The microbrewery Bruggsmidjan in Árskógssandur in north Iceland has in cooperation with Saga Medica bottled the first production of the new beer Stinningskaldi, which contains angelica seed from Hrísey island.
Angelica. Photo by Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir.
Angelica is known for its medical qualities. It enhances the blood circulation and is therefore “good for men”, as the brewery’s managing director Agnes Sigurdardóttir put it; the plant was used as an aphrodisiac in the past, ruv.is reports.
The angelica also gives the beer a special taste, Sigurdardóttir said. The production is based on the plant’s seeds and parts of its leaves, which are harvested and dried in Hrísey. Bruggsmidjan has been interested in using Icelandic herbs for beer production for a long time, she added.
Thráinn Thorvaldsson, managing director of Saga Medica, which for years has developed products from Icelandic medical herbs, said angelica is a plant which many people consider a nuisance. The goal is to use Hrísey as an image when marketing the company’s products abroad, he added.
Click here to read more about the new beer.
