On my way home from the Netherlands last May, I picked up a bottle of an unfamiliar Einstök beer, the Icelandic Wee Heavy. I suppose it makes a certain amount of sense that a beer style with its roots in northern climes would find a foothold in Iceland, even if it's as a novelty. They've certainly piled in the novelty ingredients, including smoked barley and angelica root. Slap a tartan label on that and we're good to go.It's a deep red-brown colour, and bottle-conditioned, so with a layer of dregs on the bottom. It smells very Belgian, a dubbel-like blend of warm fruitcake and spiced wine. There's a lot of fizz, and that gets in the way of the initial impression. Part of the problem is that the body is a little thin, despite 8% ABV. When the carbonation settles, flavours of banana and chocolate are first, before more subtle sparks of clove, cinnamon and an aniseed-like bite which I'm guessing is the angelica. There's no sign of the smoke, that I could find anyway. If it's advertised, I should taste it.
Regardless, knock the condition out of it and here's a fine autumn or winter sipper. I wouldn't say it's a better alternative to the Trappist beers along the same lines, but it's good to find something similar given a unique twist.
