HaandBryggeriet Bestefar

This is a strong hearty festival beer for those good relaxing moments when you are cuddling up in front of a roaring fire feeling the warmth from both beer and flames.

3.7

414 reviews

Drammen, Norway

Community reviews

3.6 Draft Half Pint at Cask Pub & Kitchen, Pimlico, London in Nov 2011 - Very Dark Brown (almost Black) in colour. Flat; Zero carbonation. Very Fruity; berries, juniper?, raisins etc. Spicy; ginger. Malty; roasty malts, toffee, some dark chocolate. Smooth. Sweet fruity spicy malty throughout. Surprisingly easy drinking for ABV. Very drinkable. (2011-11-05)

4.0 Flaske. Uklar brunaktig med noe skum som varer kort. Aromaen er bacon, malt, røsted, rosin og røykt. Smaken er bacon, røykt, røsted og noe salt. Kompleks og spesiell øl. Et kvalitetsøl. Fin passende fylde.

3.8 Bouteille avec un BB du 27/11/2017, batch 941 sûrement embouteillée en novembre 2015 selon les différentes évaluations donc bue après 13 mois. Robe brune très foncée pratiquement noire et surmontée d’un col de mousse brun et onctueux qui s’efface rapidement. Arômes de tourbe fumée, mûres confites, pruneau, chocolat au lait, malt grillé. Notes de grains de café et d’amande. En bouche, bel harmonie entre le malt fumé et les saveurs de café et chocolat. Par la suite, un peu de pruneau séché, mélasse brûlée, umami (bouillon de boeuf, jambon fumé...). Belle texture lisse et onctueuse, corps moyen. Rien à voir avec les bières de Noël épicées et sucrées et franchement intéressante.

3.8 December 23, 2016. Bottle, batch 655, brewed September 19, 2013. Dark brown almost black with a large creamy tan head. Aroma is malty, fruity and light smokey with dark bread, toffee, canned peaches, some roasted notes, licorice and light earthy spiciness. Taste is light to medium sweet, slight warming, smooth bitterness. Medium to full bodied, soft to average carbonation. Finish is sweet malty with toffee, dark bread, licorice, light smokey and spicy notes, some roasted bitterness. Smooth malty and nice smokey note.

4.1 500 ml bottle, Batch 918, brewed on Sept. 15, 2015 and bottled on Oct. 13, 2015. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours a very dark brown color with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. Aroma is nice and smoky, the brew smells like smoked malt, molasses, chocolate, and dark fruit. For the most part I think the taste is like the aroma, but there’s also some woodiness and Tootsie Roll flavors noticeable. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it’s a bit slick and smooth with a low/moderate amount of carbonation. I think it’s a good overall brew, I liked the smokiness in it. The smoke is there, but it doesn’t overpower the rest of the brew. Definitely worth picking up! $8.99 a bottle.

4.7 Most of the American brewing winter market tends to hearken to the English Strong Ale tradition with brown-colored (and often spiced) catch-all Winter Warmers. HaandBryggeriet Bestefar will make you wish more brewers looked to Scandinavia instead. Bestefar is a brown beer with tons of smoky, savory umami character. It tastes like cured, smoked meat with lots of rich malt to go along with it. It would work beautifully as a companion to the Christmas ham, or it could be enjoyed all by itself as an evening closer. Hard to go wrong with this.

4.1 Bottle. A- Savory, teriyaki, soy sauce, wood, smoke, jerky. A- Dark red mahogany color, clear liquid, beige head. T- Jerky, teriyaki sauce, wood, umami, smoke. P- Full body, average texture, average carbonation, savory finish. O- Like a mix between a sahti, scotch ale, and smoked ale. Lots of goodness going on. Smoke, umami, fermented sauce, delish! If I come across more I’ll be stocking up. Balanced and tasty!

4.4 On tap at Refuge. Smoky spicy molasses aroma. Sweet and bitter with big vanilla and smoke notes. Rich and chocolatey with a smooth finish. Great.

3.7 33cl bottle. Taste is brown bread, dried plum, raisin, warm spices, hint of smoke, bit of chocolate and char/roast, and molasses. Finishes malty, dirty, some alcohol. Nice one.

3.7 Botella. @Cimmeria, Oviedo 25/11/2016 Color marron, sabor caramelo, malta, ahumada, rica

3.7 Denne stout har et sort udseende med et svagt brunt skum. Øllen har en sød karamel aroma og smager deraf med smag af kaffe og noter af lakrids. Bitter afrunding. Medium karbonering.

3.8 Aroma of coffee and chocolate with spicy notes. Black with a little light brown head. Medium-high sweetness and light-medium bitterness. Creamy texture, full body. Very tasteful Christmas ale.

2.0 From Zombier. In Teku glass. Watching Los Soprano 4x10-11. Pretty smoky, not so much to make it disgusting but enough to not make it easy to drink. ABV well hidden. Low on foam

3.3 Dark brown ale. Herbal armoa, (my wife mentioned shampoo), some chocolate. Starts off with some dark malt and chocolate, some spices and a slight bitter finish.

3.9 500 ml bottle. Dark brown color with beige head. Malty aroma, caramel, some chocolate notes, dark dried fruits, some smoked notes, spicy too. Sweet and bitter taste like aroma. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.

3.8 En aroma domina el ahumado intenso pero agradable Buen aspecto negro con espuma abundante y persistente color beige En boca al principio maltoso que dura muy poco para entrar el ahumado potente pero agradable

4.4 Dark pour, thick foamy caramel colored head. Aromas of raisin and licorice. First taste is potent, with the alcohol level very subdued. Amazing beer.

3.8 Flaska från SB. Svart med ljusbrunt skum. Doft av choklad och hasselnötsglass. Kaffe med mjölk och choklad i smaken.

4.3 Batch 655 från 2013: Svart med brunt skum. Maltig doft med rostade toner, choklad, lakrits, läder, lite mörk torkar frukt och aningen rök. Även i smaken finns en lätt rökighet och stora rostade toner med choklad, kaffe och lakrits och lite pralinsötma. En mycket trevlig julöl, fyllig, smakrik och välbalanserad med den lilla rökigheten. Den har helt klart rundat till sig under lagringen, mums.

3.5 Look; beige bigtop, ultra dark mahogany-cherry body. Aroma; roasted malts, tar, dust, attic, liquorice. Taste; roasted malts, liquorice, orange flavoured dark chocolate, tar, moon anise - finishes salty malty. Palate, good feel, smooth. Overall traditional ale, grandfather’s eve sipper? [50cl brown btl, 9%abv, BB14.10.17 #918, B@Vinmonopolet]

3.7 Bottle. Nice brown colour and moderate head. Rich, rich and rich - and some bitterness. A real winterwarmer!

3.5 Bottle. Dark. Soft roasty, dark fruity, ripe fruity, slight molassy, plummy, some chocolate, madeira-y, dark bready nose. Full bodied, good bitters, sweetness, spicy. Prety nice, stable, xnas ale. Spicy, dark fruity. -- bb

3.2 Poured into a perfect pint. Batch 490. 3.5 A: Black color. Three fingers of foamy tan head. Retention is pretty good, but just a short ring of lacing is left. 3.75 S: Wow, this is surprisingly dry. It’s a roasty, nutty dryness. Sprucey, pine sappiness. Chocolate and caramel. Quite pleasant. 3.25 T: Taste isn’t quite as good as the nose. Chocolate, an almost tangy caramel, and a light spiciness. Nuts, pine, and molasses. Not nearly as dry as the nose. Indeed it verges on sweet. It’s okay, but I’m not a huge fan of the tanginess. 3.0 M: Lighter medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Light creaminess. The big complaint here is that it’s quite sticky and causes some amylase balling. 3.25 D: It’s okay, but it’s no Odin’s Tipple. ★ 739 characters DavoleBomb, Sep 03, 2013

3.6 Pours brown to black with a beige head, aroma of chocolate, caramel, roasted, flavor is slightly smoked, caramel, cocoa, burnt bread, medium bodied.

3.5 Flaska. Brun öl med ett medelstort beigt skum. Dofter av lakrits, hasselnöt, rosta malt och choklad. Smakinslag av trä, röda bär, rostad malt, örter och choklad. Aningen syrlig i avslutningen. Medelkropp.

4.3 Mycket trevlig, mustig doft med inslag av läder, plommon, pomeransskal och lite rök. Brusande flaska. Brygden är svart och helt ogenomskinlig. Skummet är förvånansvärt läskartat och kort, kanske beroende på åldern (brygd 19 september 2013, batch 655). Ganska söt brygd med en härligt kryddig attack. Därefter en rund karaktär av choklad, lakrits och lite alkohol. Eftersmaken har en lätt rökig touch och en behaglig, mjuk beska. Fyllig kropp och en väl tilltagen men inte omotiverad kolsyra.

4.1 Bottle. Heavy cereal, nutty and chocolate for the malt, light herbs for the hops, moderate dough for the yeast with toffee, alcohol, fig and tobacco in the background. Head is average to large, frothy to fizzy, tan with some slippery lacing and is mostly lasting. Color is dark brown. Flavor starts lightly to moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly sweet, acidic and bitter. Palate is medium to full, oily with a carbonation between lively and fizzy with silky and stick finish. A well balanced and beautifully crafted Traditional Ale.

3.7 2014 version, 500ml bottle, GUSHER! Black with two finger tan head. Aroma of chocolate, slightly sour smoke, leather and some tobacco. Bitter taste with initial smoke, chocolate, some very bitter coffee and alcohol. Kinda hard to put words on... Quite smooth, medium-lively prickly carbonation, warming alcohol.

3.9 Piana średniej wielkości, drobno i średnio pęcherzykowa, szybko opada do kożuszka, ładnie oblepia szkło. Barwa brązowa, nieprzejrzysta z czerwonymi refleksami. W aromacie ciekawe drewniane nuty, wędzony bukiem słód, likier czekoladowy, suszona żurawina. W smaku analogicznie, z tym że wędzonka jest przyjemna, lekko ogniskowo-kiełbaskowa, piwo dość agresywne, na początku słodkie, pełne, ziemiste, po chwili palone i likierowe, następnie dochodzą estry owocowe, wędzona śliwka i ziołowo-alkoholowa goryczka na finiszu. W afterteasie kakao, świeża kawa mielona, prażone ziarno i długi posmak alkoholu, whisky. Gdyby nie ten alkohol... może za kilka miesięcy było by idealne...

4.0 Pretty much the same as Nissefar, smoky, tobacco hints, pretty heavy on umami but also some molasses character. Nice beer.