- und Verpackungsanlage des norditalienischen Maschinenbauers SMI ab. Vor Ort werden zunächst die Preforms zu Flaschen geblasen. „Wir verwenden ja different shapes, depending on whether a Coca-Cola brand or a private label is bottled“, explains Rune Andreassen. The line operates at a capacity of up to 25,000 bottles per hour, depending on the container size of 0.5 litres or 1.5 litres. Rune Andreassen: „We source our preforms from Lithuania, the aluminium cans from Sweden, the cardboard from Norway and the rest, such as the shrink film, from other European countries.“ However, the Arctic beers and soft drinks are mainly drunk in Norway. A small proportion is exported to Sweden, and Mack beers are even said to be available in China and New Zealand.
Craft beers and rock music
Even after the relocation of industrial production, beer is still brewed at the former site in the centre of Tromsø: in a microbrewery that was launched in 2000 as a small pilot brewery and test station. Today, „Mikrobryggeri“ is a brand in its own right with over 100 different craft beers im Repertoire. Die drei Braumeister gehen ihrem Handwerk meist bei rockiger Musik nach und haben ihre Leidenschaft für die Musik auch auf den Gär- und Lagertanks verewigt: mit Porträts von Elvis, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Ringo Starr, John Wayne und lokalen Rockgrößen. Für jedes gebraute Bier erstellen sie eine neue Playlist, die per QR-Code abgerufen werden kann. Und zwischen Sudhaus (vom deutschen Hersteller Caspary) und Gärtanks gibt es dann und wann auch Livemusik.
