Lava - Ölvisholt Brugghús

jpro

South Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bottle from CBX. Poured into an Old Rasputin shaped pint glass...

A: Pours black; light tan head (two-finger), leaves a nice ring of retention, but no lace.

S: Black patent malt; sweet; smoke - a lot of smoke.

T: Super smoky; mesquite; roasted malt; some caramel notes smooth things out on the end... the smoke lasts, though.

M: Full; creamy; moderate-high carbonation; sticky.

O: Smokiest beer I’ve ever had - hands down; pretty tasty, even though its on the extreme end of smoked beers; I’d have it again.

*from notes (6-15-12)

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 03:35:54 | More by jpro

magictacosinus

California

4.31/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I had been looking for this beer for as long as I can remember, and I really want to thank my friend for pointing out that Toronado Pub was tapping it, of all places. Poured into a tulip glass.

Pours a thick, charred viscous opaque black color. Literally no light shines through, not even at the liquid's edges when held against the light. There's a nicely toned mocha colored head that graces the top of the glass that's about 1.5 fingers large, but it actually dies down rather quickly and leaves no lacing, no bubbles, and not a ring of head to speak of halfway through consumption. It still maintained an appearance similar to cola, and the thickened feel did indeed fade with the carbonation's disappearance. Not bad, but not necessarily worth raving over.

The aroma makes me forget my disappointment with the beer's looks - this smells very fabulous, and definitely sets itself apart from the average RIS here. Dark chocolate, cherries, raisins, slightly smoked currants, vanilla, coffee, all coated underneath a cake-like batter sugary consistency. Not sure at all how this is "smoked" by any means (although according to the brewers, it is), but I supposed there's a little bit of charred phenols mixing with the sweetened, dark malts - but it's really, really subtle. The juicy, candied dark fruit flavor is not, however, and melded with the vanilla and chocolate, it's truly awesome.

The flavor actually has a lot less of the fruity, sugared consistency in the aroma, but it does take all of those flavors and melds them well rather than in a cloying, overtly sweet manner. There's a lot more of the roasted, slightly smoky character at the front, melding with fresh, jubilant coffee beans, chocolate, vanilla, a slight oaky sensation, and faded but present fruitiness, ranging from the light raisins to cherries. The finish is very calm, with no alcohol bite or burn to speak of. The flavors meld lightly with the dark malts and coffee flavor, and finish in an aftertaste that is only slightly astringent, yet thickened and full-bodied to the point of being a very easy drinking experience. Carbonation is good, despite what happened to the head. Everything is so well balanced here, which is crazy considering this is a big beer. Nothing is too sweet or too bitter, nor too roasted. Simply fantastic stuff.

I'm so glad I was able to find this! It was a great way to have my lunch in the bar with burgers that were cooked next door. The alcohol is well hidden and buzzed me out a bit by the end, but it was super relaxing and easy drinking as any great, strong stout is. Despite its thickness, there's nothing heavy about this, and it stands as a very versatile and flexible beer of its caliber, mainly due to its balanced yet flavorful presentation of ingredients. Awesome find - Iceland should hopefully keep producing more world class stouts like this.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2013 00:11:11 | More by magictacosinus

Beerontwowheels

Maryland

4/5  rDev -2.9%

05-20-2013 23:43:02 | More by Beerontwowheels

cbeer88

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +15.3%

05-19-2013 00:19:25 | More by cbeer88

OregonGrown7

Nebraska

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

05-13-2013 21:22:53 | More by OregonGrown7

ngeunit1

California

4/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark black with a hint of brown and a finger of frothy khaki-chocolate head. Fades fairly slowly.

S - Roasted chocolate and caramel malts, smoke, vanilla, molasses, black licorice, dark cocoa, coffee, dark fruits, and a bit of booze.

T - Chocolate and caramel malts, smoke, vanilla, black licorice, molasses, dark cocoa, roasted coffee, dark fruits, earthy hops, and a bit of booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet, smoky, warming finish.

D - Nice smoked stout. Good overall balance and mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 04:14:07 | More by ngeunit1

cadaugherty

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.9%

05-08-2013 01:53:09 | More by cadaugherty

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9.2%

05-07-2013 23:59:41 | More by rolltide8425

Neorebel

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

"Lava" has the an appealing appearance similar to an espresso... it's the deepest shade of brown topped with a thin ring of tan colored froth. There does not seem to be much carbonation, if at all. Observed after the beer was finished, were some small patches of lacing clinging to the sides of the empty glass.

The aroma was very surprising to me, in that there was very much a burst of dark and sweet fresh fruit esters coming through the campfire smells typical to any smoked beer. The flavor itself however, did in fact lend itself mostly to earthiness and woody, charcoal smoke. There was also a savory aspect, like simple food cooked on open flames.

The mouthfeel is relatively light, as is the perceived alcohol heat, so, as log as you are predisposed to like smoked beers, this will go down very easily. Overall, I am excited to have a beer made in Iceland, and would recommend this to anyone into Rauchbiers. The smoke intensity rivals that of Schlenkerla... My only detractor is that the hoppiness in the beer, while tasty, may not be the most appropriate thing for the style. I may not have categorized this as a RIS in a blind tasting given the opportunity. I would love to have this again and try something else from this brewery as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 20:04:31 | More by Neorebel

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9.2%

04-29-2013 14:46:20 | More by DoubleSimcoe

DRBiser

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

04-25-2013 13:34:12 | More by DRBiser

John_Schlaffer

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +9.2%

04-23-2013 21:56:14 | More by John_Schlaffer

trodam

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -9%

04-20-2013 19:40:13 | More by trodam

PHBoiler

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -15%

04-18-2013 15:23:38 | More by PHBoiler

AmandaSchaefer

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -2.9%

04-15-2013 23:15:42 | More by AmandaSchaefer

spry

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

04-15-2013 03:19:50 | More by spry

AltBock

Ohio

4.24/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

16.9oz bottle with a drawing of a volcano erupting at the top and 3 shacks at the bottom of the oval. These little shacks are screwed. Over the drawing is a purple ribbon with the name of the beer. To the right of the drawing is the US Government warning and to the left is a paragraph that has a brief history of the brewery and a short description of the beer. Poured into a Cigar City Snifter.

Imagine starring down into the opening of an inactive volcano. That's how black the color of this beer was. Just pitch darkness. Holding the glass up to the light was a waste if time. There's no way light could penetrate this beer's solid black color. On top of this black brew was a short lived light mocha head of foam. At its height, it was about 1/2 an inch. I guessing the head of foam had somewhere to be so it only stuck around for a few seconds. It only managed to leave behind a faint string of rings and one single spot of lace.

It was smoky, but not Rauchbier smoky. Under the cloud of smoke, I was able to pick up smoked malts, smoked wood, dark chocolate, a hint of roasted coffee beans, smoked meats like bacon, a whiff of green olives, a drop of caramel and toffee, and then the smell finishes up with some dark fruits like plums and raisins. I really enjoyed the aroma. It seemed like there was a new aroma around every corner. The aroma's smoked aspect added a really nice touch.

Not only was the taste smoky, but I also detected some roasted elements in here as well. It was smoky up front. The smoke let through the roasted elements shine through first. In the beginning, there was roasted coffee beans, dark roasted malt, and dark chocolate. After the taste got that our of the way, in comes all the smoke. This part of that taste featured campfire smoke, smoked meats, a little green olive, smoked wood, smoked hops, and then the taste ended with a subtle dark fruitiness. The roasted flavors couldn't control the beer's smoked flavors. Smoky, but not overly smoky.

The mouthfeel was medium to full bodied, chewy, and with a full flavored smoky aftertaste. You'll find more smoky flavors like smoked wood, campfire smoke, smoked meats, roasted coffee beans, and dark chocolate. The smoke was so thick that it will take a few glasses of water to wipe clean your mouth of this smoke.

A smoked Imperial Stout from Iceland? That sounds like an experiment or a novelty beer. It is not any of those! It's truly a really good Imperial Stout. It has a little uniqueness to it that separates it from everybody else's Imperial Stout. The only problem I found with this beer was the steep price. It was in the $10-$13 range for this 16oz bottle. If you want to try an Imperial Stout that's a little unique, pry open your wallet for this winner.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 02:53:03 | More by AltBock

devlishdamsel

Washington

4.74/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow. This was amazing. Let me begin by saying that I absolutely have hated every smoked beer I have ever had prior to this one. Perhaps something regarding the lava and natural way this one was created made a huge impact? This is one of the best stouts I have ever imbibed. So very textural and viscous. It was the satin of beer; the texture was perfect. The taste was almost as good. I got some slight smokey notes but unlike the abrasive smoky beers i had prior, these were subtle hints. There was a huge malty, chocolate presence with a hint of salt( in the best way possible) as well. As far as a stout goes, does it really get better than this? I understand this was a rare beer, but id be in heaven if it was a regular occurrence!

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2013 08:18:17 | More by devlishdamsel

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This is definitely a thick stout. In flavor profile and on the body. There is a good touch of molasses on here, but what I really like most of all is the kind of berry tone that is really showing nicely after a little while of it being opened. The smoke mellows at the same time the berry thing shows up. Body is thick. This beer stays consistent. And I like it a lot. The price point is pretty high, which is somewhat of a discouraging factor, but I am happy to drop the coin.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 03:53:26 | More by RblWthACoz

chickenm

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

04-04-2013 03:54:23 | More by chickenm

Gotti311

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -2.9%

04-03-2013 18:28:21 | More by Gotti311

tbryan5

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -2.9%

03-30-2013 01:23:03 | More by tbryan5

Tblecptn

Illinois

4.84/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Dark smokey beer and 9.4%. Smokiest beer I have ever had, so much so that its like drinking a campfire. That's the best comparison I can make. The taste of the beer goes through so many many flavors ending on a smokey flavor. Don't try drinking a different beer after having the lava. It won't compare and you be left wanting another.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 00:58:07 | More by Tblecptn

Weas

Arkansas

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

03-29-2013 21:25:43 | More by Weas

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

03-26-2013 23:10:20 | More by Gambrinus1184