Til hamingju með bjórdaginn! — Happy Beer Day!
Every year on 1st March, the people of Iceland raise a glass in celebration of one of the most unique and entertaining public holidays in the world, Bjórdagurinn, or Beer Day. It is a day of national joy, pub crawls, special brewery events, and cheerful toasting that commemorates the end of one of the strangest chapters in modern Icelandic history, a 74-year ban on beer that lasted all the way until 1989.
While the rest of the world takes the freedom to enjoy a cold pint entirely for granted, Iceland’s Beer Day is a vivid and joyful reminder that such freedoms were hard won, and that they are very much worth celebrating.
A Nation That Banned Beer (But Not Spirits)
To understand Beer Day, you first need to understand the extraordinary, and at times baffling, story of alcohol prohibition in Iceland.
In a 1908 referendum, Icelanders voted in favour of a ban on all alcoholic drinks, going into effect 1st January1915. The temperance movement had been sweeping across the Western world at the time, and Iceland, a deeply religious and socially conservative nation, was particularly receptive to its message. Total prohibition was seen as the key to social order, public health, and moral uprightness.
At the time, Iceland was under the control of Denmark, and the move was also seen as an attempt to disassociate from Denmark, as Denmark consumed about eight times the alcohol of other Europeans. So, the ban was as much political as it was moral.
Wine Returns — Thanks to Spain
The total ban did not last long. In 1921, the ban was partially lifted after Spain refused to buy Iceland’s main export, fish, unless Iceland bought Spanish wines. The Icelandic government, faced with the collapse of its most vital trade relationship, had little choice. Wine was quietly removed from the banned list, a deliciously pragmatic compromise driven not by principle, but by the herring catch.
Spirits Are Legalised — But Not Beer
The ban was lifted further after a national referendum in 1935 came out in favour of legalising spirits. Strong beer (with an alcohol content of 2.25% or more) was not included in the 1935 vote in order to please the temperance lobby, which argued that because beer is cheaper than spirits, it would lead to more depravity.
And so, Iceland arrived at one of the most peculiar legal arrangements in the history of alcohol regulation: a country where you could legally purchase whisky, vodka, and wine, but where a pint of lager was strictly forbidden. This left Iceland the only country in Europe, perhaps the world, with a special beer ban.
As in many other states with prohibition, illegal brewing and smuggling of alcoholic beverages were widespread during the ban. Icelanders who wanted beer found ways to get it, they always do.
The Curious Workaround: Bjorlin
With real beer off the menu, Icelanders showed characteristic ingenuity by inventing a substitute. People drank what is called ‘bjórlíki’ or ‘Beer Likeness’, this normally consisted of a weak pilsner (with less than 2.25% alcohol in it), mixed with a bit of vodka, whiskey and some wine, bringing the alcohol level up to 5%. Not exactly the same taste as real beer, and people still craved the original.
Bjórlíki was sold in some of Reykjavík’s earliest pubs and became something of a symbol of resistance, a winking, barely legal protest against the absurdity of the law. It was quite controversial, leading to it also being banned in 1985. Even the workaround was eventually outlawed, making the final four years before legalisation the driest of all.
World War II: Beer for the Allies, Not for Icelanders
The prohibition years produced one remarkable historical footnote that still raises eyebrows today. During World War II, the British and then the USA had military bases in Iceland. Special permission was given to a local brewery called Ölgerðin Egill Skallagrímsson to brew beer for those stationed with the military. However, the Icelanders still could not purchase beer until 1989.
Foreign soldiers stationed on Icelandic soil could drink beer legally. The Icelanders who lived there could not. It is the kind of historical irony that seems almost too absurd to be true.
The Tide Begins to Turn
Travel became much easier in the 1970s and Icelanders were enjoying beer abroad. This contributed to a growing demand in the 1980s for the ban on beer to be overturned.
As international travel brought Icelanders back in touch with beer, bills to legalise it were regularly moved in parliament, but inevitably were shot down on technical grounds. The temperance lobby remained powerful, and politicians, particularly those representing rural constituencies, were reluctant to face accusations of loosening moral standards.
Opposition to beer in Iceland was found to be strongest among members of the Alþingi (parliament) from rural areas and traditional socialist parties. The most influential argument against beer was that adolescents are particularly susceptible to the temptation to drink it. Opponents of the beer ban in the Alþingi pointed out the peculiar nature of a law allowing hard liquor but prohibiting the weaker beverage.
It was an argument that, when put plainly, became increasingly difficult to defend.
1st March 1989: The Day Beer Came Back
On 1st March 1989, Iceland’s government voted to permit the sale of beer, ending 74 years of prohibition. The reaction was immediate, overwhelming, and, by all accounts, spectacular.
The first Beer Day celebrations were televised nationally and showed Icelanders enjoying their newfound beerdom in what the BBC described as a “rowdy” and “bacchanalian” way. Like Vikings would.
Bar owner Kormákur Geirharðsson of Ölstofan recalls: “I remember a lot of drinking and a lot of pissing all night long and the next days, and it was not stopping. This was the day Icelanders took the step to try to become civilised.”
Since then, March 1st has become an unofficial holiday known as Bjórdagurinn, where locals and tourists alike toast to the freedom to enjoy beer without restrictions.
How Beer Day Is Celebrated Today
Beer Day is not a formal public holiday, there is no day off work, no official parade, and no government ceremony. What it is, however, is a deeply cherished and widely observed cultural tradition.
The Rúntur — The Great Pub Crawl
Following the end of prohibition, Icelanders have celebrated every Beer Day by imbibing the drink in various bars, restaurants, and clubs. Those located in Reykjavík, the capital and largest city in Iceland, are especially wild on Beer Day. A Rúntur (pub crawl) is a popular way of getting to know the various bars and beers in the city, many being open until 4:00 a.m. the next day.
The Rúntur is a proud Icelandic tradition in its own right, a sociable, meandering journey through a city’s drinking establishments, catching up with friends and strangers alike. On Beer Day, the Rúntur takes on an almost ceremonial quality.
Special Beer Promotions
Many bars offer special Beer Day prices on beer, sometimes offering the same price as it was when it was first allowed back in 1989. It is a lovely nod to history, and a very popular one. Bars along Laugavegur, Reykjavík’s famous shopping and nightlife street, and around Austurvöllur plaza fill up with locals and visitors celebrating side by side.
The Annual Beer Festival
From 2012, Beer Day has grown into a four-day feast, with the Annual Icelandic Beer Festival starring the best of the Icelandic beer trade along with selected international ones. Held at Kex Hostel in February and running into early March, the festival gives craft beer lovers the chance to sample the full range of Iceland’s booming brewing scene.
Brewery Tours and Tastings
Reykjavík is home to several craft breweries that offer tours and tastings. Many bars and pubs feature Icelandic beers from renowned breweries like Einstök, Borg Brugghús, and Ölvisholt. Pairing beer with local cuisine, from lamb hot dogs to fresh fish, is also part of the celebration.
Iceland’s Extraordinary Beer Culture
From the wilderness of prohibition to a thriving craft beer scene, Iceland’s transformation has been remarkable.
Iceland has a rich and flourishing beer culture. Icelandic beer is considered very good and is enjoyed by both locals and those visiting Iceland. This is partly thanks to Iceland’s pure water, which is among the best in the world. The most popular beers in Iceland are local beers such as Víking and Egils Gull. In recent years Iceland has also caught up in the global trend of microbreweries.
Pubs focusing on craft beers have cropped up in downtown Reykjavík, and gone are the days of simply having one or two options of beer on tap in Icelandic bars.
Some of the most celebrated Icelandic breweries today include:
Einstök Beer Company
Based in Akureyri in northern Iceland, Einstök has become one of Iceland’s most internationally recognised craft breweries. Their Arctic Berry Ale — brewed with native Icelandic bilberries, is a particular favourite.
Borg Brugghús
Known for bold, adventurous brewing including barrel-aged imperial stouts, Borg has built a reputation as one of Iceland’s most experimental and exciting craft brewers.
Kaldi Brewery (Bruggsmiðjan)
Beloved for their unfiltered lagers, Kaldi specialises in traditional Czech-style brewing using Icelandic ingredients. Their cosy Kaldi Bar in Reykjavík is a Beer Day institution.
Ölverk Brewery
Uniquely powered entirely by geothermal energy, Ölverk in Hveragerði offers one of Iceland’s most distinctive brewery experiences, combining exceptional beer with the raw power of the earth beneath Iceland’s feet.
And for the truly adventurous beer lover, there is a beer spa in North Iceland, close to Akureyri, where you can lie in a bathtub for 25 minutes filled with beer, water, hops, and yeast, a treatment said to be cleansing for the skin and beneficial for health. Because why simply drink beer when you can bathe in it?
Buying Beer in Iceland
One quirk of Icelandic alcohol law that remains to this day is that beer cannot be bought in supermarkets. In Iceland you will need to head to a bar or to a liquor shop called ‘Vínbúðin’, run by ÁTVR (the Governmental Alcohol and Tobacco Store), often simply called ‘Ríkið’ or ‘The Government’, to buy beer.
Regularly, the debate about whether beer and wine should be sold in supermarkets is brought up in parliament, but so far, the ruling has always been against it. Old habits, and old laws, die hard in Iceland. The ghost of the temperance movement still lingers, at least in the supermarket aisle.
A Word for Visitors
If you find yourself in Iceland on 1st March, Beer Day is an unmissable experience. It is a fantastic opportunity to socialise and try out some of Iceland’s finest beverages. It is all about having a good time, and if you like beer, having a special day dedicated to it makes it even better.
The legal drinking age in Iceland is 20, and bars are strict about checking IDs. So, bring your passport, pace yourself, and embrace the Rúntur like a true Viking.
Final Thoughts
Iceland’s Beer Day is a uniquely Icelandic story, woven from threads of puritanism and pragmatism, stubbornness and celebration, absurdity and joy. It tells the tale of a nation that somehow managed to ban one of humanity’s oldest beverages for three quarters of a century, then made up for lost time in spectacular fashion.
Today, every pint poured on 1st March in a Reykjavík bar carries with it the weight of that history, a toast not just to beer, but to common sense, to freedom, and to the enduring Icelandic spirit that has always found a way, whether navigating volcanoes, glaciers, or the peculiar logic of alcohol prohibition.
So, raise your glass, join the Rúntur, and say it with feeling:
Skál! — Cheers!
Iceland Beer Day, Bjórdagurinn, is celebrated every year on 1st March.
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