Haandbryggeriet Porter

Brewed by Haandbryggeriet (Norway)
Style: Porter
Drammen, Norway

500 ml "Norse Porter" bottle. Batch 138, brewed Jan 08. Opaque black with a large spongy head that lasts, leaving some soapy lace. Aroma is coffee, caramel, char and piquant dried mesquite/hickory (maybe Galena hops?). Flavor is chocolate-covered coffee bean, smoky mesquite, and a hint of caramel. Medium body is a little too carbonated, neither too watery nor syrupy, and fairly dry.

The aroma is cola, sweet sugars and molasses. Not feeling the love here at all. The body is deep black and holds a thinning mocha head. Tart, metallic, sharp, twangy, detergenty with some dark fruit, roast bitterness and freshly plucked, bitter herbs. My general impression is WTF? This pretty much sucks as a porter, but might be interesting as a traditional ale.

Nice dark pour, earthy aroma, brown head. Roasty and smooth, some cocoa and coffee. Kind of grassy/piney. An acceptable amount of caronation, not as heavy as I like. I am a fan of the Norweigan Porters and I thought this one was excellent, but there are others that are a little bit better.

Bottle. Almost black colour. Head is large and dark brown. Delicious sweet chocolate and coffee in aroma. Flavor is nicely bitter with lots of coffee, cocoa and and a bit of pine. Medium body. Really good and balanced porter.

Nice black pour with booming brown head. Interesting aromas come off the top, yeasty and almost citrus zests scents coupled with the toasted chocolate aromas and a distant hopppy pine quality. Nice body with a diverse flavor spectrum, evolving from wheaty and fruity notes to deep toasted espresso notes to a lingering hop bitterness. Great brew.

Bottle, batch nr 79. Pours an almost opaque black body with generous brown head. Aroma of coffee, cocoa, and malts. Bitter coffee and cocoa flavor with hints of roasted malts and smoke. Coffee finish. Medium-bodied, although a bit thin near the finish.

Near black in colour, meidum sized tan coloured head, good lacing. The aroma was roasty, some light chocolate, cocoa, some coffee and white sugar. The flavour is roasty, of cold coffee, chocolate, moderate sweetness, bready, malty and lightly burnt. Medium bitterness in the mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. FInishes lingering and sweet.

Pretty good, not the most complex of porters but the chocolate/coffee balance is quite nice.

500ml bottle obtained in a trade with TheCheeseMan, thanks Dan.
Opened on December 30, 2007
Batch #78, brewed in May 2007, BB May 2010.

Pours a very dark brown and with the fact it’s not clear, makes a pretty convincing black. The aroma is a little roastier than I expected. Milk chocolate and the slightest hint of smoke. This could pass easily for a stout, to tell you the truth.