Tungtvann
HammerHeart Brewing Company

 

My first from this brewery, and it is quite good.
Poured transparent brown with a beige head that shows up and goes right away. As in gone. Struck me as curious for a lager, even a German one.
The taste is nice; smoked caramel forms the backbone and dark fruits with crackers fill out the rest. It all works well.
The feel was much more viscous than I expected, but then I read their intent (a take on the German Dunkel) and the feel made more sense.
OA, very glad to have been able to try this one, it was a gift from GreenBayBA.

 

Tungtvann from HammerHeart. Four pack of 16 fl oz cans, picked up at France 44, 17/07/25, $ 17.83 (Including tax)/$ 0.279 per fl oz. In the walk-in cooler at the seller, this spent the nights in hotel reefers and daytime in an insulated cooler with other cold cans and bottles. Reviewed 02/08/25 (Review 3556). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 45.8 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 50.1 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), hazy.
Body – Amber Brown (SRM 18), nearly opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, hazy amber-red and translucent.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.5 cm, aggressive center pour). Cream, high density, fizzy, rapidly deteriorating to a broken bubble ring fed by lively carbonation.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.25 – Malt and weak smoke.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins slightly sweet with malt and hints of smoke. No alcohol (8.3 % ABV, according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Mild gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium: Bordering on syrupy: Soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated can) Uncredited label artist. Malty, almost sugary. To my taste, lacking the crackery flavors of many other dunkel/lagers, but that’s not a bad thing. This really pleases my taste buds.

16oz can. No dating information found. Label has this information, "Brewed in collaboration with NORTHBOUND SMOKEHOUSE & BREWPUB with custom Birch-smoked malt.".
Looks clear, with the body color of deep amber. Off white head quickly fizzes away, but there is an active surface storm and thin ring. No lacing.
Aroma of campfire meat smoke and caramel.
Taste is smoky, more wood smoke than meat smoke. Has a caramel sweetness, also some iodine. Prune and raisin. Lingering aftertaste with the smoke and dark fruit.
Medium mouthfeel. Tingly mouth sensation with each sip, which is the only indication of the higher ABV%. Okay carbonation.
Lacks a residual foam head, but entertains with a constant surface storm of rising bubbles. Pretty amber body color and a rich flavor accented by the smoke.

It's biggest weakness is lack of or quickly disappearing head. Smell is so so.
It's smooth and the ABV is totally hidden . Kinda simple beer. Some caramel with a little dark fruit. The smoke is nice. Almost a 4.25 for taste. I would put this beer in the 3.90 to 4.1/5 range.

Appearance: Clear dark amber, ok head but fizzes out quickly.

Smell: Mild dark fruit, sweetness.

Taste: Mildly sweet dark fruit to start, then a nice oaky smoke flavor. Slick mouthfeel, doesn't feel over 8%. Finishes with the dark fruit and some lasting smoke.

Overall: A new one from Hammerheart, in collaboration with Northbound Smokehouse. A big dunkel lager with a nice mix of dark fruit sweetness and smoke. Really drinking easy for an 8.3% beer, could be dangerous!