Iceland joins EBCU

EBCU is very proud and happy to announce that the beer culture association Bjórmenningarfélag Íslands from Iceland now is part of the EBCU as a full member. The organisation applied for membership and became part of the EBCU family in the autumn delegate meeting in Dublin, Ireland on Friday 4th of November. EBCU now consists of 18 organisations in 16 different countries across Europe.

Bjórmenningarfélag Íslands (The Icelandic Beer Culture Association) was founded on October 16th 2021. The mission of the association is to increase the awareness of the culture around beer, to protect the beer consumer and improve the standards of beer culture in Iceland. The association has regular meetings, sends newsletters and hosts events year-round.

André Brunnsberg, who was chosen as the next EBCU chairman at the same meeting, is thrilled that EBCU now also has a member in Iceland.

“Iceland is a fascinating beer country with influences both from Europe and from America. I’m very happy that the association so quickly wanted to join EBCU, only one year after it was founded”, said Brunnsberg. “The association is growing and is well-established with great connections to the Icelandic beer scene.”

The chairman of Bjórmenningarfélag, Valberg Már Öfjörð, took part in the Dublin meeting.

“By joining the EBCU, we aspire to become part of something bigger. It is our hope that we can contribute to this international network, help enrich the culture of the union by chiming in with our knowledge, values, and experiences”, said Valberg.

“Furthermore, we hope to learn from long established beer associations, form connections and keep growing our Icelandic branch to be a part of a new era of Icelandic, and European, beer culture. It was therefore a privilege and honour to be invited to Dublin, Ireland where we got the opportunity to meet the EBCU family, chat and create connections with like-minded beer enthusiasts, and finally become part of this incredible union.”

EBCU is a non-political, non-religious organisation formed in May 1990 by the national beer consumer in Bruges, Belgium, by three national beer organisations: CAMRA (United Kingdom), Objectieve Bierproevers (Belgium, now Zythos) and PINT (Netherlands), to give voice to the beer consumer at the European level, both within and beyond the European Union (EU).