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Haandbryggeriet Aqua Vita Porter

 (RETIRED)
Score
9393
OVERALLStyle
Formerly brewed at Haandbryggeriet (Norway)
Style: Porter
Drammen, Norway

bottled
available

on tap
unknown

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 86   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.51   EST. CALORIES: 180   ABV: 6%
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COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Aqua Vita Porter is a very special brew, this is a powerful porter that has been aged in old Akevitt barrels for several months. We use this technique to blend the 2 flavours and the process has produced a very special beer. We think the flavour of this beer must be very close to how historic porters tasted in the old days when all beers were kept in oak barrels. This is not a beer for the faint hearted, its rather rustic in flavour and aroma. The barrel ageing comes through very well in this beer, the usual acetic flavour from contact with oxygen in the barrel, the spill over of the Akevitt flavours and of course the wood flavours. All this combined with the darker malts makes it unique. And the aroma is so powerful and interesting it just makes you beg for a sip. 6% alc. ABV, 32 IBU, 112 EBC. Serving temp. 10-12C or 50-55F


2.5
   AROMA 4/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 3/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 10/20
Kestral (494) - Årnes, NORWAY - MAR 24, 2009
UPDATED: APR 1, 2009 Pours black with reddish brown highlights, no head at all apart from a small ring. Aroma is sour, vinous, smells like a really sour red wine. Berries, vanilla, some sweet chocolate malts. Taste is a lot of berrylike sourness, quite a lot like a red wine, very tangy. Dark fruits, red berries, with a little sweet, roasted malts in the background. Hints of wood, no apparent akevitt flavours. I don’t think this is balanced at all, the sourness is far too much for my liking. Body is medium to light, almost no detectable carbonation. Unlike any porter I’ve had, but unfortunately not in a good way.

2.9
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 12/20
Rune (5025) - Tromsø, NORWAY - MAR 22, 2009
500ml bottle, batch 147, shared with Hilde. Served chilled at Bar and Cigar in Oslo. Naked body with a deep, dark red colour. Smell of tannins and red wine. Acetic grapes and tangy, dark fruits in flavour with light amounts of malt in the background. Could not spot the Akevitt flavours. Slow drinking beer. Quite drinkable. However, far too vinous (13.03.2009)

4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 16/20
OleR (3670) - Oslo, NORWAY - MAR 18, 2009
Bottle, batch #147 enjoyed at Bar&Cigar, Oslo. A near black pour with a mahogny glow when holding it up to the light. Low and dense beige head, fully diminishing. Initial aroma of sour fruits, followed by some pleasant scents of spiced dark malts and wood. Taste is sour, almost tart fruity, nicely balanced by some soft malt flavors, a note of refined brown sugar and a touch of wood, caramel and mild spices, Velvetly mouthfeel. Medium body strenght. Highly enjoyable.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
steinarja (5) - NORWAY - MAR 13, 2009 does not count
Tasted this at Bar og cigar inn Oslo. It pours nice and dark, but have a smal head that didnt last long. The aroma is souer with some dark malts in the back. The taste is a fresh souernes that comes first, then some sweetnes frome dark malts and in the end you have som roastynes. The balance here is wery good. You can also taste som oak, but cant realy put my finger on the Aqua Vita, maybe some spicy notes but thats all. All in all a very good souer beer

4.5
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
thebeertourist (4060) - Oslo, NORWAY - MAR 7, 2009
Lucky to enjoy the supposedly last bottle at Olympen,Oslo. Black with a small beige froth. Incredibly sour berries, marcipane, oaky vanilla aromas. Light roast, chocolate, sour berries, vanilla oak, hints of aquavit flavours even. A masterpiece from Haandbryggeriet, probably their best and definitely world-class.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
KnutAlbert (4613) - Oslo, NORWAY - MAR 6, 2009
Dark, little carbonation. Sour ale aroma, very Rodenbach-like. This has been stored in oak casks for a long time, and the vinegar is squeezing out the aquavit flavour and any character the porter might have had. It is a splendid sour ale. The next batch will have less time on oak, and will probably be more subtle.


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