With only two breweries distributing across the Faroes, I do believe the Faroe Islands probably have the poorest selection of local beers when compared to just about any other European country.
For those that don’t know, these islands are off in the middle of the North Atlantic, between Iceland and Scotland, and they had a long prohibition period, so it really isn’t a surprise that there isn’t a big local beer scene in the islands. Add to that, the fact that the entire country has a population of only 50,000 people, and I guess I should be happy that there actually are two breweries in the Faroes!
The first, dating back to 1888, is Foroya Bjor. For a long time (when prohibition wasn’t on) this was the only option when it came to Faroese beer. In 2010, Okkara Brewing entered the scene and gives Foroya a bit of competition. One thing that caused me some confusion when in the Faroes was that both breweries have some beers with the same name. So if you order a “Classic” or a “Gull” you’ll need to make sure it is from the brewery you wanted.
The national soccer team is partly sponsored by Foroya Bjor, as are most major events (including the very cool G! Music Festival I went to). Okkara on the other hand has a more adventurous palate with some different styles of beer than Foroya Bjor. It’s also more prevalent at some of the fancier, or higher end hotels and restaurants around the islands, such as KOKS. In general though, expect Foroya Bjor to be the only option at most places you visit.
Now if you find yourself spending a lot of time in the Faroes you’ll either learn to love the local beer, or you will hit up the Rusdrekkasola state-run liquor stores and splurge on some pricey import beers. Actually some imports are not priced too badly. An example of beer prices in the Faroe Islands for small single bottles at the liquor store is $3.50 for Budweiser, $5 for Chimay or $6.50 for Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast.
Comparatively, at a bar in the Faroes you’ll normally pay around $6-8 for a pint of local beer. It is rare to find imported beer in bars, but the simply named Irish Pub in Torshavn offers Guinness and Kilkenny on tap for about $11 a pint. I was unable to visit either local brewery during my time in the islands, but I was able to sample pretty much all of the beers that the two local breweries were producing at the time. Here is my quick run down and review of Faroese beers.
Beers that I tried in the Faroe Islands:
Pilsnar by Föroya Bjór
Yellow/orange colour with a soapy white layer of head. This was the very first Faroese beer I had, as it was served on the Atlantic Airways flight from Copenhagen to Torshavn. Overall it had a grainy corn aroma and mild sweet taste.
Var by Okkara
Many of my favourite beers come from Belgium, so discovering what was sold to me as a Belgian blonde ale in the Faroe Islands was a nice surprise! Vår is, indeed, a decent beer. It is not a Belgian blonde ale, but it is a tasty brew. I’d say more of an amber ale, as it is an amber colour with plenty of malts and a bit of sweet spiciness. Nice flavour transition on this one and definitely worth seeking out.
Black Sheep by Föroya Bjór
A Euro Dark Lager. Generally when I hear a beer is a “Euro-style” something I cringe a bit, as it means bland and boring. The good stuff doesn’t get continentally generalized. But this was a nice surprise. A good amount of malts with a semi-bitter finish. Not too heavy. Was especially tasty on the beach at the G! Festival.
Traevetur Veorur 1888 Tripple Ram by Föroya Bjór
I found this beauty on a big night out with some locals in Torshavn. During a bit of bar-hopping and chats with drunken Sea Shepherd supporters in town to “save the whales”, we stopped in at Mojo bar, where they had this available. At 8.5% I anticipated this being a sharp, rough alcohol bomb. But it was a pleasant surprise, and one of the better beers from the Faroes. A smooth, amber brew with a malty start and gradually bitter, lingering finish.
Gronur Vedrur by Föroya Bjór
Festival beer! This brew was created specifically for the 2014 G! Festival in the Faroes. Don’t think it is available any longer. With that said, I think it may have just been a re-branded version of one of the other Foroya Bjor beers. It was a 4.6% pilsner that was similar to Gull and 1888, but a bit milder (i.e. watered down). A safe, enjoyable beer for when you’re in for a long session, I did enjoy it multiple times. Nothing memorable, but nothing bad about it either.
Portari by Okkara
This beer gets my personal “best beer from the Faroe Islands” award. Decent body, without being too thick or heavy. I’d classify this as a smoked porter as it has a good amount of smoke added to the roasty, cocoa flavours. Sadly, it took me until the last day of my trip in the Faroe Islands to track this one down, perhaps a good excuse to return one day?
1888 Special Edition by Föroya Bjór
I had this beer twice in the Faroes. Once while eating a Faroese crepe in Gota and once while listening to live music at Sirkus bar in Torshavn. Oddly, another brew with a slightly soapy head. Seems a bit of a trend in the Faroes. This was a pale lager, sweet and crisp. Smoother than the Sterkur Vedrur and comparable to any “popular” lager you’d find in bars in Canada or the US. Actually, better than the mass-produced generics out there.
Nordic Cider by Föroya Bjór
I’m not a big cider drinker, but when options are as limited as they are in the Faroe Islands, I’ll try what I can! Met up with some girls form the Czech Republic who seemed fond of this cider, and I did actually enjoy it. It was exceptionally sweet, not very acidic. Not something I could drink a lot of, but a nice local alternative to beer if you’re looking for other Faroese alcohol options!
Classic by Föroya Bjór
I’d class this beer close to an Amber lager. Quite malty and slightly one-dimensional. A bit toffee sweet but thoroughly smooth and easy drinking. I found having this on draft was quite a bit better than from cans. It went very well with a hearty lunch while exploring Suðuroy Island.
Klassic by Okkara
Hey look, Okkara has a “Classic” beer just like Foroya Bjor! In the battle of the beers, I give the edge to Okkara as offering up the better Classic/Klassic beer in the Faroe Islands. This beer is another Vienna Lager. You pretty much get pilsners or amber / Vienna lagers in the Faroes most places you go. I’d stick to the Vienna lagers when you can as they are overall more flavourful and enjoyable. This particular beer was a decently malty brew with some bready, caramel flavours. Simplistically nice for the style. Enjoyed this while dining at a surprisingly good Italian restaurant in Torshavn.
Vanliga by Okkara
The beer names from Okkara are definitely kind of fun, with Vanliga being the most entertaining one to say. As with half og the beers in the Faroes, it’s a light looking brew, without a lot of inspiration. Another 3/5 rating type of beer. Some malts, fairly sweet, slight fruit elements, which was nice. A little more rounded than most pilsners and lagers in the Faroes, but not enough to elevate it to what I would call “good beer’ status. Worth trying, as it could appeal to others more than it appealed to me.
Slupp Ol by Föroya Bjór
A Vienna Lager, and it was one of my favourite beers from the Faroes. I think it was the best version of the style found in the islands. It was well-balanced, with a nicely malty aroma and sweet/bitter mix that worked from start to finish. Savouring this during a BBQ dinner was a bit more relaxing than drinking it while trying to decipher Faroese questions during a pub trivia night.
Gull by Föroya Bjór
An “export beer” of the Faroes. That generally means “slightly higher alcohol content”! I had this while eating lunch at the restaurant near where the Vestmanna Bird Cliff boat tours depart. Secretly I had been hoping for a puffin sandwich, but seems eating puffins in the Faroes is not as common as it once was. The beer itself was actually quite smooth. Perhaps one of the best simple lagers you can find in the Faroe Islands. Unlike some Faroese beers that I found to be less enjoyable in cans than from the tap, this tasted solid in both versions.
Var Bryggj by Föroya Bjór
Another export beer from the Faroes. This was a seasonal beer, something that Foroya Bjor seems to do quite often. A spiced beer with a sort of herbal and grassy taste. Nicely different from the other pale lagers in the Faroe Islands. I couldn’t pick out any specific spices or herbs, but did find this a good, refreshing beer. I received this beer as a surprise gift from Tollakkur Hansen who guided me around Vagar Island one day.
Green Islands Stout by Föroya Bjór
My first (and only) stout brewed in the Faroe Islands! It was nothing crazy, but definitely solid enough to hold its own against your average stout. Smooth, mild chocolate sweetness. No real bitterness, a bit simple, but a beer I’d happily drink again. Wasn’t very easy to find this one, but a couple of the popular bars in Torshavn have it.
Rinkusteinur by Okkara
A bold, malty amber beer with slightly bitter and sour undertones. Complex and enjoyable. Rinkusteinur became a favourite beer of mine in the Faroe Islands and I’d grab it whenever I was able to find it. While Okkara is gaining in popularity, their beers are not as widely distributed as Foroya Bjor. A funny side note, when I took the picture of this beer, the person who took the photo used for the beer label was sitting beside me at dinner.
Tróndur by Okkara
Had this at the bar in the Hvonn Brasserie restaurant in Torshavn. Ouch, this one was a miss. While most beers in the Faroes slightly exceeded my expectations (of which I did not expect much), this one was a rough one to finish. At 7.6% it’s is a strong pilsner, but unlike other stronger Faroese beers such as Portari or Sterkru Vedrur, this Trondur beer fails to hide the alcohol at all. A bit sour and cider-like on aroma, the taste was a mess. Seemed like the beer was unfinished. Can’t recommend this one.
Gull by Okkara
Another beer I enjoyed at the Irish Pub in Torshavn. Not the best of the bunch, but not the worst. With a fairly strong sweet “corn” aroma and generic lacklustre taste, it reminded me of of pretty much every lager around the world. On the plus side it wasn’t harsh, didn’t have any bitterness or unpleasing elements to it. It was crisp and clean, just not much in terms of flavour. A beer I likely wouldn’t buy again, but if someone else bought it for me, I’d probably drink it. I did kind of find it funny that both Okkara and Foroya Bjor have beers with the same name, when there are only around a dozen beer options to choose from!
Sterkur Vedrur by Föroya Bjór
This was an imperial pilsner, clocking in at 7.2%. It was a surprise find at the airport when I was leaving the country. Clear, crisp, with a somewhat bitter bite to it. Far from terrible for a strong beer, but hardly the best that the Faroes had to offer.
If you are curious about how I decided to visit the Faroe Islands, well it’s been on my list of destination for quite some time. From 2010 to 2013 I ran a “Travel Match” competition on Twitter. It included every single country in the world, and the final match came down to Bhutan & the Faroe Islands. That helped to elevate my interest in the Faroes even more, and thankfully the good people at Nordic Obsession Tours started running tours to the Faroe Islands in 2014, so I joined them for a fun time around the Faroes.