Haandbryggeriet Dark Force

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

Bottle, courtesy of jasonp. Dark brown body with a small fizzy tan head. The nose is sweet and fruity with coffee, dark chocolate, molasses and lots of plums and raisins. The flavor is moderately sweet with lots of roasted malt, coffee, bakers chocolate, molasseses and prunes. Full sticky body is moderately carbonated with a bitte,r burnt finish.

Bottle 0.5 l. Pretty much opaque brown black, some yeastlike substance on the bottom which requires some bottle turning. Absolutely beautiful nose, even when a bit too cold. Sweet, fresh, candy and fruits, even chocolate milkshake. Very unlike any I’ve experienced before. Flavor is highly roasted, almost espressolike with some smokiness and chocolate, yet quite fresh (wheat?) compared to other imperial stouts. Alcohol nicely hidden. Doesn’t feel as thick as it looks. Still absolutely beautiful brew. Really really good.

Pours black with a nice mocha head. Roasted malt dominates with some oak and just a bit of farmhouse funk. Taste is dry oak with a bit of oatmeal, hint of dark fruit and a touch of sweet and bitter chocolate at the end. Just a bit too lively on the mouthfeel for me. If the carbonation was taken down a notch this would be top notch.

Bottle (batch 73, brewed April 07, BB4 April 2010). Sweet, rich gourmet chocolate nose with thick peanut buttery yeast, dark pitted fruit in the bg, with strong wheat overtones. Nice cream scent, and that’s full cream, not just lactose. Pitch pour under a big, stiff, firm, super long-lasting lacing light brown head. Dry taste with lots of roast and toast, and by the oblique tones, seems more likely that the mystery ingredient is oatmeal than wheat. Very dry with light-medium bitterness. Lightly warming, dark chocolaty finish and aftertaste, a little oily but not off-putting. Easy-drinking. A burned oatmeal stout, by taste, and not all that big - but still pretty good!

I like the aroma a lot with a ton of dark roasted malt and sweet fruit. The appearance is super deep brown with a large foamy tan head. The flavor is like the aroma. The palate is thick. Overall a good beer.

500ml bottle. Brown head. Pitch black. Aroma of roasted malts, sweet. Palate is thick, not much carbotante, very pleasant. Flavours of roasted malts, coffee and sweet raisins. Bitterish end. Very well balanced beer. side note: I can’t distinguish wheat from this.

Poured black with good size brown head. Aroma of sweet malt and chocolate. Chocolate, sweet malt, coffee, and bread flavors present and finished rather harsh.

500 ml. bottle from 2007. This poured out a solid black with a massive mocha brown head that had good durability and left a thick, but spotty, lace. Rather unique aroma with notes of burnt coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and pepper. Bitter malt flavors predominate, and very little sweetness is noted, and the bitterness lingers, although not objectionably. The medium/full body and carbonation match well with the aroma and flavor, and there is a certain chewiness in the bitter, and mildly astringent, finish. Other that the huge head, I’m not sure what the wheat malt brings to the table here. I think the usual wheat flavors and aromas are just overshadowed by all of the dark malt. Still, it’s an enjoyable beer.