Dark Force
HaandBryggeriet

A - Pours an opaque black body, with brown-red highlights, a bit of transparency on the edges, with a short tan head, fading quickly to a thin ring. No lacing to speak of.

S - Booze and fermented grain notes, a chocolate aspect beneath, and a bit of wood and bourbon, which is interesting.

T - Solid open of molasses and dark breads and cocoa, savory notes and maltiness in the middle, and a softly ashy bitter note coming forward in the finish.

M - Moderate weight, lingering on the tongue, a bit of dryness in the finish.

O - Solid beer, delivering a delicious stout, dry with complex and varied flavor notes, and still quite drinkable and satisfying. I think I'll buy this again - such a solidly built RIS is something I'd like to explore again.

 

 

Best by 6/1/26

I just picked this up yesterday at Half Time on my way back from New York. I hadn’t been there in a minute but walked out with some cool stuff including this, my first Norwegian beer. It’s just a straightforward RIS but that sounds like a great way to end my night. Let’s get into it

Pours a murky medium brown with 2 fingers of creamy light tan head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

This is pretty classic RIS in the nose if not a bit subdued. I’m picking up on aromas of biscuity malt, cacao nib, burnt caramel, spent coffee beans, black cherry, herbal hops, black tea, light raisin, and leather

It’s more of the same in taste with just a bit more bite to it. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting cacao bin, black cherry, burnt caramel, leafy hops, molasses, raisin, biscuity malt, black tea, blackberry, and a touch of smoke. The swallow brings notes of biscuity malt, leather, burnt caramel, smoky tobacco, molasses, leafy hops, cacao nib, dark roast coffee, and raisin

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes mostly dry with a firm bitterness

It’s nothing amazing, but just a solid RIS all around

Pours an almost equal parts dark brown and black. Is it the wheat that is "lighter" than barley when roasted? Dunno, not really something comparable, this is like, the only example. 1/5" lighter brown head. Aroma just seemed like roasted malt and smoke, couldn't discern where the wheat had any different role aroma wise. I expected more of a dark fruit impression from the yeast, and given my idiosyncracies with the Russian Imperial Stout style, was kind of happy they weren't there.

Taste was nice, and right away, the taste mouthfeel combo showed me right away the difference going with a wheat imperial stout. You get a roastiness, but the sheer heft of it all wasn't there. Elements of smoke, tobacco, toffee in a minor way. Good dry finish. Well carbonated giving it a double dose of levity for a big RIS. I'd say it hid the alcohol decently.

I definitely like this more than most I've had from this brewery. Haandbic rules though.

Picked this up in Santa Fe during a recent visit.

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Very dark brown color with a thin beige head and light lacing. Aroma of dark red wine and chocolate, carries to the taste. Slightly smokey and a bit earthy with a fairly dry finish. Flavors of nuts and dark berries come out as it warms, even a bit of vanilla and nutmeg. A tad thin for an imperial stout. . A very interesting and enjoyable beer!

Going very nicely with a patio fire for our first cool evening this fall!

 

"Best before 1/6/28"; drank 8/24/24 @ the Yarchives.

Black/brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded a huge, noisy tan head; strong, frothy tree-rung lacing remained.

Marshmallow, fresh earth, mild wheat & faint raspberry notes in the nose. This smelled great!

Medium thick, creamy mouthfeel.

Milk chocolate & fresh earth flavors up front; cream & mild dry wheat notes on the finish.

Balanced, easy to drink and one I could have anytime.

 

Brewed September 9th 2015, bottled October 13th 2015. No decoding required.

Wheat malt, wheat yeast? This should be interesting.

It pours black with a pretty big head of tannish foam..nah, it's tan. Good lacing. Once things settle down, there's just a ring of foam around the glass.

That smell! Roasted malt, dark chocolate, toffee, some coffee..3 years old. The years must have been very kind; never had this fresh so I pretty much don't know what I'm talking aboot.

The taste reflects the smell with no hidden surprises. Roasted malt rules the roost with bitter dark chocolate following closely behind. Some coffee, enough for you to know that it's there. Semi sweet/bitter overall and a real treat.

Medium bodied with light carbonation...there wasn't a sound when I popped the cap.

So darn good. A revisit is mandatory.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a bottle marked batch number 572 into the test glass, served at cellar temp of 54 deg.
A - Dark all light is lost in there, a rapid almost effervescent carbonation feeds the cap. Quick to dissipate the carbonation continues to feed upward in a champagne fashion.
S - Roast grains, but delicate. Elements include burnt sugar, alcohol driven by a bit of mint. (really like that part) Raspberry, a bit of bakers chocolate, and some anise.
T - More cocoa than the aromatics let on, that hint of anise and mint blend well with a bit of tobacco, ripe blackberry, and surprisingly a thin band of smoked meat.
M - Not a hefty offering, body is medium, the carbonation is prickly and quite effective moving that hint of oily texture through. The linger is forever, sweet flavors accentuated by alcohol evaporation feeling.
O - A double Wheat Stout, easy on the palate and quite flavorful. The body is deceiving, comes across as thin but incredibly rich, dances across the palate and leaves traces for what feels like weeks. Worth the effort

 

Dont remember where i bought it. In Teku glass. Playing Brothers a Tale of Two Sons. Nicely roasted. Hints of smoke, but much softer and pleasant than in others of their beers. 50cl of impy enjoyable from beginning to end.