Einstök White Ale (Witbier)

My first foray into Icelandic beers (brewed by the fine folks at

Einstök Ölgerð), this was not what I was expecting. It pours like a witbier and has some aromas of lemon, orange, and yeast, but the overwhelming smell–and taste–was of rosewater, and that sucks.

Pours a beautiful yellow caramel and the head died quickly.  From what I could tell, it was a good ale…big and robust depth, but the crispness of a wit at 6% ABV, but the rose flavor kept overpowering my mouth. I wasn’t eating anything else at the time, and I even checked Beer Advocate to see if anyone else had a similar issue, and I seem to be the only one. Strange.  My wife (who only drinks sours) liked it and didn’t detect anything like I did.

12oz bottle for $4, and from I can tell, I liked it. I’ll give it another shot next week.

Eric