I had snarøl, or “quick beer”, for the first time during my trip to Røros, Norway last week and really fell in love with it. Essentially it’s a beverage made from an alcohol free malt drink called vørterøl plus sugar, fresh yeast and lemon. Vørterøl is high in b-vitamins, so this drink has its health properties. It’s likely that vørterøl is a mainstay from the days when Norway and Demark were one country as the largest producer of this stuff is in Denmark.
Vørterøl may be difficult to find in your area but most African, Caribbean and South American groceries carry this drink in their stock under various brand names.
- 3 liters (102 ounces) water
- 250g sugar
- juice of ½ lemon
- 250 ml (1 cup) vørterøl, or any alcohol- and caffeine- free malted beverage
- 1 teaspoon fresh yeast
- Add the water, sugar and lemon juice to a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Once the water begins to boil, take it off the hob and allow it to cool for an hour.
- After an hour, add in the vørterøl and yeast. Stir well until the yeast dissolves and then allow the mix to sit at room temperature for 8 hours, or overnight.
- Store the snarøl in the refrigerator. Beware that it will have a slight carbonation to it, which will intensify the longer the “beer” sits due to the yeast.
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