Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.02.2017, Page 54

53The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 02 — 2017 Beer is food
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Just a few years ago, Iceland’s beer
taps were dominated by a handful
of basic, strong, fizzy lagers such
as Víking, Gull, Polar Beer, and
the odd Danish or Eastern Eu-
ropean import. But recent years
have seen the rapid emergence of
a thriving craft beer scene. Un-
questionably the most popular of
the new crop is Einstök (“one of
a kind,” loosely translated)—an
American-owned brand, brewed
in Akureryi. Today, their beers are
omnipresent in Icelandic bars,
whether it’s the light and citrusy
White Ale, the full-bodied and
flavoursome Pale Ale, the Arctic
Berry ale, or the recently released
“Wee Heavy” Scotch Ale.
Jack Sichterman is one half of
the duo behind Einstök, along
with CEO David Altshuler. “We’ve
worked together for twenty-five
years,” says Jack, “and we started
asking: with this amazing water,
Viking heritage and beautiful
people… how come nobody is
exporting or brewing good beer
in this country, from a craft beer
perspective? One thing led to an-
other, we raised the money and
found a great brewmaster. Six
years later, we’re in twenty-two
countries and fifteen US states,
and we’re the number one craft
beer in Iceland. It’s been an amaz-
ing ride, and here we are.”

Fortune favours
the brave
The two started the company in
2010, with fortuitous timing. “We
got here at the perfect juncture of
craft beer and Iceland taking off,”
says Jack. “It was pure luck, and has
nothing to do with business sense
and creativity. We just arrived at
the right time. And it’s going great.
We’re winning awards all over the
world and figuring out ways to ship
beer around the world.”
Despite the international at-
tention, Iceland remains impor-
tant to Einstök. “It’s our most
important market from an au-
thenticity standpoint,” Jack ex-
plains. “But we never thought it
would be such an important mar-
ket from a revenue standpoint.
Tourism has a lot to do with that,
but we’re grateful to have been
embraced by Icelanders as well.”
The recognition is well-earned.
Einstök ’s recipes are clearly
pored over, and it turns out they
go through lots of experimenta-
tion before going into production.
“That method defines our whole
approach to brewing,” says Jack.
“A lot of craft brewers started in a
garage and went from there, say-
ing: ‘This one’s pretty good, let’s
sell it.’ We’ve always said, if we’re
gonna go all the way to Iceland and
brew beer, it doesn’t make sense
unless we try to brew the best
beer of every style we choose. The
White Ale—that’s now our best-
seller—went through ten versions
before we got what we wanted,
and it took us eighteen months to
develop the Wee Heavy.”
Smite the world
Einstök’s quick progress may have
made it look it easy, but Jack says
they had to fight their way into
the craft beer market. “There was
a two-brewery system here that
we didn’t fit into,” he says, “but
now when you walk down the
street you’ll find us practically
everywhere. It’s surreal, honestly.
I’m speechless. It’s a dream.”
With Einstök’s first container
shipping to China this year, the
potential for growth is still only
beginning. “That’s scary too,”
says Jack. “It’s like indie band
syndrome, where we have awe-
some fans who are coming to
see us in small clubs. But one day
maybe we’ll be playing a stadium,
and they’ll be like, ‘Fuck them! I
remember when I saw them in
Húrra!’ So we have to stay true
to our fans. But it’s not like we’re
going to go pop and start produc-
ing shitty lager. We’re looking
forward to growing—it’s going to
mean investing in this country,
and that’s pretty cool.”
SHARE: gpv.is/ein02
Words JOHN ROGERS Photo ART BICNICK
The Beer Frontier
Einstök’s co-founder on the little
beer brand that could
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