‘Dead whale’ beer banned

A beer from Iceland brewed using a by-product of whale meat and oil has been banned as its creators didn’t have a licence to sell the whale meal for consumption.

The beer raised eyebrows when it was announced that the Steojar brewery and whaling company Hvalur had teamed up to make the brew and that it was to be sold at the up-coming mid-winter festival, Þorrablót

Whale meal is a by-product of the commercial processing of whales when whale meat is first heated and broken down into a slurry to release its oils. The oil is then separated with the remaining solid material, dried, ground and marketed as whale meal.

However, after and investigation by the public health inspector in Iceland, the beer has been banned as, “Hvalur does not have permission to produce meal for food production,” explained Helgi Helgason to public broadcaster Ruv.

The brewery owner, Dagbjartur Ariliusson told Agence France Presse that he was “disappointed” at the decision but that, “we will of course have to obey.”

He used one kilo of meal for every 2,000 litres of beer and said, “you can feel the whale taste in the undertone and the aftertaste.”