Einstök Icelandic Wee Heavy

 

Review Date 10/30/2020  By John Staradumsky

It was, apparently, Scotch Ale night chez bruguru. On deck, there was a crowler of Sgt. MacKenzie Scottish Ale from a local brewery, Ironshield of Lawrenceville, Georgia. First up, however, was an imported version of the style. Not, however, imported from Scotland, but rather Iceland you see. I’m talking about Einstök Icelandic Wee Heavy, an interestingly unique take on a classic style.

From the can label:

Viking history in Scotland goes back more than a thousand years. Even our brew master studied in Edinburgh, where he carefully surveyed the local craft. Now we return with an Icelandic Wee Heavy,  brewed with locally farm-smoked barley and spiced with native Icelandic Angelica-a fabled herb ancient Vikings used as currency. Surrender your taste buds. They have no choice but to be conquered.

The brewery lists ingredients as:

smoked Icelandic barley, pale ale malt, crystal malt, chocolate malt, Bavarian hops, Icelandic angelica root

Einstök Icelandic Wee Heavy has an alcohol content of 8% by volume, certainly fit to warm Icelandic hearts on cold winter nights. My can is stamped as 31.03.20 BF 31/MAY/2021. It was running $9.99 a six-pack in cans, quite reasonable; bottles will cost you about four bucks more.

Einstök Icelandic Wee Heavy pours to a murky brown color with a thick creamy head of foam and a delightful nose of butterscotch and toasted nuts. Taking a sip, the beer is full in body with toasted nuts, caramel, burnt toffee, hints of raisin and licorice (the angelica?), and a touch of smoke. Finishes gently sweet with alcohol warmth.

I very much enjoyed this beer, and I’ll be sure to drink it again. I suggest you try it, too. After all, your taste buds have no choice but to be conquered.

 

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

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