     Lava (Ölvisholt Brugghús)
With all of the grim news coverage about a certain volcano (name withheld) in Iceland over the past weeks I thought it fitting to imbibe one of these. Lava is a smoked imperial stout brewed by one of Iceland's few craft breweries. (There are only a handful of breweries at all there which is logical considering only about 320,000 people live in Iceland and beer prohibition lasted until 1989.) Ölvisholt Brugghús started brewing in 2007 and currently exports their beers to Scandinavia and Canada. One particular string of pubs (The Bishop's Arms) sells them in Sweden - if you are looking to find a bottle. Lava in particular was actually designed solely for the Swedish market although you can't purchase it at stores. Regarding the label: Pour - Black, amazingly pitch black with a rim of espresso foam. One expects dark, but this has no hint of being translucent when held up to the light. Aroma - Smells decisively of burnt wood, dark chocolate, whisky, peat and even copper and vanilla. Very nice. Taste - Surprisingly smooth but also very complex. It starts mild but builds to a smoky almost burnt taste - but not in a sharp bitter way. Hints of fruit come through the murky darkness. Definitely something for fans of smoked porters as this really works the style. Despite the 9.4% alcohol it is very drinkable and is a really pleasant beer to just sip and contemplate. Based on my limited experience of Icelandic breweries this is by far the best I've come across. If you need to pick just one beer from Ölvisholt this is the one. Each sip brings you a little closer to getting to grips with Lava - but you never quite get there. You may need a second bottle. Overall - Unfortunately this is a beer that few will get to try as it is available in only three countries (Sweden, Iceland and Canada), but if you ever come across a bottle it is highly recommended. It is one of the few imperial stouts that really had me interested through the whole glass. Something about Lava evokes the fire and ice country of its origin, and what better ambassador could a country ask for than a great beer?
Posted by Kelly Labels: Russian Imperial Stouts, Smoked Beers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
