Orkney Brewery
Roger White and his wife Irene opened the Orkney Brewery in 1988 as a
retirement project and to restore brewing tradition in the Orkney Isles. The
brewery is housed in a former schoolhouse in Quoyloo on Orkney's mainland.
Orkney brewing duties are overseen by Head Brewer Rob Hill and he is
supported by two other staff brewers.
The original brew plant was set up by Ringwood Brewery's Peter Austin and comprised a hacked together ten-barrel capacity setup. A completely new brew-house was built adjacent to the original one in the mid 1990s expanding capacity to 150 barrels per week. Recently, the money the brewery has saved due to progressive beer duty has been re-invested in further expansion including a new cask-racking facility and a much needed visitor centre. Work should be completed by the end of 2003.
The vast majority of Orkney beers are sold in cask format in bars and pubs all over the UK Bottling is done under contract by the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Export sales to the US in particular started to grow considerably in 2000; however, finding them can be a difficult task depending upon which state one resides in.
Products (descriptions abridged from brewery website):
- Raven Ale - 3.8% ABV
- A rich and fruity golden colored ale with an intense grainy nose and hint of hop lingering in the finish
- Dark Island - 4.6% ABV
- A rich ruby red ale with a great malt and hop balance
- Skullsplitter - 8.5% ABV
- A deep rich fruity strong ale with a long dry finish and a drinkability not suggested by its gravity
- Dragonhead Stout - 4.0% ABV
- A classic black stout loaded with roasted malt flavor and having a complex hop blend
- Red Macgregor - 4.0% ABV
- A smooth malty finishing beer with a generous hoppy nose and flowery hop flavor
- Northern Light - 4.0% ABV
- A light and refreshing fruity ale