Valhalla Brewery

Baltasound, Unst, Shetland ZE2 9DX

Phone: (0) 1957 711658

Website: www.valhallabrewery.co.uk

Sonny and Sylvia Priest opened the Valhalla Brewery, Britain's most northerly brewery, in December 1997 at Unst in the Shetland Isles. The owners originally set their sights solely on the local Shetland market but have since expanded to areas all over the U.K.

The brewery has a four-and-a-half barrel capacity brew plant that originated in a brewpub in Glasgow. During the summer, the brewery's most productive time of year, brewing is undertaken up to three times per week. Additional staff and a Czech-made bottling line were added in August 1999 and the company is very proud to claim that their product is entirely produced in Shetland.

While most product is confined to the locality of the brewery, casks and bottled product are to be found in various outlets throughout the U.K. The logo designs that grace the bottle labels and pump clips are impressively designed; the latter can be purchased from the brewery - check the brewery's website for information.

Products:

Auld Rock - 4.5% ABV
The brewery's flagship ale. A full bodied Scottish style ale with a smooth finish.
White Wife - 4.5% ABV
A light golden colored session ale with fruity notes and a bitter finish. The name comes from a ghost seen in vehicles, usually driven by a single male, on a stretch of road about three miles from the brewery.
Simmer Dim - 4.0% ABV
A light, golden bitter first brewed for the 2000 Shetland Folk Festival. Named after the Shetland dialect for the mid-summer twilight when true darkness never descends upon Shetland.
Old Scatness - 4.0% ABV
A very light bitter ale brewed with Bere, an ancient six-row barley, along with Oats and Wheat. Heather honey is added at the end of the boil for a smoky finish.
Sjolmet Stout - 5.0% ABV
A dark, full bodied stout brewed with Pale Ale and Crystal malts along with Malted Oats, Malted Wheat and Roasted Barley and hopped with Challenger and East Kent Golding hops.
Island Bere - 4.2% ABV
Brewed primarily with Bere, an ancient six-row barley, Island Bere is a golden ale hopped with Cascade.