The name Nøgne Ø means "naked island", a poetic term used by Henrik Ibsen to describe any of the countless stark, barren outcroppings that are visible in the rough sea off Norway's southern coast.
We think the name also gives a symbolic picture of what the two Norwegian home brewers did early 2002, when they decided to found a new brewery. Their urge to share their passion of good beer was unbearable. Their vision was to bring diversity and innovation into commercial brewing of real ale. The result - Nøgne Ø.
Nøgne Ø's subtitle - "The Uncompromising Brewery" is a plain statement of our mission to craft ale of highest quality, personality and individuality. The alchemists realized that they could only create gold from gold - so have we. Our gold is Maris Otter; Cascade, Centenneal, Chinook and Columbus. We think Maris Otter is the best malt obtainable, hand malted barley in the traditional manner in the UK. The big C's are full flavored hops, grown in the USA. We only use ingredients of highest quality in order to make beers of uncompromising quality.