Ægir Tors Hammer

Brewed by Ægir Bryggeri
Style: Barley Wine
Flåm, Norway

Bottle @ Henriks Øl- og Vinstove in Bergen, Norway. Pours like syrup with virtually no head. Amber/brown color, reminds me of maple syrup. Intense malt sweetness pierced by a - for my taste - hoppy bitterness which isn’t too well balanced - a bit of storage would perhaps blend it in better? Ægir Bryggeri still has a lot of potential yet to be unfolded with this one. Nevertheless, a good, strong brew best enjoyed in small portions - shared a 0,5 litre bottle with a friend, which was just perfect. Well suited for the long, dark nights of winter Norway.

Bottled. Sweet caramel, cordials, malt. Bittersweet. Syrup-like, this is for small sips. A warm welcome to a style that has been lacking in Norway.

Small offwhite head. Muddy opaque amber body. Sugary malts and toffee aroma with alcoholic citric fruity hop notes. Intense bitter-sweet oily toffee and citric alcohol taste with earthy floral marzipan notes. Mid-bodied. Sharp, hot mouthfeel, quite harsh still. Bitter orangey chocolate aftertaste with lemony floral pea notes. Doesn’t taste of alcohol very much, but it sure burns. A bit raw and green still, and the rating reflects that. Will rerate when it has had time to age. Should improve immensely with age. (0.5l bottle, Olympen, Oslo.)

50cl bottle at Olympen.  Batch 074BW. best before 2014-05-12. It poured a very hazy reddish brown colour with a small light brown head that settled down fast in the glass. Aroma is very hoppy with notes of malt, brown sugar and alcohol. some apples and yeast. The flavour is bitter and hoppy with lots of alcohol. notes of dark caramel and apples. Medium long aftertaste.

500ml bottle, 074BW, bb.12.05.2014, of this heavy stuff at Olympen, some of the content was shared with Øyvind. Hazy, dark-orange body with lots of small dimples on the surface. Aromatic to the nose with its nice blend of dried and sappy fruits. Plenty of tasty dried fruits in flavour stimulated by orange succulence. Lingering, dry bitter ending. Tingling alcohol warmth. Strong and full bodied. Maybe a bit over the top, but first of all pure pleasure. Looking forward to enjoy another one during the upcoming Arctic darkness (Oslo, 13.10.2009).

0.5 L bottle@Olympen, Oslo. A thin yellow tanned head covering an opaque, brownish-red body. Very aromatic; plums, raisins and tinned dark fruits, toasted malts and caramel, grassy and earthy hops. Packed with flavors. Full malty, sweet caramel, with sourish undertones. Also a plummy fruitness, notes of dried dark fruits and berries. A good amount of flavoring (earth and spice) and bittering hops to balance. Pleasantly warming alcohol throughout. Quite edgy on the palate, will problably benefit from aging a year or more. Yet a very well-crafted, balanced and potent BW.

500 ml bottle @ Olympen. Hazy, reddish brown body with a thin beige head. Aroma of sweet malt, dry fruit and some caramel. Flavor is sweet malt, caramel, dry fruit and warming alcohol and quite bitter with a spicy touch. The body has a rich maltyness, close to sticky, but the alcohol and bitterness manage to create a fine balance and makes the beer more hot than sticky . A nice beer for sipping during the dark and cold season. Still a bit raw, great potential here for storage I think.

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is formidable 13.25%. Very cloudy brown colour, moderate creamy head. Pleasant aroma of malts, caramel and raisins. Incredibly warming mouthfeel. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness, notes of rum-raisin and caramel, balanced by a distinct hoppy bitterness in the finish.