Archive for the 'Haandbryggeriet' category
Mikkeller “Beer Geek Breakfast” Stout
This, while labeled as being from the brewery “Gourmetbryggeriet”, I do believe to have come from the folks at Haandbryggeriet due to similarities in all respects of the beer’s packaging (and the latter part of the brewery name). I’m not sure what those crazy Norse folk are doing but, for simplicity sake, I’m giving this credit to Haandbryggeriet, so correct me if you learn something different!
So, I’ll make this one quick. This is a breakfast stout involving oats and coffee. It pours a motor oil brown with a diminutive caramel head. There is a delicious aroma of coffee with a slight nuttiness and the lightest toffee sweetness. In the mouth, there is a ton of coffee here, and a bit of nutty bitterness. At the very back of the mouth, a fairly substantial sweetness creeps up and rules the aftertaste. And, that’s about it. It’s a good beer, but not terribly complicated. A bit more bitter than most coffee stouts, and a bit less heavy on the sweet aspects. Frankly, this would be a good beer if I hadn’t had the Terrapin Wake n’ Bake or the Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout. The problem is that I have had both of these beers and they absolutely blow the roof off the mother when it comes to the breakfast stout category. So, I’d have a hard time recommending this beer, which is both less tasty and more expensive. Nevertheless, if you’re really into breakfast stouts and feel the need to try everything on the market, then go for it! But, if you’re just looking for the best of the genre, stick to the aforementioned brews.
HaandBryggeriet Norwegian Wood
I had no intention of reviewing tonight so I thought had chosen a beer that Ben had already written about. Turns out I was mistaken so as I sit here and watching what has amounted to a home run derby in thhe 5th game of the NLCS I am going review this rather ambiguous beer. I say this because the brewers classify this beer as a “traditional Norwegian Smoked Ale with Juniper Berries.” I don’t frequent the Scandinavian countries, well ever, so my first and only experience with a Norwegian beer was with the last HaandBryggeriet beer I drank. It was okay but nothing special. I remember being more impressed by the uniqueness than the taste. Let’s see what this beer has to offer.
This beer looks muddy not because it’s thick but because it looks like dirty water, kind of a medium brown, and boasts an off-white head that sticks around for the duration of the drinking experience. It isn’t a substantial amount of head but rather pillowy covering that dissipates into a small ring that settles on the top, much like a sticky film on grimy water. It smells very smokey (who would have guessed) and has a slight chocolatey sweetness. The smoke in the taste is much more pronounced, almost as if you were chewing on a burnt oak chip. The taste seems to be most apparent on the sides of the tongue and then it climbs on the middle. This is unlike anything that I have drank before. The flavors are are hitting my tastebuds in very different places and it is really throwing me off right now. The taste gets sweeter as it travels through the mouth, I’m sensing dark bitter chocolate, but ultimately ends with a burnt coffee sensation. I can’t tell if I like it or if I don’t, which is also quite rare for me because I usually don’t have any problem saying that I think I beer sucks. This certainly isn’t a beer I would drink with any regularity but it is interesting so I might return to it when I need something completely out of the ordinary.
Haandbryggeriet Dark Force
This is another of the Norwegian beers that Ben and I found at the Blue Light. This is a “double extreme imperial wheat stout” and according to the blurb on the back of the label is the only beer of its kind. I’m a bit disappointed in the Star Wars reference “…in a land far, far, away…” because it just sounds dumb and terribly outdated, but I guess if that is where they found their motivation I’ll let it pass. Problem is I’m having trouble not picturing four dudes sitting around a brew kettle dressed as Storm Troopers and speaking wookie. Nevertheless, this is a unique brew and I am anxious to try it.
Right off the bat I am surprised by the color. I was expecting a light to moderate brown hue, but it pours dark black with a caramel head. The head retention is quite impressive and could create a tremendous head-stache if you really got your upper lip in the glass. The smell does little to mask the alcohol content as it is very pronounced . That combined with the thick milk chocolate aroma makes this brew’s aroma comparable to Kahlua (sort of). I am also picking up some cherry but not with every whiff. The taste is soft and coffee-like. I would say this is an extremely subdued version of Terrapin’s Wake ‘n Bake. I can’t discern any wheat qualities but I guess the stout characteristics are covering them up, if they are intended to be there at all. Most of the flavor is experienced at the front of the tongue and then disappears toward the back. The great thing about this beer is the aftertaste. It tastes exactly like Hershey’s milk chocolate, amazing! I’m not sure what the brewers were going for. The style and presentation are strange at best but in my opinion the taste makes this beer worth trying.
