HaandBryggeriet Dark Force Imperial Wheat Stout

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Typical solid resemblance of this style. Not really standing out as top notch, but in the group of 2nd tiers. Well balanced with the usual flavors of a Russian Imperial. Does have a little bit of an alcohol bite. I can see drinking this on a cold winter day.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

this is a nice change of pace type impy stout. smooth (from the wheat - different feel than usual) and balanced between sweet choclatey malts, a hint of smoke, licorice, and hops. Well done.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

Pours dark opaque brown withthick dark tan head that disspates quickly and does not retain well. However near the end little bubbles are seen disturbing the surface. Yeast is prevalant on the nose, seems a bit smoky, green grass and hay. Some hot chocolate like sediment that really sticks to the bottom of the glass. With some agitation I pick up a generic fake citrus smell, maybe something like white wine, gin or juniper berries or a combination of the aforementioned esoteric analogies. Wheat is apparent, gentle tartness, catches the top of the mouth. Really nice and smooth. This brewery continues to blow me away.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

How this slipped through the cracks? had in early March 2009.. Pours out black with minimal sturdy foam ..good lacing .. burnt sugar and light roast, quite mild .. love the label .. a decent impy stout .. . yoda was such a dork ..

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

Aroma is very distinctive - smoky and stoutish yet wheaty. It is not strong, but a good snootful had me licking my chops. It pours a deep, opaque chocolate brown, just a couple red tomcat whiskers above black, with a fairly thick and fluffy dark tan head. Flavor is very satisfying and toothsome - smoky and coffee-ish with undertones of both wheat and unsweet chocolate and nutty and molasses hints. Deliskabus! Texture is tingly and edgy yet milky smooth. This is a fabulous beer that is worth finding. Any place I can get it on tap?

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottle courtesy of Plucier: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a huge dark brown foamy color head with great retention and good lacing. Aroma of dry coffee notes are dominating with some black chocolate notes as well. Taste is a mix between some dry coffee notes with some black chocolate notes a nice creamy body. Full body with some good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I can’t say that I really tasted the wheat component and I would have guessed it contains any wheat unless it was mentioned on the label. Good beer overall but missing something to be with the great beer form the style.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

Pours with a black body topped by a thick, tan head with a good amount of lacing. It’s slightly sweet and smokey wiht a little malt and some chocoalte. Medium to full bodied and smooth.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Another thanks to oh6gdx for this one. Unfortunately, it really wasn't up to par and someone who I was sharing this with had suggested a possible infection. Perhaps. Overall it wasn't very good. Nose was lacticy sour, a touch ashy, raisins and sweet malts. Appearance was beautiful, with a huge eruptive dark tan head underneath a solid black body. Flavors had a helping of malt astringency, ashes, dark fruits and a touch metallic.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

Batch 74. Dark as the void of space yet yielding an abundant frothy expansion of chocolate color cream akin to the big bang suggestion. This analogy could actually shed light on the BB theory because after the expansion comes the recession and a final resting point of a full, thick bronze colored downy blanket of lace that just sits there. Could the universe recede after a certain point in time ? Anyone ? I know this is beer but many a great idea were spawned from here. I can smell Belgium. Mild aromas of dark fruits and cocoa w/ a twist of Belgian granite. Full nectar w/ perfect carbonation for a memorable creamy texture right off the lips. Nice! I wonder if anyone has gotten drunk in the void of space ? This brew has an extreme roast component that is not soon forgotten. Only mildly sweet w/ flavors of charred coffee bean, bitter dark cocoa, leather, minerals, and no fruit at all. The finish is long like a trip to planet x at light speed and leaves a trail of charred malts to linger forever. Overall: Ok, just as it claims, it’s extreme. This has to be one of the most highly roasted brews out there. Refreshingly unsweetened and the alcohol is well hidden. Drinks superb from the fridge to the last drop. I wonder if they used a Champagne yeast strain here. Dark Force totally reminds me of Black Flag. If you like one then you must try the other.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Batch 73, Brewed April 2007; Sampled November 2007
Very well carbonated, and as I pour it the aroma makes me think of Brettanomyces. The head is somewhat large bubbled in consistency, initially four-fingers thick and even flows over the rim of my glass a bit; it is a light brown color and is quite long lasting. The beer is almost black in color and is quit opaque. Aromas of dark malt, toasted grain, toasted bread crust, coffee, ample chocolate and perhaps a bit of traditional, sharp wheat aromatics are noticeable underneath all of dark, roast character. Once I get into it, the aroma is not nearly as funky as I thought it would be (at least from those initial Brett infused overtones); it is still here though, much more subtle, but with a distinct vinous character as well as some aromas of tart fruit. This mostly smells like a roasty stout, a touch of tartness and grain character that could be attributed to the wheat as well as a touch of funkiness.

Much more funky in the flavor than the aroma ended up being, though it is still somewhat subtle, or at least I could see how it could be missed given all of the roast grain flavors that are here. Fairly light bodied (definitely lightened by the Brett / funk), though it does retain a soft creaminess, that is able to show through the ample carbonation. A few quick swirls of my glass frees up some of the excess carbonation and softens the beer a bit more. The beer in the near finish has a light tartness to it that is contributed by burnt grain, the wheat and most likely some of the funk. This tartness is superseded in the finish though by a sharp, lingering, burnt bitterness. Funky notes of moldy cotton and musty wood also linger in the finish. Really though the roast grain is what dominates the flavor profile here; flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, chalky roast grain husks, well toasted whole wheat crust and sour / bitter espresso. This has some fruitiness to it as well, of course the fruit tastes like it has been well burnt underneath a broiler, but it does evoke taste memories of burnt prunes, roasted figs and perhaps a touch of raisin.

As the beer warms, the funk begins to pick up a sharpness, almost a harshness that can at times muck the finish up a bit. Still this is a pretty good brew. I'll have to see if I can get a fresher example of this brew to see what that is like (though for a beer of this type, seven months should be nothing).