Jörmungandrsblod
HammerHeart Brewing Company

From 2016 notes. Tasted nice upfront but the aftertaste was phenolic and not a good kind of smokey...

 

The quest for a superb everyday rye is going on thirteen years now, so here we go again. 16 oz. can (solo – I’ve been hurt before).

The pour is dark red with an exploding head that sticks around long enough to wet my beard multiple times. Nice dank, spicy, earthy nose. Promising.

Jörmungandrsblod is a name I had to copy & paste, because damn. And it’s aggressive. If this beer were a flag it would be rye rampant on a field of rye. Spicy rye is dominant & it’s been dragged through a field of good black earth up around Bagley. Touch of mixed herbs. Thicker than the ABV suggests, but the excessive rye limits the drinkability.

OK! I have a limit to how much rye I want in a beer. Who knew? Still an excellent example of the style.

Can. Khaki head with a lot of lace. Dark caramel brown.

I didn’t like this very much when it was cold. As it warmed, it became very complex. The heavy rye dropped a bit and it became very resiny, dank, and sticky. Had a big west coast hop vibe, but the rye spice was still there. A bit of grapefruit and orange citrus. Very complex and enjoyable. Another fun HH beer.

From a 750mL bottle:

Appearance: Dark brown, good head.

Smell: Big rye spiciness to the aroma.

Taste: Rye and more rye flavor. Spicy rye bread backed with some citrus sweetness. A touch of orange was mentioned on the label, I think I can taste it.

Overall: I finally got around to reviewing this beer which Hammerheart has been brewing for years. I think the recipe has been modified over the years but I like the rye in this. One of the few Hammerheart beers with none or minimal smoke.

 

 

750 ml mini growler from the brewery. Poured into a Hammerheart tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep brownish amber. Moderate amount of bubbles and a solid finger of off white head that settles into a thin patchy layer.

Smell: A toasty and spicy malt driven aroma with a scent of rye and caramel. Upfront scent of rye. Malt scent of caramel, smoke, biscuit, and grains with some yeast. Earthy hop hints of grass. A pretty nice aroma.

Taste: Like it smells, a toasty, spicy, and earthy malt driven taste with notes of rye and caramel. Upfront taste of rye. Malt notes of caramel, toffee, biscuit, grains, and cracker along with some yeast. Earthy and herbal hops with some notes of grass. A very nice taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Smooth with a fairly drying finish.

Overall: A very good Rye Pale Ale. Nice mix of rye, caramel, biscuit, and grassy hop notes.

Taste: Smoked semi sweet bread rye, herbal, maple, caramel malts, coco.
Toasted woody nutty nose. Dark copper color, mostly opaque with a tan ringed lattice on the lace.
Med/Full body. Complex and unique. The name translates to..."The Serpent who Fight Thor"

On tap at the Gnome, into a cervoise. This one's unique. Pours a murky brackish red orange brown, with a finger of tight off-white head with some decent retention and good lacing. Nose has some faint smoke, some burnt caramel, some earthy rye bread (but no spice), not much in the way of a hoppy edge.

 

 

 

 

 

Almost a caramel sweetness in aroma that plays well with the spicy rye notes.

Flavor reveals light sweetness, but more specialty malt fruitiness, with a fairly bitter, earthy finish, accented by peppery rye. Smoke is subtle.