Arendals Bryggeri

What Arendals Bryggeri does

Arendals Bryggeri AS is a privately held regional brewery founded in 1839 in Arendal, Norway, and is the country's second-oldest still-operating brewery. Following a period under Ringnes (Carlsberg) ownership, the company re-established independence on 1 July 2009 and is currently owned by Otterlei Industries via Bryggeriforvaltning AS. The brewery operates with 39 employees from its historic site in Arendal, where it pioneered undergjæret øl (lager) brewing in Norway in 1846. Its product portfolio spans several beverage categories: core lagers under the AB PILS and AB Gull brands, the heritage 1839 series, seasonal Julebokk and Juleøl, hard seltzers under AB and STEVE brands, non-alcoholic and gluten-free beers under KLAR and KLAR IPA, bottled water under LAVVANN and HØYVANN, and the REACT energy drink. Since 2017 the brewery has hosted craft production by De Tvende in its cellar. Revenue is generated through three channels: branded wholesale into Norwegian retail (with primary geographic concentration in Southern Norway), an on-site Cash & Carry and webshop selling direct to consumers, and contract manufacturing (leieproduksjon) services that monetise spare production capacity. The company's competitive differentiation rests on its 185+ year heritage brand, multi-category portfolio breadth relative to its size, and vertical integration at a single brewery site.

Name

Arendals Bryggeri

Legal name

Arendals Bryggeri AS

Website

https://arendalsbryggeri.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1839

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arendals Bryggeri is a privately held Norwegian regional brewery founded in 1839 in Arendal, producing lager, hard seltzer, non-alcoholic beer, water, and energy drinks for Norwegian consumers and contract-manufacturing partners across Southern Norway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brewery / Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (31212)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Hard seltzer production
• Non-alcoholic beverages
• Brewery products
• Contract beverage manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Arendal

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Beer production and sales: Production and sale of beer including pilsners, lagers, seasonal beers (Christmas beer, Julebokk), and specialty beers under the 1839 flagship series.
2. Non-alcoholic beverages: Production and sale of soft drinks, water (LAVVANN, HØYVANN), energy drinks (REACT), hard seltzer, and cider products.
3. Contract manufacturing: The company conducts own-production, contract production (leieproduksjon), and sales of beer, soft drinks, water, and cider.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Arendals Bryggeri is a Norwegian brewery producing and selling its own branded portfolio of lager beers, gluten-free beers, seasonal beers, hard seltzers, non-alcoholic beers, bottled water, and energy drinks. The company also operates a Cash & Carry retail outlet in Arendal and provides contract brewing services for partner beverage brands such as BEVRE.

Product overview

Arendals Bryggeri is Norway's second oldest brewery, established in 1839, producing a diverse portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The product lineup includes traditional beers such as AB PILS, AB Gull, and seasonal offerings like Julebokk and Juleøl, alongside the premium 1839 series featuring Pils and Lite gluten-free variants. The company also produces hard seltzers under the AB Hard Seltzer and STEVE brands in various flavors, non-alcoholic beers including KLAR and KLAR IPA, bottled waters (LAVVANN and HØYVANN), and the REACT Original Energy drink. The products range from beer (øl), hard seltzer (FAB), non-alcoholic options, water, to energy drinks, serving both traditional beer consumers and those seeking modern, low-calorie, or alcohol-free alternatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 1839 Series: Flagship product line of Arendals Bryggeri, named after the year of the brewery's founding.
• STEVE Hard Seltzer
• AB Hard Seltzer
• KLAR
• REACT Original Energy
• LAVVANN
• HØYVANN

Products and services

• AB PILS Norway's longest-selling pilsner lager; a mainstream pale lager targeting Norwegian consumers seeking a familiar locally-produced pilsner.
• AB LITE glutenfri Gluten-free lighter lager for consumers seeking a low-impulse, gluten-free alternative within the AB range.
• AB Gull Light pale lager ('Gull') within the AB series targeting Norwegian consumers preferring a lighter mainstream beer.
• AB SUNNY SOMMERØL Seasonal summer lager in the AB range targeted at warm-weather, social consumption occasions.
• 1839 PILS Premium pilsner in the 1839 heritage series, positioned as a higher-tier offering leveraging the brewery's 1839 founding heritage.
• 1839 LITE glutenfri Gluten-free premium lager within the 1839 series for consumers seeking a heritage-positioned, dietary-friendly beer.
• ARENDALS Julebokk Seasonal Christmas strong lager (Julebokk) marketed for the Norwegian holiday season.
• ARENDALS Juleøl Seasonal Christmas lager (Juleøl) marketed for the Norwegian holiday season.
• AB Hard Seltzer Icy Lemon Icy Lemon flavored hard seltzer within the AB Hard Seltzer range.
• AB Hard Seltzer Tropical Tropical-flavored hard seltzer within the AB Hard Seltzer range.
• AB Hard Seltzer Ice Tea Peach Ice Tea Peach flavored hard seltzer within the AB Hard Seltzer range.
• AB Hard Seltzer Summer Edition Limited-edition summer hard seltzer within the AB Hard Seltzer range.
• STEVE Hard Seltzer Apple Apple-flavored hard seltzer within the STEVE Hard Seltzer range.
• STEVE Hard Seltzer Kiwi Strawberry Kiwi Strawberry flavored hard seltzer within the STEVE Hard Seltzer range.
• STEVE Hard Seltzer Black Cherry Black Cherry flavored hard seltzer within the STEVE Hard Seltzer range.
• STEVE Hard Seltzer Pink Grapefruit Pink Grapefruit flavored hard seltzer within the STEVE Hard Seltzer range.
• KLAR Non-alcoholic beer marketed for consumers seeking an alcohol-free alternative that still delivers beer flavor.
• KLAR IPA Non-alcoholic India Pale Ale within the KLAR range, targeting consumers who prefer hop-forward alcohol-free beer.
• LAVVANN Bottled still water from Arendals Bryggeri, positioned as everyday hydration.
• HØYVANN med Sitron Bottled water with natural lemon flavor from Arendals Bryggeri.
• REACT Original Energy Original energy drink from Arendals Bryggeri, targeted at consumers seeking a caffeine-based functional beverage.
• Cash & Carry Store Brewery-operated retail outlet in Arendal selling the full Arendals Bryggeri portfolio direct to consumers, with special opening hours and exclusive in-store offers.
• Contract Beverage Manufacturing (Brygget på Arendal) Contract brewing service for partner brands (e.g., BEVRE) where beverages are produced at Arendals Bryggeri's facility and labeled 'Brygget på Arendal'.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bryggeriforvaltning AScoreOthersBryggeriforvaltning AS owns 100% of the shares in Arendals Bryggeri AS. Bryggeriforvaltning AS is 100% owned by Otterlei Industries and is part of Otterlei Group.
• Otterlei IndustriescoreOthersOtterlei Industries is the ultimate parent company, owning Bryggeriforvaltning AS which in turn owns 100% of Arendals Bryggeri AS.
• De TvendeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDe Tvende is a craft brewery that started in the cellar of Arendals Bryggeri in spring 2017. They use a 3000L brewing system in the old storage cellar and operate as a separate craft brewery under the same roof as Arendals Bryggeri - the two breweries representing the old and new, the safe and the adventurous.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ringnes: Norway's largest brewery and Arendals Bryggeri's former owner through Ringnes øldivisjon (until 2009). Operates a broad national portfolio of mainstream lagers and craft brands, directly competing for shelf space and HoReCa accounts across Norway.
• Carlsberg Group: Global brewing multinational and one of Arendals' former principal owners (alongside Nora and Orkla until 2009). Dominant multi-market competitor with effectively unlimited marketing and distribution infrastructure.
• Orkla: Norwegian conglomerate with significant food and beverage holdings including breweries. Former principal owner of Arendals through Ringnes øldivisjon; remains a benchmark competitor in Norwegian alcoholic beverage retail.

Emerging players

• Lindesnes Brygghus: Smaller Southern Norwegian craft brewery addressing overlapping consumer segments (heritage, local). Comparable in regional reach but smaller scale than Arendals.
• Christianssand Bryggeri (CB): Norwegian craft brewery operating in the same Southern Norway region. Competition and peer for craft share in the same geography where Arendals' brand equity is strongest.

Direct peers

• Hansa Borg: Norwegian regional brewery group operating multiple heritage brands (Hansa, Borg, Tou, E. C. Dahl's). Comparable in scale and multi-brand regional strategy to Arendals' diversified portfolio.
• E. C. Dahls: Historic Norwegian brewery (Trondheim) producing lagers and craft beers under Hansa Borg. Comparable legacy brand with similar geographic and product profile to Arendals Bryggeri.
• Aass Bryggeri: Established Norwegian brewery in Drammen producing mainstream lagers and seasonal beers. Closely comparable mid-sized Norwegian brewery competing in the same retail and HoReCa channels as Arendals.
• Mack Ølbryggeri: Norway's oldest brewery (1877), based in Tromsø. Functions as a comparable regional/patriotic Norwegian brewery with multi-category beverage output, heritage positioning, and a similar ownership-profile narrative.
• Nøgne Ø: Norwegian craft brewery known for specialty and seasonal beers. Comparable in terms of Norway-based craft beer production with a diversified specialty portfolio, though more craft-focused than Arendals' mainstream-leaning mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/arendalsbryggeri
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arendals-bryggeri-as
• Instagraminstagram.com/arendalsbryggeri

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arendals Bryggeri