Cold weather is beer weather. Take it from Norway: the icy Scandinavian land is white hot for beer, thanks to age-old Aass and newcomers Nøgne Ø and Haandbryggeriet. It all goes back to the Vikings, who wrote about brewing 'aul' (a cognate of the word 'ale') in their 12th century epics and how it tended make them go a little bersërkr. An ancient rural home brewing industry still thrives, thanks to the country's strict, high-tax, alcohol-averse government. Farmers were long required to brew, and if they failed in their obligations, the king and church first seized and then divided their land. Even now it's said to be a Norwegian country custom to brew the beer for your own funeral, to really go out in style. Here, three reasons why Norway is buzzing in the craft beer world...

Tags: Viking, Beer, Norwegian