A second Viking invasion of sorts is in full swing. A recent wave of beers from Scandinavian brewers has reached American shores and beer geeks are running - to the beer store.

Beers from the Nogne O brewery from Norway went on sale in February. Nogne O means "naked island" and was a term used by playwright Henrik Ibsen to describe the barren outcroppings that dot the rough seas off Norway's southern coast where the brewery is located.

Unlike many European brewers, who don't think much of American beer, Nogne O is not ashamed to admit many of its beers are inspired by American craft brewers. Its lineup includes an American-style pale ale, a brown ale, a porter, an imperial stout and their winter ale.

While all their brews are impressive, the standouts, for me, are the pale ale and imperial stout. Both capture unique elements not in American beers while simultaneously being familiar to those versed in the American pale ale and imperial stout styles.

Two other arrivals come from Denmark, which has quickly become one of Europe's hot spots for quality hand-crafted beer, inspired again by American craft brewers. In fact, Denmark is one of the fastest growing markets for U.S. craft beer, and homegrown commercial brewers are popping up like mushrooms. I wish I could say all the beer made in Denmark is excellent, but with any growth industry you will get some folks that aren't at the top of their game yet.

So, while the quality of Danish beer is all over the board, two Danish brewers are solidly in the upper echelon. The first is Olfabrikken from Vejby, Denmark. Its only export to the U.S. is a 7.5 percent alcohol by volume porter that again has a very familiar flavor profile. But the addition of brown sugar adds a unique element not in other porters.

Some may find the residual sugars a bit too sweet, but they are balanced by an ample roasted malt backbone that prevents the beer from becoming cloying. I am a great fan of this beer, and when I discovered it would be available in the States, I am not afraid to say I danced a little celebratory jig.

Another brewer that has delighted craft beer lovers recently is Mikkeller out of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is known as an experimental brewery, and production of small batch imperial stouts like its X series, which was limited to 50 bottles and a few kegs, have earned rave reviews.

Mikkeller also is limiting export to only one beer initially. That beer is the unsubtly dubbed Beer Geek Breakfast. It is a stout brewed with 25 percent oat-based ingredients and spiked with gourmet coffee. There are strong notes of dark fruit, chocolate and coffee in both the flavor and aroma, while the finish is acidic, bitter and dry as a shot of espresso. This brew has not yet arrived on retailers' shelves, but is expected to hit stores by mid April.

These beers won't be found at the corner convenience store, but can be acquired at specialty shops throughout the bay area. In the Brandon area, Kingdom Liquors carries a massive variety of world class beers. In the Temple Terrace/USF area, they can be found at Beverage Castle and Mr. Dunderbaks. Across the bay look for them at Beer World of Largo.