Vinmonopolet Kristiansand - Lillemarkens

The best shop in Norway, beer-wise. At least of the ones I’ve seen my self. Absolute plus for having big refrigerators with beer. Perfect for stopping by on the way home from work, buying cool ready-to-drink beer. I also find a good selection of classics here, and not just trendy beer. Smaller shops tend to only follow trends.

This is one of the special shops vinmonopol. Visit reguarly. Friendly staff.

This should be updated if old rating. This shop is now one of the state monopoly shop with status as special shop. That means it has an extended selection including beer and beers from special limited releases. Bottles that would take advance of cool storage is placed in refrigerators and all beer are stored standing and sorted in a reasonable logic system. I don’t know the staff knowledge but assume it would be like most other Vinmonopol shops, e.g. depending on who you talk with – some shoes an interest in beer and other not. Personally, I know what I’m looking for and prefer to browse around by myself.

Et lite pol med passe greit utvalg for et pol på denne størrelsen.

An average Vinmonopol store. They have the beer selection you would expect to find in a Norwegian city. (Visited August 3rd 2013)

Visited in June 2013. Very centrally located store, around 250 meters from my hotel. (Radisson Caledonien) The selection was ok at least for being a Vinmonopolet store, about 10 different beers from Nøgne Ø. The young lady in the staff was very friendly and service minded. Not surprisingly, prices were high.

Centrally located Vinmonopol , dont expect to find something special, even though they had something from bestillingsutvalget on my last visit. Rather small store.

After all, someone who works here know a little bit about beer ;-)

The biggest problem regarding beer above 4.75% ABV in Norway, is that you have to go to Vinmonopolet stores to buy. Of course there are bars, but you’ll have to drink your beer before leaving. In Kristiansand, this one’s the most interesting considering selection and location. There’s one other store with approx the same selection, but that’s not located downtown. As at most Vinmonopolet stores, the staff know nothing about beer, but there’s one or two that will try to guide a novice. i guess you’re better off doing your own choices, picking the most interesting Norwegian beers here. Quite a few Haandbryggeriet and Nøgne Ø beers are available, and also a sober choice of foreign beers. For the ticker, there’s also some strong macro lagers, and also some decent Norwegian bock beers. So, why do I prefer this store to the other local stores? Mostly because it’s the most convenient to visit driving home from work. Beware of the prices, they are extremely high, due to taxes.