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Release time: 30/11/2021-17:42 Modification time: 30/11/2021-17:41

Reykjavík (AFP)-A Christmas beer made from green beans and pickled red cabbage became a popular holiday product in Iceland and was off the shelves within a few hours.

"Ora Jolabjor"-Ora Christmas beer-is made by a small brewery in Reykjavik, and its recipe is inspired by Christmas dinners in Iceland.

Christmas feasts in this country usually feature peas and red cabbage, as well as smoked leg of lamb and caramelized potatoes.

This new beer has an alcohol content of 5.2% and is the creation of Valgeir Valgeirsson, the master brewer of RVK Brewing.

In the past few years, he has gained fame by developing popular Christmas beer made from algae, Christmas tree trunks and even dried fish.

Fish beer is “weird,” admitted the 41-year-old beer maker with a salt and pepper beard.

This time, peas and cabbage are mixed with malt, hops and cloves.

The annual production capacity of Valgeirsson's brewery is only 50,000 liters (13,200 US gallons)-a drop in the ocean compared to the output of international beer groups.

He made 6,000 liters of the latest mixture and sold it online at Vinbudin, a state-owned alcohol specialty store in Iceland.

The first 6,000 cans were sold out within a few hours and were replaced by another 18,000 cans.

Iceland is a country with a population of 370,000.

Valgeirsson said that after he received a phone call six months ago suggesting to cooperate with Iceland's largest food manufacturer Ora to produce Christmas beer, the idea began to ferment in his mind.

"Challenge is something I have been looking for," he told AFP.

This beer is actually similar to Ora's packaging of canned peas and canned red cabbage.

Although it may not sound appetizing as a drink, the combination of peas and cabbage is highly symbolic to Icelanders.

The tradition of eating these two side dishes on Christmas dates back to the winter when it was hard to buy fresh produce.

Valgeirsson's unusual combination of ingredients aroused a wave of curiosity.

Hedinn Unnsteinsson, a 51-year-old government consultant, admitted that this beer does have a distinct smell, saying: "I was surprised by its taste and pleasantness."

Niels Bjarki Finsen compared it with British bitter beer and said that he had expected the vegetable ingredients to have a more distinctive taste.

Thorsteinn Tomas Broddason, who works in the financial industry, joked that he expects more strange smells in the next few years.

"Looking forward to next year's cod liver oil beer!"

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