English info about Biskupskelda

Biskupskelda is a nano-brewery situated in the town of Vágur on Suðuroy, the southern most of the Faroe Islands.

The idea of a nano-brewery was fostered in early 2020 and in 2021 Biskupskelda was founded as the smallest beer brewery in the Faroe Islands. The first beer, Huldugentan (the huldre-girl), a NEIPA beer, was introduced on 19th of March in 2021.

The name Biskupskelda
Biskupskelda means “the bishops’ fountain” – and is the name of a small stream in the mountains north of the town of Vágur.

In the old days, prior to road-connections between towns, towns and villages were connected by mountain paths, which people walked to get to the next town or village. By the mountain path from Vágur to the village of Fámjin (on the west side of Suðuroy, north of Vágur) lies the small stream Biskupskelda. When walking from Vágur to Fámjin or from Fámjin to Vágur, it was normal to stop by Biskupskelda and drink before you continued your trip on the mountain path – and it was believed that the water in the stream was health-bringing.

The area by Biskupskelda is today part of the water reservoir for the town of Vágur, where the nano-brewery also get the water for brewing; so you could say that beer brewed by Biskupskelda is brewed with health-bringing water.

Local beer and storytelling
By the spring 2022 Biskupskelda has 10 different beers, ranging from pilsner, NEIPA and IPA to golden beer, pale ale and stout.

An important part of the Biskupskelda setup is special beer and storytelling around the beers – brewing / selling beer as well as arranging tours for visitors in the mountains near Vágur. Most of our beer have connection to local stories, which also gives the opportunity to have beer-tasting at places where the story behind the name of the beer has its roots – a real popular feature of the brewery.

Our beers
By the spring of 2022 Biskupskelda has five beers that are sold at the public monopoly liquor store, Rúsan, they are: Huldugentan NEIPA, Johanna IPA, Ottar (dark golden beer), Snæbjørn (pilsner) and Skúvanes (stout).

Besides the five beers sold at Rúsan, there are also special beers, that are only available at our brewery, these include Fámara (a Weissbier), Borgin (light golden beer), Beinisvørð (light golden beer), Kvøldarstjørnan (a dark golden beer), Hymir (a pale ale).

New brewhouse
Biskupskelda started in rented facilities in 2020. In the early 2022 Biskupskelda bought a historical house in Vágur – one of the first shops in Vágur, built in the late 1860s – and the rebuilding has started, but the building will be kept in the original shape with respect to the history of the house. The new brewhouse is expected to open in the summer of 2022, and guest will be able to visit and sit in a room from the 18-hundreds and enjoy a local beer.