(Grimstad, NORWAY) – Shelton Brothers released an interview with Nøgne Ø founder, Kjetil Jikiun, on Monday morning.

According to Jikiun, the brewery is on pace to grow 40% this year and is now brewing 10,000 hectoliters (or 8,400 barrels of beer). Growth tracked at 50% in 2010 and nearly 100% in 2011. The U.S. is an important market for the brewery.

More below from Shelton Brothers’ Youtube page…

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Kjetil, aka "the bearded giant," sat down with us to discuss his Norwegian craft brewery.

Nøgne Ø means "the naked island" and is a reference to Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. While he was in his teens, Ibsen lived in Grimstad, where Nøgne Ø is located. Nøgne Ø’s subtitle – Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri or "The Uncompromising Brewery" is a plain statement of their mission to craft ale of highest quality, personality and individuality.

We discuss their the brewery’s history, their beers, brewing sake, their connection with homebrewers and Nøgne Ø’s core values.

Kjetil even tells us how to properly pronounce Nøgne Ø.