On Iceland’s dung-smoked whale testicle beer

[KamaAina]

http://draftmag.com/icelands-dung-smoked-whale-testicle-beer/

Fin whale testicles may not seem like a natural ingredient for, well, anything. But Dagbjartur Arilíusson, owner of the Steðji microbrewery in Iceland, disagrees: Whale testicles—actually, whale testicles smoked with sheep dung—are the signature ingredient in his seasonal beer, Hvalur 2. It’s all part of the brewery’s passion for ingredients unique to its far corner of the world....

What’s special about the beers you brew?
We have four kinds of beer—dark, lager, ale and strawberry fruit beer. We also have seasonal beers like our Christmas beer that uses raw licorice as an ingredient, our October beer that includes red barley and pumpkin seeds, and our Easter beer that is brewed with cocoa and Icelandic seaweed. The theme is always to include something Icelandic.

You also brew beer made from fin whale testicles…
We started last year with our first whale beer, Hvalur 1. The health department didn’t want us to produce it at first, but we were allowed to. The beer used whale meal as an ingredient, and it was something new for Iceland. It sold out almost immediately. This year, for Hvalur 2, we wanted to keep the concept, but use a different whale ingredient. We decided to use fin whale testicles.

How, exactly, do you brew with whale testicles?
We get the testicles frozen from the whaling company, and we have a licensed butcher chop it up for us to use. The testicles are cured according to an old Icelandic tradition. The testicles are salted, and then smoked with sheep dung. A whole testicle is used in every brewing cycle, and then the beer is filtered and pasteurized. We put a lot of effort into this, and it’s a long process.

"The health department didn’t want us to produce it at first, but we were allowed to."

[Throd]

1. I'll try that before I have yet another tired IPA.

[KamaAina]

2. I am not familiar with tired IPA.

Is that anything like session IPA?

Them's fightin' words around here (Bay Area)!

[Throd]

6. I too live in NorCal. IPAs have been done to death around here.

There are some good IPAs to be found, but most taste like shit beer with soap shavings added for no apparent reason. It's a fad that I hope is on the wane.

[shenmue]

3. Duh

Idiots.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. It probably tastes better than Miller Light.

[Xyzse]

5. I don't really drink beer, but you may be right.

[pinboy3niner]

7. It all started when a whale was overheard saying...

"I'd give my left nut for a good sheep dung-smoked beer."

[KamaAina]

8. Damn! Your trophy case must be getting crowded!

[OriginalGeek]

9. That's nuts.

But I'd try it.

[KamaAina]

10. DUzy!

[olddots]

11. ah beer nuts .

Tea baggers consume mass quantities of Coors Lite .

[rurallib]

12. The testicles are cured according to an old Icelandic tradition.

some traditions are best left to die, methinks.