Bottle of brown Hamar og Lillehammer julebrus.Bottle of red Grans julebrus.
Julebrus or jolebrus (English: Christmas soda) is a Norwegian soft drink brewed by most Norwegian breweries as a Christmas drink for minors, instead of the traditional juleøl (English: Christmas ale); it is not restricted to minors though, as it is very popular for all ages.
Julebrus is a yearly tradition for many Norwegians; it is very common to see families drinking julebrus at the dinner table around Christmas time.
Julebrus comes in red or golden brown colors – and occasionally others such as green or pink – depending on brewery and brand.[1] Red julebrus is raspberry or redcurrant-flavored, while the golden brown color is champagne cola-flavored.
It is sold beginning October 14th each year and lasts until january.[2]
Julebrus sales start in October, and amount to around 6,5% of all soda sales in Norway in that month. When it gets closer to Christmas, julebrus sales sometimes reach 30% of all soda sales in Norway.[2]
Hamar og Lillestrøm julebrus is the country's most popular brand, with 7 million liters produced each year. This counts for about one third of the total julebrus production, which lies at around 21 million litres per year.[2]
