Haandbryggeriet Porter

Brewed by Haandbryggeriet (Norway)
Style: Porter
Drammen, Norway

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

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Brewed June 2007; Sampled March 2008
Very well carbonated, a careful pour yields a four-finger thick, lightly browned head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is an opaque, concentrated, dark-chocolate brown to black color, but does in fact show a touch of ruby hues through it if held up directly and at the right angle to the light. The aroma is slightly vinous (earthy notes are mixed in here), with roasty dark malt notes. Substantial toasted grain, browned bread and dark chocolate notes are noticeable towards the end, while up front notes of wine-like berry notes, burnt plums and brown malt plays a prominent role. Wood-like, earthy and almost a mushroom like aromatic notes provide a bit of an edge to a normally clean style of beer (at least from a modern perspective); for some reason it makes me thing of fermented cocoa, but I don’t even know what that really is.

Lightly sweet up front with a burnt plum note. As the beer moves across the tongue it picks up substantial roast grain flavors, but then starts to pick up a funky, vinous, earthy, wild mushroom flavor to it that ultimately dissipates under a bitter, burnt grain character that lingers on in the finish. Soft chocolate flavors and the omnipresent burnt malt flavors are clearly the dominant flavors of this brew, but there is just enough light funk to add some interesting notes to this beer. I am quite impressed with how the vinous, woody, earth notes intermingle with the roast character, but don’t overwhelm or put this beer out of balance. As the beer warms up a bit the texture moves from being a little on the thin side to having enough heft to balance the flavors of this beer. The malt also provides a touch more sweetness and a bit more cocoa flavors than it did before. The roast notes become a touch lest acidic, a bit less bitter and more rounded as the beer warms up to, this really allows the underlying earthiness of the brew to open up.

An interesting brew, the funky notes seem to be just starting to be apparent here. I have a feeling that this isn’t going to be getting much better though as the stronger the funk gets the more it will clash with the dark malt character. My recommendation is to drink it up. It has probably lost a bit of body and malt richness at this point, but the earthy, vinous flavors add some variety and complexity to this brew that would not otherwise be here. I would really like to think that this captures the character of a Porter from the 1800s, fresh porter blended with an old funky version.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson AZ

500 ml bottle into pint glass, batch 158, bottled 5/8/2008. Pours a nearly pitch black color with a small 1 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Some slight spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of big raisin, plum, chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, biscuit, wood, herbal, and a touch of smoke. Nice and pleasant aromas; with good strength and balance. Taste of chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, raisin, licorice, biscuit, herbal, coffee, and slight smoke. Slight roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, coffee, biscuit, licorice, and raisin on the finish for a good bit. Very nicely balanced flavors, with a nice big malt backbone that is not cloying. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a very nice creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel. No alcohol noticed at all as expected. Overall this is a very nice and pleasant porter. Nicely balanced and robust flavor profile; and very smooth. Really enjoyable stuff.

UPDATED: APR 24, 2012 50 cl bottle @ home, brewed 18 Dec. 2009, enjoyed 22 April 2012. Very dark, almost black color. Head is almost brown, mocha colored, huge, with some retention. Aroma’s: dark malts, roast, coffee-ish, some chocolate, some berries (red fruit), a hint of toffee, not at all old. Flavor is medium sweet, roasted, slightly salty. Body is medium. Finishes with roast, slightly salty. After drinking half of this bottle, then sealing it and drinking the rest the next day, the beer had become much more chocolaty, in both aroma and flavor (and less fruity). Just lovely!

0.5l bottle. Have been working a while to get this one, so let’s hope it tastes as it should! It starts of as a slow gusher all over my kitchen table. The color is deep deep brown and it has a massive but fading brown-ish head. It has a mild roasted aroma with tones of licorice, cocoa, chocolate and leather and dust. Not extreme but quite nice. Lively carbonated and it has a medium oily texture in the mouth. Flavors also roasty and kinda sweet with mainly licorice. Also I get both chocolate and leather before it fades over to cold bitter hoppy and coffee-thing in the finish with a subtle oxidized hint and a spider web-like aftertaste. Unfortunately a bit overcarbonated, but it was still quite tasty. 02.03.2012

500ml bottle ["Norse Porter" batch 261]. Gusher. Black with huge frothy beige head. Aroma has cocoa, nougat, dark chocolate, coffee, leather. Taste starts with dark fruit (blueberry), has dark bread, chocolate, a yeasty overtone. Some grain in the otherwise chocolate dominated aftertaste. Rich, complex, diversified.

Black as night. Small tan head. Smoky toasted and vanilla aromas. Some oak magic with a smoky taste. Not as full flavored as I expected. Baking cocoa finish? woody aftertaste.

2009 Vintage 50 cl. bottle shared @ New Years Eve @ friend’s house – courtesy of me – purchased @ Alvinne – chilled on the balcony instead of the fridge – served in wine glasses: pours a black to extremely dark brown (lovely colour) with a serious big coffee head – smells very thick, dark chocolate malts, sweet, touch milk chocolate, thick dark fruits, hint molasses, roasted malts & dark bread – taste-wise everyone immediately proclaimed this a smoked beer, I understand where they are coming from, the roast on this one goes definitely into smoked categories especially compared with their Norwegian Wood, thick chocolate malts, love thickness & darkness of the malts of this one, almost dark bread like, lots of mellow chocolate, smoked/roasted malts, touch smoked juniper, dark fruits & hint of maple, somewhat sweet in a non-sugary & non-syrup way – serious malt-based body, this certainly doesn’t feel like a 6 % beer, medium to soft carb, nice one

Bottle:   Nearly black, moreso an extremely dark brown, large frothy dark beige head, moderate lacing.   Roasty nose, a little lactic note.   Reminds me of an English Style Robust Porter.   Mmmmm, very roasty, nice maltiness in the background, a little lactic bite but also some apple skin like sweetness.   A little dry, clean, lingering roasted malts.   Little bit of chocolate and malted milk balls ride in the background.   Good body and mouthfeel, a little viscous even.   This is quite nice.   Roasty, a little tart, but also some sweetness, with some pale fruit skin, and chocolate to round it out.   Good.

Dark brown body with fiirm, soapy tan, almost purple head. Intrueging combination of aromas with dark, bready and leathery malts together with fresher, herbal hops. Chocolate, too. Light tintling carbonation, really nice full bodied. This extends to the taste that is rich and with a pleasent lingering medium bitterness. Remains very easily drinkable though - really classy achievement especially considering the moderate ABV level. Very well executed beer and just plain tasty! (50cl bottle)

Bottle shared with evanlarkin. Very dark and clear maroon, brown edge head. Aroma of coffee grounds, vanilla, toffee. Taste is big vanilla, coffee, Hershey’s syrup. Medium body. Nice stuff.

500ml Bottle - Dark brown, almost black, with a tan head. Roasted malt, plain chocolate and coffee in the aroma. Rich and chocolatey taste with notes of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt and marshmallows.