Haandbryggeriet Dark Force

Brewed by Haandbryggeriet (Norway)
Style: Imperial Stout
Drammen, Norway

Bottle into red wine glass. Pours impenetrable black with a thin brown ring of bubbles. Almost nothing in the way of a head. Nose has lots of dark chocolate, some boozey alcohol floating around, cherries, a bit of licorice. A nutty, roasty quality underneath. Rich nose. Taste starts off with a big dose of slightly roasty chocolate and some boozey alcohol, with some cherries sitting underneath. Bit of soy-like burnt roast comes through, an herbal character, and with the finish comes the tangy wheat note, poking through the lingering dark roast. Not necessarily unpleasant, just unexpected. All the classic Imperial Stout characteristics, alongside just enough oddball reminders to let you know yeah, this is still a wheat beer. Mouthfeel is thick and viscous, chewy, with a smooth, very under-stated carbonation.

Bottle thanks to mcox90. Pours a pure black color with a huge brown head that dissipates over time to nothing. The aroma is roasted notes, some burnt chocolates and something else, like herbs. The flavor is dominated by a earthy burnt coffee, chocolate and malt. Something else, herbal-like, I guess it is the wheat, which is very dry and strong. A light palate and a very dry finish. Somewhat unusual and interesting. Nice.

Black body with a tan head. Aroma is a kind of chocolate and coffee with some burnt character to it. It’s tolerable, but a bit off somehow. Flavor is nice and sweet with plenty of chocolates and some nice vanilla. Mouthfeel is nice and smooth. Good beer, but not necessarily a very remarkable imperial stout.

Dark brown pour with a tan head. The aroma is a little bit odd - a lot of the standard imperial stout notes - chocolate, coffee, burnt malt, but also hints of compost . Strange. Very nice flavor: Chocolate, coffee, vanilla and a hint of booze. Nice smooth mouthfeel. Good beer.

16oz bottle. Pours deep black with a decent brown head that dissipates quickly. Nose is some coffee, and chocolate with a bit of vanilla. Taste is fantastic and smooth. Subtle chocolate and coffee notes with traces of bourbon and vanilla. Low bitterness and a smooth yeasty finish which I think comes from the wheat. A favorite imperial stout, it may not score high because its slightly overcarbonated which detracts slightly from the mouthfeel but in its own way its much better than say the MIkkeller Black Hole which I had the same night and didn’t like near as much. Another great effort from this upstart brewery.

Bottle from Beehive Liquors in Bemidji. A friend split this bottle with me. Pours black with brown head. Nose is coffee, almost metallic. Taste is coffee, wheat, and finishes boozy.

Bottle from State Line in Elkton. Pours deep pitch black with brown head. Aroma is sweet wheat and coffee. Taste is grainy coffee, with the coffee outlasting in the after taste. The 9% is hidden extremely well.

Bomber from Forest City. Pours dark brown black with a hefeweizen-grade head. Aroma of coffee, ash, and metal. Palate is very light for a beer this dark; I suppose this shouldn’t come as a surprise given that Dark Force is billed as a “wheat stout.” Flavor starts out with roasts, wheat and bitter chocolate. Mid-palate sweetens slightly with prickly carbonation showing as well. Finish is medium, slightly bitter, full of semisweet chocolate. Overall, I was underwhelmed by this product. The wheat muddles the dark stout notes, and the palate comes off weak rather than novel.