HaandBryggeriet Hesjeøl
English: Brewing was very much a part of farm life in old Norway. Indeed farmers were required by law to make beer and could loose their lands if this duty was neglected. Custom called for a specialy hearty but thirst quenching ale at harvest-time. This Hesjeøl- or harvest ale is a recreation of this beer style.
Norsk: Ølbrygging var en viktig del av livet i Norge i gamle dager. Øl ble brygget til de fleste større begivenheter, men også som tørstedrikke til bruk i innhøstingssesongen, da ble det brygget et forfriskende øl. Haandbryggeriet har forsøkt å gjenskape et slikt øl med dette Hesjeølet.
Editor’s note: Was 7% ABV, now 6.5%.
Norsk: Ølbrygging var en viktig del av livet i Norge i gamle dager. Øl ble brygget til de fleste større begivenheter, men også som tørstedrikke til bruk i innhøstingssesongen, da ble det brygget et forfriskende øl. Haandbryggeriet har forsøkt å gjenskape et slikt øl med dette Hesjeølet.
Editor’s note: Was 7% ABV, now 6.5%.
3.6
426 reviews
Drammen, Norway
Community reviews
bread, caramel, toast, CORPO PIENO E ROTONDO COME TUTTE LE BIRRE DI HAAND, FANTASTICA
4/VII/16 - 50cl bottle from Bierhalle Deconinck (Vichte) @ Adam Jackson Tasting Without Adam Jackson - BB: 14/I/17 (2016-728) Thanks to Erwin for sharing the bottle!
Clear orange beer, big creamy off-white head, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: malty, soapy, floral, bit fruity, honey, rather sweet. MF: soft carbon, medium to full body. Taste: pretty smoky start, sweet malts, sugary, soft bitterness. Aftertaste: smoky, bitter, malty, grains, hay, meh.
The Scandinavian beer revolution does not neglect its own traditions, and many of these new craft breweries there come up with recreations of ancient Nordic ales regularly. This is one such example, though, as with the stories surrounding saison, I find it hard to imagine that a 6.5% ABV beer (or originally even 7%) would serve as a thirst quencher for landworkers during harvest, as the label claims... Thinnish, bubbly, off-white, regular head leaving a rim around the edge and some thin patches in the middle but eventually dissolving into completely nothing; almost clear amberish orange colour with a suspension of tiny yeast bits throughout, becoming a completely cloudy amber with sediment. Aroma of (mildly) smoked bacon, dried orange peel and bitter orange, freshly grated ginger, dried juniper berries, roasted peanuts, cigarette tobacco, chicken spices, curcuma, toasted bread, roasted bell pepper, clove-like phenols and a lot of them, faint strawberry sweetishness peeping through, horseradish. Fruity onset, dried peach, hints of redcurrant, mandarin and red apple, only very vaguely sweetish, more sourish, mineral accents here and there, softish carbo, supple and lean mouthfeel, spicy phenols showing up shyly at first but growing in strength later on. These impressions continue over a smooth nutty malt middle gaining a soft, toasted bittering edge in the end, while drying spiciness and hoppiness add more substantial bitterness, resulting in a medium long to long bitter finish, peppery and leafy with an earthy yeast quality accentuating it especially after adding the sediment; juniper berry- and vaguely clove-like spicy notes rise up retronasally but fortunately not in an obnoxious way. Label does not mention spices so I assume these effects are from a purely phenolic nature and indeed, it can easily be established that this is a very phenolic beer, albeit not unpleasantly so; it is, however, rather unusual and a bit ’untidy’, with a deep hop bitterness and hop aromas almost reminiscent of the old English style IPA... Feels somewhat unbalanced; perhaps some more rounded malt sweetness could make it better, but then, who am I to judge how an ancient Norwegian thirst quencher should taste like... That being said, there is little or no reference on the label to actual historical sources, so I have a suspicion that this is only ’traditional ale’ by inspiration (and some extent of imagination), and not so much from a truly ’physical’ and technical point of view. Remains the question: is it a pleasant beer? It has a phenolic character which is all too strong for my personal liking and the deep hop bitterness could be better balanced or more elegantly put, but on the other hand, it has certain characteristics which remind me of Orval, and that works to its benefit, I guess, though it does not come close to that standard. It does, however, speak for a Belgian, in some respects saison-like influence, bringing me back to my abovementioned point of this probably being not too authentically Scandinavian at all in terms of style and pedigree. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.
50 cl bottle. Hazy amber no head. Funk aroma, smoke, saison yeast. Malt flavour, cinnamon notes, smokey, some bitterness
Pours cloudy copper with a finger of white head. Aroma of smoke, floral notes, light peat. Taste is sweet and smoky with a peaty finish. Light and smooth body with soft carbonation.
Bardzo obfita, drobna, biała piana, która ochoczo sama wychodzi z butelki jak i ze szkła. Barwa bursztynowo czerwona, mętna, intensywnie uwalniające się drobne bąbelki. W aromacie sporo jabłek, gruszek, winogron i ogólnie białych owoców z siankiem na końcu - baaardzo przyjemnie. Smak półwytrawny, jest lekka kwaskowość porzeczkowa, delikatna słodycz moreli, skórki od chleba i czerwony pieprz na finiszu. O ile aromat bliższy białym, o tyle smak bliższy czerwonym owocom w połączeniu z belgijskim Saisonem. Goryczka niska, przyprawowa. W odczuciu drobniusieńkie, intensywne nagazowanie, posmaki ziołowe, delikatne funky i mineralność.
Bardzo złożone, wielowymiarowe piwo. Od silnej owocowości w aromacie, poprzez niewielką kwaskowość, słodowość, estrowość i fenolowośc w smaku, do zagrodowych, lekko dzikich i ziemistych wtrętów w afterteasie.
Flaske. Spesiell øl. Aroma og smak er litt røkt, som røkt spekekjøtt eller kaviar. Vanskelig å si, bacon kanskje? Som sagt ganske spesiell. Mange elementer.
On tap at The Thomas Tallis Canterbury. Haze amber orange colour lasting ivory head. . Belgian ale? Toffee. Smokey hefe aroma. Its full toffee banana in the mouth some sweetness. Just a very interesting beer. Bizarre. Herb.
Uklart karamell brunt med skum som forsvinner fort. Lukten er preget av røyk,torv og lett frukt. Søt røyk og karamell i smaken. Medium munnfølelse.
Roodbruin bier met weinig schuim. Smaak is bitter hoppig met iets van bessen.
Dark blond colour. There’s a light smokiness in the aroma. Flavour is very floral and herbal. Light body.
(butelka warka 702, dp: 07.01.2016) Piwo jest przegazowane i nalewa się z bardzo bujną i grubo-pęcherzykową pianą, która cieniutka warstwą pozostaje do końca picia. Barwa bursztynowa, piwo jest mętne.
Aromat jest średnio-intensywny i kojarzy się ze skisłymi słodkimi cytrusami. W tle pojawia się zapach wyprawionej skóry oraz delikatne nuty miodowe i przyprawowe.
W smaku piwo jest mocno wysycone. Słodkie pieczywo, po chwili przykrywane są owocowymi posmakami (brzoskwinie, morele). Finisz lekko przyprawowy, cierpki i delikatnie kwaśny. Przypomina posmak niedojrzałych jagód.
Midlebrown colour, unclear/Unfiltrered. tick texture. Spacey and smoked aroma that dominate the body of the taste. Fresh head and smoky end. Will taste again:-)
Hazy copper with white head. Smoked bacon, bread and caramel. Light, herbal, malty, sweet and light hoppy finish. Overall: Great aroma and light palate.
Niemal doskonale piwo, mocno metne az przyklejony osad, nie sposob go wymieszac z dna butelki. Piwo o pomaranczowo miedzianej barwie, sporej piance srednio trwalej. Zapach lekko przegnitych pomaranczy brzoskwin. W smaku slodowe lekko slodkie ale kwaskowe ciut ze spora dawka zborzowych wrazen i chlebowej skorki. Polecam to tradycyjne farmerskie Ale
Clear amber body with low head. Aroma has light bacon roastiness, malty, light alcoholic. Taste has medium roasty sweetness, earthy bitterness. Spicy. Body is mediium but dry, high carbonation.
Bottle at a tasting. Lots of spices in this one, clove, badyan. Really high spice intensity. The finish reveals that some of it has hops origin, also citrusy zesty elements. Then spicy again. Quite a rollercoaster of flavour. But good.
Bottle. Clear golden orange colour, white head. Aroma is spicy, some fruits- apricots, peach. Taste is spicy and fruity too, yeast in taste. Quite dry end. Gold one.
500 ml bottle shared by Rusos at Bratislava Tasting, thanks!
Amber, moderately hazy body, with a medium, creamy, off-white head.
Aroma of moderate smoke, spices, bread, orange zest, citrus, some sweet malts.
Taste follows this, with more sweet malts, like honey.
Medium, a bit creamy mouthfeel, with a lively carbonation.
Finishes spicy, a bit smokey, dry hoppy, a bit malty.
Nice one. Greatly balanced between the smokey, the malty and some hoppy notes. Drinks pretty easy. Not my favourite beer from this brewery, but enjoyable.
500ml bottle shared by rusos at Bratislava RB Tasting, big thanks. dark orange hazy color, small white head. smells light smoke, sausages, spices, a bit citric, some more fruits. decent smell. full body, soft carbonation, slick mouthfeel. tastes of light smoke, spices, citric, oranges, also some grass, very lightly sweet. finishes with oranges and spices also some light grassy bitterness. decent stuff, quite like it, taste a bit better than the smell.
Hazy light orange body with white head. Smells bread, citrus, orange, spices, roasted. Tastes lightly hoppy, smoky, spices, a little sweet, leaves light bitter after taste.
Bottle at tasting, Gurthnar’s place. Hazy Orange golden color with small white head. Malty, hoppy aroma. Peach, oranges, tangerines, yeast, spices in taste. Good.
Bottle at Joined Slovak&Austian ratebeer session 10/2015. Pours golden color, white head. Aroma of malty, honey, caramel, bread, spicy. Taste is sweet, orange, tangerines, yeasty, malty, peach.
Passe fyldig, ikke så lett og friskt som forventet. Ikke noen tørsteslukker. Nydelig hint av røyksmak. Kjempegodt øl til kos. Antakeligvis for kraftig til mat.
Bottle, batch #900. Aroma is hay, grass, flowers, herbs, some belgian yeast-notes. Dark golden amber, hazy, small off-white head. Medium sweetness, medium bitterness, taste is light malts, biscuits, bread, bread crust, yeast, floral notes, herbal notes. Light/medium body, average carbonation, long bitter finsih. Nice farmhouse ale.
Bärnstensfärgad, rejält disig med medelstort vitt skum som lägger sig snabbt. I doften finns massor av gräs, blommor och örter plus en liten fruktighet och aningen rök. Smaken är lite kärv med mycket gräs och örter, liten rökighet, liten fruktsötma av mogna äpplen, avslutningen är kryddig, lite pepprig men den bra beska. Lagom kolsyra, fin munkänsla. En riktigt läcker slåtteröl!
Prezentacja:
cimnopomarańczowe, wpadające w brąz, bardzo zmętnione, piana obfita, ale mydlana, szybko opada do nikłej obrączki, koronka symboliczna;
Aromat:
nuty dzikie, skórzane, drzewne, ale też słodkie owocowe, głównie przejrzały banan, czarna porzeczka i pomarańcza oraz słodkie przyprawy;
Odczucie:
ciało wysokie ku średniemu, nasycenie średnie, bardzo gładkie, finisz goryczki karmelowej, solidnie wykleja podniebienie;
Smak:
jałowiec, drewno, alkohol w połączeniu dają lakierowaną boazerię, ale w przyjemny sposób, jest też sporo słodyczy owocowej, przyprawowej, herbatnikowej i przyjemna karmelowo-alkoholowa goryczka;
Ogólnie:
fajne piwo, złożone, zbalansowane.
Pours dark golden and hazy with a 2 finger off-white head that diminishes to a thin layer rather quickly. Aroma is sweetish; light smoked malt, coriander, pepper, bubblegum, hay, flowers, perhaps some juniper fruit. The taste is dominated by spices, with a strong malt base and a nice bitter and sour finish that morphs smoothly into a peppery aftertaste. Medium to low spicy bitterness, medium to high carbonation, medium body. This is a most intriguing beer. It’s something between a Saison, Sahti and Rosanke. Drinkable, thirst quenching, refreshing and yet heavy enough to seem satiating. This is exactly how I picture a harvest ale. Definitely one worth repeating.
Bottle from Cunningham, huge thanxxx my friend!
Best before date was 2 months ago. Slight gushing. Pours clear, copper colored with a soapy longlasting head. Aroma has very lovely smoked malts and lots of spicy notes. Taste of smoked malts, caramel, spices, some farmhouse yeast. Later, it has some fruity notes, especially pear and peach. Finish has again delicious smoked malts, as well as some peach and spices. Awesome beer, indeed!!!
Bottle. Pours all hazy dark orange with frothy off-white head. Aroma is quite saison’ish, ripe fruits, peach, pear, canned pear, malty sweetness and some subtle rustic bonfire smoke. Taste has loads of fruits, some pear and peach, eatery and slight spices. Malty background. High carbonation and medium body, but dries out by the smoke and bonfire. Really interesting! Slight bitter too.