USA! USA! USA!

[Trausti]

US Troops Deploy ‘Overwhelming Force’ Against Iceland’s Beer Supplies

U.S. troops landed in Iceland last week ahead of the start the largest NATO military exercise since the Cold War, and apparently, they left their mark in the most appropriate way possible: by drinking every last beer in the nation’s capital.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

At least they didn't eat up Iceland's supply of hakarl.

 

[ZiprHead]

HAH! on Icelanders reputation of being heavy drinkers!

 

[bilby]

HAH! on Icelanders reputation of being heavy drinkers!

Icelanders can't afford to be heavy drinkers. But they are anyway. Which is pretty hardcore.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Sixteen ounce beer in Iceland (at a bar): $10 to $14 U.S.

 

[skepticalbip]

Sixteen ounce beer in Iceland (at a bar): $10 to $14 U.S.

You are apparently visiting bars that offer more than beer and hard drinks. That $14 looks like a cover charge (one drink minimum) for a bar that offers entertainment.

 

[bilby]

Sixteen ounce beer in Iceland (at a bar): $10 to $14 U.S.

You are apparently visiting bars that offer more than beer and hard drinks. That $14 looks like a cover charge (one drink minimum) for a bar that offers entertainment.

Nope, that's the usual price in Iceland. Alcohol taxes there are phenomenally high.

 

[skepticalbip]

Sixteen ounce beer in Iceland (at a bar): $10 to $14 U.S.

You are apparently visiting bars that offer more than beer and hard drinks. That $14 looks like a cover charge (one drink minimum) for a bar that offers entertainment.

Nope, that's the usual price in Iceland. Alcohol taxes there are phenomenally high.

Maybe I misread the post. I took it as saying that a sixteen ounce beer in Iceland was $10 compared to $14 in the U.S. I have never paid anywhere close to $14 for a beer in the U.S. I now see that he was probably saying 10 to 14 US dollars was the price of beer in Iceland.

Now in Sweden, I have paid $7 for a beer and was surprised when I ran into some Norwegians that said they were on holiday in Sweden because the beer was cheaper than in Norway.

 

[bilby]

Nope, that's the usual price in Iceland. Alcohol taxes there are phenomenally high.

Maybe I misread the post. I took it as saying that a sixteen ounce beer in Iceland was $10 compared to $14 in the U.S. I have never paid anywhere close to $14 for a beer in the U.S.

No, he was saying that the price was between US$10 and US$14, in Iceland. Obviously the actual prices the bars charge are in Icelandic Króna, and as the Icelandic economy is small, fluctuations lead to the US$ equivalent price being very variable depending on the exchange rate at any given time. As by far the majority of the price you pay is tax, and as the tax rate varies by alcohol content, there's also a significant price range between lower alcohol and more potent offerings.


You should expect to pay about ISK1,500 for a full strength (5% abv) beer in a Reykjavík bar; According to Google, that's US$12.41, or €10.88 at today's exchange rate.

 

[ideologyhunter]

A friend of mine did an Iceland trip last summer -- comparatively on the cheap, on bicycle -- and he and his buddy decided on pizza one night. They found that a medium pizza at a not-fancy eatery was over $40 U.S.

 

[skepticalbip]

A friend of mine did an Iceland trip last summer -- comparatively on the cheap, on bicycle -- and he and his buddy decided on pizza one night. They found that a medium pizza at a not-fancy eatery was over $40 U.S.

I would imagine that pizza is still a fairly exotic food in Iceland. Dried fish or blood pudding would likely have been much more reasonably priced.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Oh yum -- foods that actually have 'blood' in the name. Truth in advertising!

 

[skepticalbip]

Yeah, the idea is a turn-off for Americans but blood sausages are traditional foods in Europe. I was just saying that if someone wants to tour "on the cheap" then they should not try to eat like they would in the US but should eat what the locals normally eat. It has advantages other than being much cheaper. They would know how to prepare their local dishes but can really screw up traditional American foods. It is a treat for the taste buds trying new foods - I found that I love Jamaican ackee and saltfish.