Haandbryggeriet Dark Force

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

Bottle, thanks Hogtownharry, shared with Harry and Blankboy - Proud sawdust colour head, jet black body. Chocolate-hop aroma, quite mild aroma but certainly a memorable one. Flavour, chocolate, malt, whiskey, smoke, wonderfull combination, well disguised alcohol. Nice.

nice crema colored head with a super dark color below. sour aroma of booz in the back of the nose. the feel is smooth but thin and is added to by a great pinpoint fizz. a light sweetness provails.

Bottle, about a year old. This is a delicious imperial stout. Nice to get something that fits more the older versions of the style, not unbelievably heavy and thick and sweet. When I popped this it gushed all over the place, but poured into my Aventinus glass this looked perfect. Aroma is the weakest part of this beer, light bitter chocolate and mild unripe hops but thats about it. Flavor is concentrated chocolate cookie and bitter hops flavor, light espresso in the finish and a fine bit of spice. Everything works together very well. Easily drinkable, aged perfectly, very enjoyable.

Brewed 09-07, BB 09-11. Pours a black color with a dark tan, average, pillowy head which is mostly lasting but leaves minimal lace. Nose is nice and bold but simple; dark chocolate, lots of cedar hops, light burnt wood, burnt caramels, faint toasted wheat, and some chicory. Flavor is full of dark chocolate notes, chicory coffee, burnt toast, faint expresso, and some mild hint at the wheat in the beer, faint raisin and some light estery notes. Palate is medium to full, soft to lively, and velvety. Finishes with some lingering dark bread notes, chicory, light coffee acidity, and esters of the yeast. One of the more interesting Imps with the wheat added but lacking the great malt depth and superb palate and appearance of other great examples of the style. Surprising, interesting and worth a try for any dark beer lover. Something new from the European brewers, and in a style which can be overdone.

Bottle marked batch nr. 74. Pours a black body with reddish hue and a huge, generous, brown foam head. Nice aroma of firewood/ash and coffee with a hint of cocoa. Medium-bodied with a silky smooth mouthfeel. Somewhat subdued flavors of roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. Dry, slightly bitter coffee and ash aftertaste. Actually quite drinkable for an imperial stout.

from crackedkettle.com - black coloured with a firm dark beige head; solid aroma of ashes and mocha; roasted with a touch of vanilla; thick and oily, good malt body, quite harsh bitterness; long roasted coffeish aftertaste with hints of chocolate and cocoa

500ml Bottle- Black in colour with a small tan head. Raisins, malt and coffee in the aroma with a hint of aniseed and alcohol also creeping in. Initially quite tangy and smooth on the tongue, it then becomes rich yet drinkable. Coffee, plain chocolate and raisins in the taste with a noticeable but not overwhleming alcoholic finish in which a coffee taste lingers.

Bottled. Batch NR. 93. Brewed Sept. 07. Best before Sept. 11.<P>Beer is very dark brown, opaque. Looks like used motor oil. Head is huge, rich light brown, frothy. Diminishes slowly, ultimately survives.<P>The aroma is packed with roast, dark fruits. Malty with moderate notes of mellow roasted grain, coffee, lighter tones of milk chocolate, cookie; Hoppy with light-to-moderate notes of resin/pine, herb; Yeasty with a light note of earth-floored cellar; Light-to-moderate notes of concentrated black fruit, lighter notes of alcohol.<P>The flavor is a wall. Moderately sweet, moderately-to-heavily bitter, moderately acidic with a long, warm, lightly-to-moderately bitter, lightly-to-moderately sweet, trace acidic finish. Touch of astringency accompanies the warm, resin-laced aftertaste.<P>The body is full, the texture is velvety and the carbonation is average.<P>Solid solid Impy Stout