Haandbryggeriet Dark Force

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

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.

Date: 09/16/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip

black, fine tan head, dark chocolate and roasted aroma with a light sweet vanilla character, creamy body, rich sweet chocolate flavor, sweetness is balanced by roasted character, touch of bitterness from the roasted,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Bottle from Julios in Mass. Wow, Black pour with huge beige head. Sweet aromas of chocolate and caramel. Same in the taste but their is a hint of a dry wheaty/coffee finish. Really interesting.

16.9 oz bottle. Pours a pitch black color with a medium brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate and wheat. Taste is dominated by roasted malts and dark chocolate. Slightly bitter, but not bad overall.

meh, i guess this is a 22oz bottle, pours a nice black with a huge head like 1.5 finger head, taste is initially wheat like Oberon, then follows the delicious taste of Imp Stout.. this is delightfully different but not overwhelmingly excellent.

Well, here I sit, the night before a long drive, rating my 1000th beer! Dark Force, eh? "Double Extreme Imperial Wheat Stout," eh? Bottle from batch 73. Pours black black black with amber noticeable only at the thinnest extremities, and a rather large, rocky tan head. Before I even bring the brew to my nose, I notice aromas of raisin, blackberry, and breakfast toast. Upon closer inspection, the nose has a lot of fruity, berry like notes, some sweet chocolate and vanilla, and muffins. The flavor is bittersweet chocolate at first, with some mellow roast coffee notes, and some mild molasses and raisin. Then kick in the hops. Piney and somewhat citric, the bitterness keeps the malty notes at bay. As the bitterness softens into the finish, those berry notes come back, along with a dark fruitiness, and a brief vinous hint. The aftertaste on this lingers for a while, but is somehow balanced. That seems weird to me, a balanced aftertaste. But it is. Very harmonious. I gotta say, I’m pretty impressed.

Bottle (batch 74, May 07 production). Head is initially large, frothy, brown, mostly lasting. Body is black (not opaque, flashlight tested, although final pour is impenetrable), bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately to heavily malty (roasted grain/nuts, chocolate, coffee), lightly hoppy (herbs, grapefruit), with notes of licorice, blueberry, plum, scorched wood, lemon zest. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, creamy texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Wow. Another winner from Haand. Very complex nose with lots of subtlety, awesome balance in the mouth, luscious creamy texture, and well-hidden alcohol. It’s hard to ask for much more in a stout, really. In my top Impy list for sure. This is a great example of why bigger is not always better in this style...elegance in an Impy stout is a rare thing, but it’s something special when you can find it. Based on this and Norwegian Wood, these guys are clearly top-notch brewers.