Haandbryggeriet India Pale Ale

(Draught at Olympen, Oslo, 5 Nov 2009) Hazy amber colour with brief, beige head. Fruity nose with citrus (orange, mandarin) and dried apricots. Fruity, hoppy taste with notes of orange, mandarin, dried apricots and fresh citrussy hops in a bitter finish with a warming touch of alcohol. Slightly above medium body, balanced sweetness, generous bittterness. Nice and tasty IPA.

si presenta benissimo,gialla paglierino,con una bellissima schiuma bianca,compatta e persistente!!!! al naso lascia un ottimo odore, leggermente amara e luppolata.e delicatamente acida.secondo me anche leggermente affumicata. sicuramente da bere di nuovo!

Bottle, batch 199, "Norwegian IPA" Shared at rating session in Tromsø 24.sep.09. Pours a murky orange-brownish colour, with greyish foam. Smells and tastes of vinegar and yeast. This was a big surprise, as I’ve always loved their IPA. When checking with the brewery they confirmed that the beer was defective due to problems at the brewery. This affected some of the batches. I will buy an other bottle. The "Norwegian IPA", with the green label is replacing the "India Pale Ale" (shown at the picture). I do not like the new design: it’s all green, so the characteristic fingerprints are hardly visible. I hope the beer is better than the design, next time I try it.

Bottle Batch 155 Pours a cloudy copper golden with a big white head. The head is bubbly and deminishing. Spotty lacing. Aroma is sour, floral, and bubble gum. Has a good carbonation. The flavor is decent. Has a good balance. Blended well. Good hops with a nice sweetness. The texture is on the dry side. Has a good finish. A decent aftertaste. The body is medium. A little differnt but good.

Batch 155 - THis one is strange - it’s labeled "IPA", but the nose is distinctly Sour/funky brett-like yeast, a little hop showing. Flavor is funky barnyard sourness with just a slight hop kick towards the finish and some sweet hay as it warms...............as an IPA, it’s not good................As a sour ale/saison/wild ale, it’s not bad. Im not sure what to do with this one.

Bottle, Batch 155, pours coppery with a big off white head. Aroma is is sweet malt, sourness, and a hint of hops. Flavor is spicy, belgian malt, light hop, fruitiness, and a bit of alcohol.

Bottle from my Secret Santa - thanks, Santa! As others have noted, this is certainly a slightly odd rendition of an English IPA. When I first poured it - lovely, by the way, with a cloudy amber body and a big creamy head - I noticed a somewhat sour aroma, and wondered if they’d mislabeled Haandbak. Well, not that sour. But while it’s plenty hopped and has some evident malts, there’s something about the tart element here that makes this one kinda like Struiselensis or something like that. Wasn’t what I was expecting, but I kinda dug it.

Bottle, thanks to akevitt for sharing. Batch #155. Odd aroma on this one - reminds me of belgian malts along with some spice notes and faint hops, along with a sour beer scent. Flavor is mainly malts with hardly any hop flavors along with a weird mint tone. Finish is metallic and bitter. Smooth medium-bodied mouthfeel with a nice, light carbonation. It’s possible this one sat around too long.