Ölvisholt is the micro-brewery that started it all. Founded in 2007 by two neighbouring farmers near Selfoss, they made the first beer in Iceland which prioritized quality over quantity. They have five different Christmas beers and to my delight, NONE of them are an IPA.



Hel: a winter porter, dark, slightly sweet, creamy, a perfect winter beer.
Heims um bjór, a red lager. Another really nice beer. A slightly darker lager with a bit of a caramel taste.
24: A barrel aged barley wine. This is a strong beer with an oak aftertaste from the barrels it was aged in. Again something for people who like whiskey or bourbon. This would be nice with Christmas dinner, it is a bit strong for just drinking just like this.
These beers are what I want from my Christmas beers, well made beers, achieving a winter taste just by using the traditional beer ingredients.

The other two beers use spices, with mixed results.

Jólabjór, a smoked bock with added cloves. The cloves completely overpower the beer and cloves are strange to use as a single spice, rather than as part of a spice mixture. If you are really into the taste of cloves, this is your beer, but then I have to tell you, you are a strange person, with strange tastes.
Jóla Jóra, a spiced imperial stout. Here we have a spice mixture. Much better than the above, you still have to feel like getting a full load of Christmas spices, but I guess this is why you are drinking a Christmas beer, right? And stouts are always a win with me.

To me Ölvisholt stands for consistent quality. May they continue to be the trailblazer of the micro-brewery movement in Iceland.