Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood

Brewed by Haandbryggeriet (Norway)
Style: Traditional Ale
Drammen, Norway

(Bottle) Pours hazy dark amber to copper red with some brown hints. Small, creamy sand coloured head. The aroma holds clean smoke up front, more campfire and salty smoked meat than burned manure. The undertones are more complex than your regular smoked beer with notes of spicy pine, juniper berries, rosemary, blue plums and toasted/nutty/light caramelly malt alongside hints of herbal, floral and earthy hops. Light fruity, maybe even some phenols. A touch of bananas from the sweet malt and the light ester notes. Some “clean” yeast hints. Wow, this is a fantastic nose, the almost minty spiciness plays well with the smoke. The flavour is light to medium sweet and light to medium bitter. Tones of smoke, juniper berries, herbs, wood, earth, caramel, nuts, alongside a whisper of spices like ginger and cardamom. Good malt profile. The mouthfeel is clean, round and light soft with a light to medium carbonation. Finish is earthy, wooden, smokey and nutty. Medium bodied. A fantastic beer from a brewery that is about to steal the Norwegian (beer) gold medal from Nogne O.

Bottle. Tastes like a drinkable mix of sahti and stout... juniper tartness, chocolate, smokeiness,

Bottle. Reddish colour with a medium, off-white head. Aroma is of smoke with a hint of juniper. A nice smokiness like that of a camp fire. Flavour is complex and slightly acidic, a bit fruity and a bit bitter with notes of smoke and juniper. Quite a lot of juniper berries in the aftertaste. Nice beer.

Bottle. A deep ruby brown color with a medium-sized tanned head that leaves some lacings. The smell is quite pleasant with gentle smoky aromas, caramel malts, juniper, tart fruits and wood. The taste is somewhat sweet with a complementary tart fruity flavor. Kind of dense malty backbone and notes of caramel. Restrained, yet prominent smoky aromas. The juniper adds a nice fresh character to the beer. Hints of wood. The finish as a gentle bitterness to it and lingering malty flavors. Medium body, slightly sticky texture with a nice dry finish. I enjoyed this one, lovely balance between the smoke and tart fruity aromas. Easy to drink. Bottle.

Bottled home. I’ve been lokking for this beer for ages, from the descriptions alone i just knew i would like this beer. And i did. Mahogeny colored, firm head, very nice. Smoky nose with juniper, some oak. Very pleasant smoky flavor, some bitterness but very easy going, making it easy to drink. Very nice brew, for me one of the best of this brewery.

Bottle from systembolaget, Sweden. Light brown fluffy head that lingers a long time. Red-orange color. Realy nice smoke arom. Sweet taste with a rough bitterness that lasts a long time and makes this hard to consume in any larger quantities. Medium body.

Ruby brown, very large tan head, excellent lacing. Aroma is quite smoky, some fruit, musty. Flavour is not as smoky as the aroma, more fruit, some yeast, creamy. Lightly bitter mouthfeel, medium/large body, high carbonation. Finished long, smoky.

Quite nice, excellent aroma, sweetness comes through at times.

500ml bottle purchased from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York.
Opened on January 18, 2009.
Batch 72, BB April 2010.

Bottle. Pours mahogny with a yellowish head. Belgian aroma of spices and banana. Dark fruits, pine, spices and light smokey taste.