Haandbryggeriet Nissefar

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

Bottle (bought/drank in Mar 09 in Eugene, OR). Head is brown, mostly diminishing. Body is medium to dark brown, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (cookie, caramel, chocolate), lightly hoppy (flowers, herbs), with a note of plum. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Pretty mild and uneventful, but pleasant enough. Fresh bottles are hard to come by in the States...stuff that just arrived in Colorado here recently is already a year and a half old (ugh!), which I’m not even gonna bother trying. This bottle I had in Eugene was less than a year old if I remember right, but probably at least 6 months from bottling.

scura buona schiuma piuttosto persitente naso tostato liquitrizia anche un po floreale agrumato lupolatoanche in bocca corppo discreto tornano gli aromi delnaso

Twas the night before Christmas and the wife and I put on pajamas that were not matching despite the month long plea from my wife. We put the little one to bed and threw Christmas Vacation on the tube. Popped open a bottle of Nissefar and my senses were amused. A woody aroma with chocolate and spice. This was good but the flavor twice as nice. smooth and complex with nice body to boot, tobacco and dark fruits light soy in the caboose. Time to wrap presents and learn from my mentor Clark. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Holiday ale or not, this one is a decent beer. Pours near opaque black, perhaps very dark brown with light tan head that is rather thick. Nose has a chocolate-whoppers candy sweetness to it. On the palate there’s more dark chocolate coffee goodness with enough hops to balance it out so it’s not overly sweet. Rather easy drinking for the style.

bottle, batch 163. gushed when opened. cola brown with small amount of sediment particles visible. creamy brown head. nose: light note of lactic acid (yeast heavy) on top of coffee grounds, irish cream, spruce, juniper and mild roast. zesty carbonation, overly prickly and soda like on the tongue. when swirled out it’s more creamy but still with a harsh metallic tinge of isovaleic acid. flavorwise it’s more coffee, spruce, juniper, a bit of cream with moderate to heavy bitterness. whatever the intent I don’t think this beer met it.

Poured dark brown, CO2, oxidized, cola, roasted malts, dark fruits, caramel, little spice.

Dark malts, sour, very low carbonation, Nissefar is probably not a beer that will make everyone’s Christmas wishlist, but I think it’s great. The beer pours an opaque coffee black with a very small mocha head that dissipates quickly. The aroma is in the fruity stout/porter malt range with some vanilla, oak and faint souring. The flavor is sweet and sour with a soft hop bite in the finish. The mouthfeel is smooth, like drinking a beer pre-carbonation. Nissefar is a different and enjoyable experience if you don’t mind some sour in your flat porter.

Bottle poured a clear dark reddish brown with a large lasting tan head. Aromas of cola, carmel and spice. Palate was light bodied and crisp. Flavors of carmel, cola, spice and light toffee with a crisp spiced finish. This one’s a bit of a disappointment.