Narren
Hantverksbryggeriet AB

NarrenNarren
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From:
Hantverksbryggeriet AB
 
Sweden
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
ABV:
5.7%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.8 | pDev: 9.74%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
11
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 10, 2015
Added:
Feb 14, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
The name means "the Jester". All the brews from this micro brewery got names from medieval titles.
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Ratings by bark:
Photo of bark
Reviewed by bark from Sweden

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beige foam is extremely large and quite firm. The somewhat cloudy liquid is deep copper coloured.

The smell is very “alive”, and got flavours like yeast, soap, sweet malt and malt vinegar.

The carbonation is very low, as one could have expected from the high foam.

The taste is somewhat sourish, but very pleasant with a growing sweetness. The aftertaste got a fine, mild aftertaste with a bitter touch.

A good mild ale? Yes. An Extra Special Bitter? No...
Feb 14, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.25 by Mattias from Sweden

Jan 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 01, 2014
Photo of stcules
Reviewed by stcules from Italy

3.48/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Dark amber color, a bit of hazyness. Beautiful off-white foam, very creamy.
Lightly malty smell, toasted malt, hop well present, but not overwhelming. Fresh and grassy.
At the taste again a good amount of fresh and grassy hop, on a malty base, with light toasted notes.
Pleasant.
Average body, with a good and quite long aftertaste.
Dec 12, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by Harkrank from Sweden

Aug 05, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by aztraz from Sweden

Jul 06, 2012
Photo of Rapax
Reviewed by Rapax from Sweden

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Nice brown colour, but a little cloudy. Foam is great, though, and if you try to wait it out the bar will close on you.

Smell is really fruity for the type, and very complex. There are hints of dark malts, a little sourness and a hop character that feels genuinely british.

Taste brings fruit in abundance, dark caramel sweetness, a little dry roast and an almost metallic and definitely flowery hoppyness. You might think that this beer tries to go in all directions at the same time, and you are correct, but somehow it works really well. Bitterness is balanced against fruit and caramel.

A beer that could have been too heavy weighs in just right due, in most part, to beeing enormously fruity. Perfect foam and good mouthfeel.

Overall, yes, I will have another one.
Jun 01, 2011
Photo of rarbring
Reviewed by rarbring from Sweden

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
The beer is brown, clear with hints of ruby, an off-white head leaving some lacing.

The smell is rather complex, yeast, stable, brown bread and some dried fruits.

Upfront rather sweet, plum marmalade on burned brown toast, actually some bitter coffee bean notes. An inkling of yeast as well.

Rather little carbonation, somewhat watery feeling, but a dry finish.

Even tough a bit uneven this beer has it's merits. Too little hops to be an ESB though.
Sep 03, 2010
Photo of ohoh
Reviewed by ohoh from Sweden

4.2/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had this at Tempo in Malmö, Sweden. Glad to see it on tap, and I compared it to the classic ESB from Fuller's (also on tap). Good price as well (52 SEK for a pint, it cost 80 for a 33cl bottle). I was surprised to find many differences.

It pours hazy red-brown, with a beige foam. Looks a bit more rough than the refined British equivalent.

Smells pretty much the same, a deep smell, albeit with less bitter notes. When I taste it I find much more sweetness, and it's a little lighter. Also, and this is the main thing, it feels spicy and intriguing. My first thoughts are: I'm sold.

It's not nearly as bitter and I think it probably shouldn't be called an ESB, although I don't really know what. It leaves a great appeal for more, and I think I would have many more had it been such a night.

I'm going back for more.
May 06, 2010
Photo of Ljunkan
Reviewed by Ljunkan from Sweden

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
It's always fun to taste a beer from a micro/craft brewery you haven't tried something from before. When talking about craft brewery... "Hantverksbryggeriet" translates to that.

Pours a hazy copper color with a stable white head.

Aroma is maybe not that powerful, but still nice; caramel, citrus hops, some pineneedle.

Taste is first malty and caramely. Notes of toffee and citrus. It ends with a good bitterness. Quite aromatic hoppy with a good malty backbone.

It's very filling and nice in the mouth. Probably because it's on tap. Carbonation is medium with and it feels mediumbodied too.

Very drinkable! A typical session bitter you can have a few pints of a day at the pub. Good!
Nov 27, 2008
Photo of Bananaman
Reviewed by Bananaman from Sweden

4.18/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
It is always nice to try beers from small micro breweries, and this one is no exception.

Looks nice, a deep brown color with a nice beige head.

Smells weak but good of typical English hops and malts, some notes of caramel too.

Tastes very bitter and hoppy, some rosted malts and notes of caramel too.

All and all a nice ESB from Hantverksbryggeriet.
Nov 27, 2008
Narren from Hantverksbryggeriet AB
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 11 ratings