Haandbryggeriet Porter

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

Very roasty, bitter ash and smoke coming through. Lots of character, though not quite enough body. Good hoppy character and interesting, particularly the smoke flavors. Nice. Too dark for a porter, however. No red around the edges.

Pour is black with a dark dark brown big bubbled head...smell is toasty and roasty with notes of smoke and wood...chocolate and coffee too...taste is rich and sweet at first with chocolate and prunes...then the lively mouthfeel changes to a woody bitter hop flavor and finish...

I am bored with porters lately but this is a cut above. Oak in the aroma, as well as roasted malt. Some herbal/vegetable character as well as more malt. Fairly dry, and a heavy palate. A world class porter.

Sampled at Cellars Wine & Spirits in St Paul, Minnesota and shared by Badgerben. Pours an opaque dark brown brew with a thick and creamy light tan head. Aroma of toasted dark malt, a touch of molasses, coffee and dark chocolate. Taste is medium bodied, some light carbonation with flavors of toasted dark malt, some bitter light chocolate, flowery hops and a touch of oak. Finish is semi-dry, light bitterness with some chalky texture in the finish. A solid porter throughout.

Bottle as Haand Norse Porter. Batch #79. Aroma of molasses, anise, charred malt, salted seaweed, leather and vanilla. Unique. Pours opaque brown with a thick, dense and lasting dark khaki head. Flavor is loaded with tons of bitter astringent malt. Wet leather. Black dirt. Very ashy and dry. Medium bodied with a lasting charred and ashy finish.

Bottle shared with Blankboy, Hogtown Harry, and Garthicus, courtesy of Harry. Nice aroma - subtly sweet with hints of chocolate. Black with very little head. Good taste - cola, molasses, slightly lactic. Perfect thin porter body to accentuate flavours. Great carbonation. A simple beer perfectly executed to raise itself a few levels higher. Enjoyable.

Bottle. Batch 78. Rich dark brown beer with a huge tan head. Chocolate aroma with light roast. Chocolate, light roast, coffee flavor with enough hops to balance. Medium body. Chocolate, coffee, mocha lingers.

Black color with a thin head. Strong aroma of coffee, salt and dry chocolate. Very bitter malt taste, coffee and salt. Just a little oak and hop bitterness at the end. Really nice.