Our Story
An Old Idea To Life
The idea first took shape in 1997, when Raggi, our owner and head brewer, was studying construction engineering in Germany. During his time there, he noticed that a few restaurants had their own small breweries tucked away in their basements. Fascinated by this idea he dreamed of bringing the concept back home to Skútustaðir at Lake Mývatn once he completed his studies.
When Raggi returned to Iceland, however, he and his parents decided to focus on a different dream, building Sel-Hótel Mývatn, which opened its doors in 2000, along with Kaffi Sel, a cozy café and souvenir shop beside the hotel.
After running the hotel and café for 22 years, the Covid-19 pandemic brought tourism to a standstill. But in that unexpected pause, Raggi saw an opportunity to finally revisit the idea that had inspired him decades earlier. Together with his family he decided to build the first brewery, capable of brewing 150L at a time, in a corner inside Kaffi Sel and began brewing small batches for the hotel bar.
Help From Good Friends
There was just one small problem with Raggi’s brewery plan, he had never brewed a anything in his life and had absolutely no idea how to do it. Luckily, he had a few good friends from nearby who were already deep into home brewing and even one of them was even a educated brewer.
Raggi struck a deal with them that if he built the brewery, they’d come over, show him the ropes and help craft the recipes. When everything was ready, the group got together for a memorable weekend, full of laughter, learning and plenty of hops, to brew the very first beer - Skútinn IPA, a recipe the friends had perfected over the years.
But Raggi was not fully satisfied as he does not typically like IPA´s. He wanted to make a beer for people like him who didn’t usually go for IPA´s, something smoother, friendlier and also connect to something in the Mývatn area. They came to the conclucion that using the famous geothermal baked Gesyir Bread could be a good idea. From that idea came our signature and most popular beer — Vindbelgur Geysir Bread IPA. A smooth and mild IPA crafted for those who don’t typically like IPAs.
Rising Demand
To our delight, the demand for Mývatn Öl quickly surpassed anything we had expected. Before long, local restaurants were asking if they could serve our beer too. The problem? Our tiny brewing setup at Kaffi Sel could barely keep up with the hotel’s own needs.
Determined to rise to the challenge, we got creative. In 2023, we built a 600L brewing tank out of an old milk tank bought from a local farmer. With this new setup, we managed to keep the hotel supplied through the busy summer months, just as tourism around Lake Mývatn returned back to full swing after the pandemic. While it still wasn’t enough to start selling beyond the hotel, it was a crucial first step and a sign that bigger things were on the horizon.
From Barn To Brewery
It became clear to us that our setup could still not keep up with the demand so we decided to take the next big step. Just 500 meters down the road stood an old sheep barn that hadn’t been used for a more of a purpose than a storage in years and in early 2024, it got a brand-new purpose. The barn was transformed into our new brewery, giving it new life and giving us the space to grow.
Inside the new facility, we added a 2.000L brewing tank and four 2.000L fermentation tanks, finally allowing us to supply local restaurants and lagoon with our beer. We also added a canning and labeling line, meaning that for the first time, Mývatn Öl could be enjoyed not only on draft but also from cans.
This new home marks an exciting new chapter for us, a perfect blend of old and new where a once quiet barn now hums with the sound of brewing, creativity and life.
Growing With Mývatn
After our first summer in the new brewery we were delighted with how far we’d come but it didn’t take long to see that the demand was still outgrowing our capacity. So we decided to take another step forward and added four more 2000L fermentation tanks, bringing us to a total of eight.
With this boost, we were finally able to share Mývatn Öl with even more of our neighbors around the lake. One by one, the restaurants joined in, and by the summer of 2025 every restaurant around Lake Mývatn with a liquor licence was proudly pouring our beer. Seeing Mývatn Öl enjoyed across the whole community felt like the dream coming full circle.
Brewery And Tasting Tours
After settling into our new brewery, we began receiving more and more requests for brewery visits and tastings. At first, we hosted tours only upon request and never really advertised them, but it quickly became clear that people were genuinely curious about our story, our beer and the place it all comes from.
We’ve always wanted Mývatn Öl to be something everyone can enjoy, so for early 2026 we decided to open the doors fully and launch public brewery and tasting tours. To welcome guests properly, we built a new reception area in the side of the brewery where visitors can gather, taste, and take in the spirit that started this whole journey.
