--- description: American service members participating in NATO training exercises drank so much they caused a beer shortage at bars in Reykjavik, Iceland. title: U.S. Sailors and Marines Drank so Much in Iceland They Caused a Beer Shortage at Bars in the Capital image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt224d93d33c1aba17/6988d7a4096a94b7ff69ef30/iceland-getty-stock.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Military](/tag/military/) ## Military Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.S. Sailors and Marines Drank so Much in Iceland They Caused a Beer Shortage at Bars in the Capital ## Video: It's True: Alcohol Helps You Speak a Foreign Language Better [Watch (HLS stream): It's True: Alcohol Helps You Speak a Foreign Language Better](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/UIGRKpRT.m3u8) (1:53)  _Published 2017-10-20. It’s been shown that a beer or a glass of wine can lower inhibitions, which may make it easier for some people to overcome nervousness or hesitation_ by [Gina Martinez](/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 31, 2018 5:31 PM CUT  Reykjavik, Iceland Reykjavik, IcelandGetty Images by [Gina Martinez](/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 31, 2018 5:31 PM CUT American service members participating in NATO training exercises in the North Atlantic drank so much they caused a beer shortage at bars in Reykjavik during a stopover in Iceland. Nearly 7,000 sailors and Marines were in Iceland after [Trident Juncture 18](https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/157833.htm "undefined"), a NATO training exercise in Norway and the surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital and largest city, is home to several popular American-themed bars including American Bar, Dillon Whiskey Bar, and a _Big Lebowski-_themed bar aptly named the Lebowski Bar. According to local blogger[ Eiríkur Jónsson,](http://eirikurjonsson.is/datarnir-klarudu-bjorinn-a-saeta-svininu-neydaropnun-hja-olgerdinni/ "undefined") bar owners at one bar, Sæta Svínið, had never dealt with such an overwhelming demand for beer and were forced to borrow alcohol from better-stocked bars. The American service members reportedly preferred Icelandic beer over imports. Iceland, population 333,000, is NATO’s smallest member and does not have a military. The sailors and Marines came in last Wednesday and were gone by Sunday when the American ships left port. American Bar bartender Ingvar Svendsen, told [_Stars and Stripes_](https://www.stripes.com/news/iceland-bars-run-out-of-beer-supplying-thirsty-us-sailors-marines-1.554176 "undefined") that they were forced to restock their beer supply to accommodate the American service members. “We had to send people out of the bar to our warehouses to bring beer back as quickly as possible,” he told the newspaper. “Other bars ran out of beer altogether.” Svendsen added that the Americans were fun to tend to. “(The Americans) were very polite and friendly, and caused no problems at all,” Svendsen said. “It looked like they were having a lot of fun. It was fun for us too, having them here.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5440128/american-sailors-marines-drank-iceland-beer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5440128/american-sailors-marines-drank-iceland-beer/"},"headline":"U.S. Sailors and Marines Drank so Much in Iceland They Caused a Beer Shortage at Bars in the Capital","datePublished":"2018-10-31T17:31:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:53:24.253Z","description":"“We had to send people out of the bar to our warehouses to bring beer back as quickly as possible,” he told the site. “Other bars ran out of beer altogether.”","url":"https://time.com/5440128/american-sailors-marines-drank-iceland-beer/","keywords":["Military","Iceland","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt224d93d33c1aba17/6988d7a4096a94b7ff69ef30/iceland-getty-stock.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Gina Martinez","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt224d93d33c1aba17/6988d7a4096a94b7ff69ef30/iceland-getty-stock.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Reykjavik cityscape in Iceland","caption":"Reykjavik cityscape in Iceland","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/military/","name":"Military"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5440128/american-sailors-marines-drank-iceland-beer/","name":"U.S. Sailors and Marines Drank so Much in Iceland They Caused a Beer Shortage at Bars in the Capital"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"It's True: Alcohol Helps You Speak a Foreign Language Better","description":"It’s been shown that a beer or a glass of wine can lower inhibitions, which may make it easier for some people to overcome nervousness or hesitation","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/UIGRKpRT/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-10-20T19:43:39.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/UIGRKpRT.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5440128/american-sailors-marines-drank-iceland-beer/","duration":"PT1M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5440128/american-sailors-marines-drank-iceland-beer/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```