My second beer from Iceland’s Einstok Brewery: Icelandic Arctic Berry Ale, described on the rim of the can as white ale brewed with bilberries and crowberry juice. Hmmm. I’m not familiar with either bilberries or crowberries, so let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about them, shall we?

Wikipedia says: Bilberries are any of several primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, nearly black berries.

It further says they are common in Europe and in the same family as blueberries. OK, what about crowberries? Basically, they’re another kind of berry from what I can gather, they kind of look like blueberries, and Wikipedia says they are sometimes mixed with them by humans for culinary purposes.

What does Einstok say about the beer? From the can:

In Iceland, Sumardagurinn fyrsti (the First Day of Summer) designates the arrival of warmer temperatures and abundant sunshine. At Einstök, we´re celebrating summer with this limited-edition Arctic Berry Ale, a refreshing witbier flavored with tasty bilberries, hand-picked near the Arctic Circle. It´s the perfect ale for your summer adventures, but enjoy it while you can - it will disappear with the midnight sun.

DREKKTU, SIGRADU, ENDURTAKTU! Translation=Drink, overcome, repeat.

What’s it made from? The website says:

Wheat malt, pilsner malt, oats, Bavarian hops, hand-picked Icelandic bilberries.

Einstok Icelandic Arctic Berry Ale has an alcohol content of 5% by volume and runs $9.99 a six-pack in cans.

Einstok Icelandic Arctic Berry Ale pours to a pale yellow color with a subtle tinge of red and a thick fluffy (if short-lived) head formation. Taking a sip, I get mostly crisp wheat underneath with a hint of smooth oats and then the berry fruit. It reminds me mostly of blueberries with a touch of blackberry, and it’s all balanced out by a not really pronounced but dry hop finish.

Not bad! A refreshing fruit beer indeed, and one that I will certainly drekktu, sigradu, and endurtaktu again.

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