Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood

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

1 PINT 9 FL OZ- Pours dark red to almost black with a nice thick bubbly head similar to a Belgian beer, aroma is fruity and floral. The taste is not what I expected, it has a very smoky taste to it, very interesting. I have to say this beer is one of the most creative beers i’ve ever had.

Bottle, 50cl - Clear firey red beer with a large beige head. Aroma is malty with notes of smoked salami, wood and roasted malts. Flavor is malty with strong notes of smoke, puffed rice, sour wood and coffee.

Murky amber, offwhite head. Roasted malt in aroma. Starts sweet but turns quickly into smoky roastiness. Hints of pine. Finishes with well balanced slight bitterness.

Bottled:
Pours hazy brown with a dense head. Campfire smoke and juniper on the nose. Flavour is dry and smoked with juniper and some sour notes in the background. Very balanced and thirst quenching.

(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.