Odin's Tipple
HaandBryggeriet

 

 

 

Rerate, 500 ml bottle, batch #676, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is still 11.0%. Impressive pitch black colour, moderate brown head. Roasty aroma, notes of dark malts, coffee, chocolate and woodwork. Roasty flavour, coffee and wood, not much acidity now. Hints of smoked malts in the finish. I’m upping it a few points.

Original rating: 500 ml bottle, batch #195, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 11.0%. Pitch black colour, one of the darkest beers I’ve ever seen. Chocolate brown medium-sized creamy head, does not last forever. Unusual aroma of dark malts, coffee, chocolate, liquorice, prunes - some vinous notes too. The mouthfeel is first surprisingly light for such a strong and dark beer, probably due to the acidity. The flavour is very acidic and lemony, which is crashing completely with the other flavour elements: smoke, tar, coffee, liquorice. I’m sorry, but adding wild yeast to this brew was not a good idea. Without the wild yeast it would have been a great beer, now it’s too much on the weird side. Nice try, but won’t buy again.

2015 bottle tasted at fridge temp (and allowed to warm for a while). Pours motor oil black with almost no head. No noise when I cracked the cap. Nose is straight black licorice, molasses, charred wood, dark chocolate, and roasted malts. The taste is smooth and intense. Tons of black licorice and burnt wood. A bit of walnuts, almonds, bread, blackberries, sponge toffee, and some leather. This is a classic (and amazing) Russian imperial stout. Mouthfeel is crazy thick and creamy. I need more of this in my life.

 

11.2oz bottle poured into a small snifter.

A: Inky black pour with a half inch of brown head that settles out after a time. Tiny dots of lacing.

S: Tons of chocolate malt and roast. German chocolate cake and chocolate truffles. Blanket of roast. Chocolate covered espresso beans. Slightly woody. Berry skins, hints of raspberry and black currant. Faint asprin/medicinal quality.

T: Wave of roast up front. Cracked French roast coffee beans, woody, mildly acidic. Lots of bitter dark chocolate. Some chocolate cake buried beneath the roast. Definite estery character of fruit skins- mostly blackberry, plum, and a bit of black currant. Static yeasty note in the background is fairly quiet, but lightly musty and almost a bit medicinal. Quick brush of spicy alcohol. Little bit of oily, balancing hop bitterness with a moderate piney flavor. Finish dries a little with a lot of lingering roast and a kiss of smoke.

M: Full bodied with some heft. Rich, chewy without being sticky, round and silky. Ample but gentle carbonation.

O: A hefty and highly roasty (but well-controlled) imperial stout that has just a faint bit of rustic yeast character. Aside from that bit of unique flair, it's pretty straightforward but also well executed. Definitely worth a look.

Poured from 11.2oz bottle at 48 degrees. Immediately surprised how smooth it is for an Imperial Stout. No real tell tail signs of bitterness. Dangerously smooth at 10%+ ABV. Wish it had a little more of a head to fill the stout glass properly. Would rank in my top 5 of the style and would drink again and again.

 

 

"Best by 5/7/2021"; drank 12/25/19 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance. An even pour yielded a small tan head; decent lace.

Fresh earth, cream, mild clove & faint berry notes in the nose.

Creamy medium mouthfeel.

Fresh earth, cream, faint clove & faint berry flavors.

Pretty thin & not real "imperial", but certainly drinkable.

 

 

 

Poured from an 11.2 oz. bottle into a tulip.

Pours nearly black and opaque, with a two-finger mottled tan foamy head. The head lingers fairly well than gives way to excellent lacing. Not as viscous as many of the style, but a nice looking brew.

The aromas are somewhat sweet for a true RIS. Chocolate, coffee, and dark fruits all are present on the nose, with booze present as well. Toasted, even charred graininess as well. Herbal notes, and a bit of anise as well. The wild yeast billed by the brewer is definitely present. A bit "off" for the proclaimed style, but very pleasant nonetheless.

The flavor follows the nose--this is a sweet malt bomb relative to the style, at least on the front of the palate, and the wild yeast again delivers. More like an American Imperial in many ways. However, as the brew crosses the rest of the tongue, tobacco, char, toasted/charred grains, dark fruits, and anise/licorice all mix and marry in solid harmony. Just a shade of booze at the finish, but the ABV is well hidden.

The brew has a full bodied feel, but it is just a shade lighter than many others of the style. Almost zero carbonation, and as a result it feels almost chalky at the finish; but definitely not sticky in any way.

This straddles the line between RIS and AIS styles. Charred and flavorful like the former, malty sweet and boozy like the latter. An excellent brew regardless of its classification.

From the 11.2oz bottle in a snifter. This decent RIS pours a murky
blackish brown with subtle brown highlights and a decent head of
tan foam that settles to a thick ring, thin light pool, and shows some
scant lacing. Nose of bitter dark chocolate malt and touches of
coffee with tons of char. Flavors follow the nose but exceed with
presentation with a bakers chocolate note that is resoundingly
bitter with a moderate coffee and heavy char. Dark fruit shows
on the rear with some warmth. Decent mouth feel; full body,
smooth, slick, coating, low carbonation, and a char and bitter
malt finish.

A solid little brew.

Cheers

 

Haand Bryggeriet Odin's Tipple Imperial Stout, 10.2% ABV. Pours black with a .33 finger brown head. Nose is faint chocolate and roast malt. Taste is roast malt, and strong bitterness. Decent mouthfeel, overall very good - just not a fan of the bitterness.