Haandbryggeriet Dark Force

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

bottle / batch 75 - pours thin and jet black with big brown head that settles down to a nice lasting layer; malt and chocolate aromas mixed in with wheat; flavors of roasted malts and coffee; drinks thin and dry with slight bitter aftertaste

Rerate Missing that ashtray flavor to it this time around - much more pronounced aroma. Original 3.6 Savannah, Ga. - Habersham Beverage Warehouse, 500 ml. bottle. Black tar pour with an ever present thick khaki colored head that leaves a generous coating of lacing. Aroma is reminiscent of fresh whipping cream, some roasted coffee as it settles some aroma does not match the intensity of the flavor or appearance. Flavor has some smoky notes with some roasted coffee, a bit of potting soil, very bitter dark baker’s chocolate. Finish has a bit of an ashtray essence to it though - very similar to the taste one has in their mouth the day after smoking a cigar. Thickish mouthfeel - but diminished a bit by the ashtray notes. Still an enjoyable beverage however - will look for more of them in my travel.

Bottle. Pours as dark a black as any beer I have seen. Dark fizzy tan head that takes forever to dissipate. The aroma is of dark chocolate, roasted malts, light coffee. The flavor was a bit harsh. The stout flavors came roaring out at you, with chocolate, coffee, and bitter roasted malts. Not a very smooth finish, but a very full flavored beer.

Jet black. Small, creamy, dark tan head never dissipates. Aroma is roasted grains, some tangy wheat, bittersweet dark chocolate, subtle vanilla, and a light dose of old wet wood. Flavor is similar with even more roasted bitterness, some coffee grounds, resinous hops, marshmallow, and zero old wood. Finishes with hops, roast, and wheat. Full body is smooth, creamy, and lightly resinous. Nice change of pace for the style, excellent brew.

Pours very dark brown with a nice dirty brown head. The aroma has creamy chocolate, roasted malt, underlying nectar fruits and lots of cream. Medium body with some sharpness and minor prickly carbonation. The flavor starts with sharp bitterness and heavily roasted dark chocolate - more sharp than smooth. The finish is very sharp and bitter. As it warms up it tends to get more tinny as well.

Batch 75. Black with rocky, tan (almost brown) head. Good lacing. Sweet aroma with a hint of roastiness. Some raisins. Taste is moderate roasted malt. Bitterness. Good mouth feel. More of a strong porter. Not strong enough to be an imperial stout. Good, though.

Tasted at Internasjonalen 24. Nov -07. A pitch black beer with lots of brown head. Had the aroma of red berries, wheat and something burnt. Very promising. Its finely blended with some sweetens, but also some bitterness from the roast. Very integrated alcohol

Batch 73, Brewed April 2007; Sampled November 2007
Very well carbonated, and as I pour it the aroma makes me think of Brettanomyces. The head is somewhat large bubbled in consistency, initially four-fingers thick and even flows over the rim of my glass a bit; it is a light brown color and is quite long lasting. The beer is almost black in color and is quit opaque. Aromas of dark malt, toasted grain, toasted bread crust, coffee, ample chocolate and perhaps a bit of traditional, sharp wheat aromatics are noticeable underneath all of dark, roast character. Once I get into it, the aroma is not nearly as funky as I thought it would be (at least from those initial Brett infused overtones); it is still here though, much more subtle, but with a distinct vinous character as well as some aromas of tart fruit. This mostly smells like a roasty stout, a touch of tartness and grain character that could be attributed to the wheat as well as a touch of funkiness.

Much more funky in the flavor than the aroma ended up being, though it is still somewhat subtle, or at least I could see how it could be missed given all of the roast grain flavors that are here. Fairly light bodied (definitely lightened by the Brett / funk), though it does retain a soft creaminess, that is able to show through the ample carbonation. A few quick swirls of my glass frees up some of the excess carbonation and softens the beer a bit more. The beer in the near finish has a light tartness to it that is contributed by burnt grain, the wheat and most likely some of the funk. This tartness is superseded in the finish though by a sharp, lingering, burnt bitterness. Funky notes of moldy cotton and musty wood also linger in the finish. Really though the roast grain is what dominates the flavor profile here; flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, chalky roast grain husks, well toasted whole wheat crust and sour / bitter espresso. This has some fruitiness to it as well, of course the fruit tastes like it has been well burnt underneath a broiler, but it does evoke taste memories of burnt prunes, roasted figs and perhaps a touch of raisin.

As the beer warms, the funk begins to pick up a sharpness, almost a harshness that can at times muck the finish up a bit. Still this is a pretty good brew. I’ll have to see if I can get a fresher example of this brew to see what that is like (though for a beer of this type, seven months should be nothing).