Iceland's Capital City Recently Ran Out of Beer After 6,000 U.S. Sailors and Marines Visited For a Few Days
While en route to Sweden and Finland to participate in a NATO military exercise, roughly 6,000 US sailors and Marines made a pit stop in the port of Reykjavic last week and quickly overwhelmed the bars in the relatively small capital city of 122,000 residents. The troops were only there from Wednesday through Sunday, but managed to drink several establishments dry of their beer supply and even forced others to take drastic measures to replenish their stock.
Many bars downtown, including the popular restaurant Sæta Svínið and The American Bar, ran out of beer entirely, per Iceland magazine. The news site Visir also reports that the local brewery Ölgerð Egils Skallagrímssonar ended up having to send out “emergency supplies” to a number of bars to keep up with the sudden demand for its popular beer. Other establishments begged better-stocked watering holes to let them borrow their booze as they all “were fighting an overwhelming source.”
And on that day, not one beer was left behind. I love this so much. American Marines and Sailors made a quick pit stop in the capital city of Iceland recently, so what did you think they were going to do? Admire the sights? Go to a soccer game? Heavens no. They drank every single bar to the last possible drop of beer. Owners were panicking. They resorted to “emergency supplies” when they looked in the back and realized there was no more alcohol. Why? Because 6,000 US Sailors and Marines wanted to let off some steam. Oh you thought the Irish were the ones who drank a lot? Challenge accepted. There’s an old Thomas Jefferson quote about drinking…
“Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.”
Well, when you’re fighting overseas and dealing with the rigorous days of the U.S. Military then that quote and kindly go fuck itself. You boys want to get drunk? Well, don’t hold anything back and make Iceland regret not having an unlimited supply of beer just in case we decide to venture back into the city of Reykjavic again. There are bar owners who will now go into panic mode if they think they hear the U.S. ships docking in the harbor. We have instilled fear in that country. Hats off to all these 6,000 U.S. Sailors and Marines. Job well done.