Haandbryggeriet Dark Force

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

(Batch #74) Appearance: Pours a black body with garnet-hued edges and an immense, tan-colored head. Smell: An aroma truly immersed in dark, roasted malts. Strong notes of everything from French Roast coffee to unsweetened chocolate to leather to anise to the smokey, scorched remains of a burnt down wooden structure. Pushing my nose past all that, there’s even a handful of blueberries in there. Taste: A rich, hearty bittersweet chocolate flavor starts things off, followed by dark roasted coffee. The moderate sweetness is always kept in check by the soul-crushing roastiness. Mellow blueberry fruitiness. A burnt, ashen quality begins the build. Herbaceous hops, along with anise, tobacco, and a teaspoon of grappa lurk in the long, lingering finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Sharply carbonated. Drinkability: An impressive, very well-crafted beer that’s sure to please!

500 ml bottle: jet black with a huge head. straight coffee and dark chocolate nose. low carbonation despite the vigorous head but still quite thick. strong coffee and bitter chocolate flavors. the 9% is well hidden. awesome beer.

Will pour a five+ finger light brown head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Total black color. Light medium carbonation and heavy bodied. Semi-sweet chocolate nose. Flavor is a sweet biting chocolate with a bakers chocolate finish. Wheat is hidden but there is a lot of yeast left in bottle. $8.40 for a 500ml bottle from Tully’s Beer and Wine Wells, ME.

Bottle 500 ml
Appearance :Dark brown going into black, large, creamy off brown top.
Nose :Sweet malts with hint of roast and smoke, high hops on top.
Flavour/Palate : Medium bodied. Roasty character mixed with ales carbonation and coco beans. Medium drying alcohol. Satisfying.

Imperial wheat stout is fair description. Medium body with tan head. Lacing is like a honeycomb of bubbles that recedes like an ocean wave. Roasty and sour bitterness that impaired palate and aftertaste. Hints of beef and chocolate. Very faint oily, metalic soapiness. Cool label.

Bottle from Premier Gourmet. Black body with a huge billowy brown head. Muted aroma, dusty malt, light roast, dry aroma. Extremely muted hints of fruit. Flavour is richer, rounded fruity undertones to dark malt, very light acidity. Finish is bitter mildly alcoholic roast. (7+) Average to medium palate. (3+) Nice but I don’t really want another per se.

Pours black with a moderately thick dark tan head. Heavy roast cocoa and light wheaty phenols in the aroma. Further examination elicits a mild coffee-like aroma. The palate is nice and creamy, and not too thick. The roastiness gets subdued by an undertow of wheaty characteristics - a slightly silty mouthfeel and some yeastiness. The roast is apparent, however, and there is a bit of it lingering during the finish. The taste seems pretty mild compared to the other sensory cues from this brew. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting brew.

Caramel-fringed ebony. Big-bubbled beige head slowly collapses before dispersing and forming a jagged collar. Classically vinous and fruity beneath the lively aromatics of chicory, cocoa, airy phenols, charcoal, salmiakki, matchsticks, and roasted malt hulls. Natural carbonation expands softly and provides a velvety caress. Brash, airy phenols immediately poke through, mirroring the equally snappy and brisk roast. Malt definition is remarkably clear-cut. Earthy roast evokes thoughts of potting soil and parallels the earthiness of the java. Seamless transition into a poignant bite of char which enhances the abrupt dryness and impeccable attenuation. Finesse and refinement are highly evident throughout, as the malts, in particular, possess much more cleanness and depth than chewiness or palate-pummeling beefiness. Whispers of metallic char and bittersweet chocolate beautifully thwart the already sparse sweetness and heighten the drinkability. Silky and gooey-fudge-laden, yet slightly ashy in texture. Closes dryly, raisiny, and lightly weighted, yet well-textured and deep as all get out, with fudge, bittersweet chocolate, and ashen malts dovetailing with the lingering custard-like richness and pistachio-like yeast tailing. After talking some time to fully reveal her modest yet complicated character, she eventually opens up to express her clean, pure, and blissful nature. In contrast to all the brutish Imperials out there, this comes as quite the refreshing change of pace.