With peas and red cabbage: what is this Icelandic beer that is a hit?<

Displayed in a few hours at its launch, a beer produced with canned pea and marinated red cabbage is the perfect agreement for Christmas holidays in Iceland.

Breed by a small establishment in Reykjavik, the recipe for this beer called "Ora Jólabjór" uses two essential ingredients of Icelandic Christmas Eve, which traditionally accompany the smoked lamb and potatoes.

Titles 5.2 degrees, the fermented drink is the last fruit of the rich imagination of Valgeir Valgeirsson, master brewer at RVK Brewing.He has already distinguished himself by marketing beers obtained from algae, the foot of a Christmas tree or even dried fish.

"It was weird," admits this 41 -year -old Icelandic at the pepper and salt beard.During the different stages of the preparation, cabbage and peas are mixed with, among other things, malted barley, hops and cloves.

In his little Reykjavik brewery with an annual capacity of 50.000 liters - modest on the scale of the beer oceans produced by the global giants, two stocks of 6.000 then 12.000 cans have already been produced, or 6.000 liters in total.The first, sold only online on the Vínbúdin site - the state store which monopolizes alcohol sales in Iceland - has passed in six hours.

Challenge

The idea germinated after an impromptu phone call six months ago."The challenge was something I was looking for," said Valgeir.He has teamed up with the ORA brand, the country's leading manufacturer of food products, which markets the cans of the two Christmas vegetables - La Canette also resumes their marketing presentation.

The association does not seem appetizing, but it is symbolic for Icelanders: the habit of tasting them at Christmas dates back to the time when fresh products were difficult to find, especially in winter.

That they judge the idea brilliant or repugnant, the inhabitants are curious to taste it.

"I was surprised to see how good and pleasant it was, compared to the moment when we see them pour the peas and the red cabbage in the brewer", analyzes Hédinn Unnsteinson which however highlights the very noticeable smellvegetables.

"I expected a more pronounced taste of the ingredients", is surprised Níels Bjarki Finsen, who compares her to the English amber "bitter" beer.

"We hope beer in cod liver oil next year!", Pleasant Thorsteinn Tómas Broddason.