Hesjeøl - HaandBryggeriet

rtepiak

Poland

4.03/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bartender at spyten divuel states is a smoked lager.

Much darker than schlenkerla helles as in orange gold. Pour is a nice head that lets out so much apple and woody acid leather notes all in a cloud of floral perfume. Automatically the question not to ask is whether this is a superior beer. Its more astringent but still balanced. Palate of chalk, smoke in one spectrum and apple pie and hints of sour notes that all combine into a grassy bitter end. Well carbonated. Ready for hams and creamy cheese. I love this brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2011 04:17:54 | More by rtepiak

Scrumtralecent

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Bavarian Lodge

A - Dark copper with light cream head, good head retention slowly giving way to the copper color.
S - Nice smoked barley smell is the forefront with some sweet almost candied scents coming after.
T - Smoke is quite apparent when cold, but is a smooth mellowed smoke blended in with the brew which imparts some sweet and almost citrus notes. As it warms, more fruit comes out and the smoke is less apparent. An enjoyable and complex taste.
M - Mouthfeel is nice and medium bodied with some tingling in the cheeks and smoke being left throughout.
O - Overall a very solid beer and enjoyable drink. Enjoyed the smoked malts and sweet Belgian like qualities play against each other. Perfect medium bodied ale for a hot day like today when a stout would be too much.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2011 04:50:47 | More by Scrumtralecent

msmezher

California

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hesjeøl is the first beer from HaandBryggeriet I've had the pleasure of drinking. Not too smokey for being a smoked beer, and had a little sweetness in the malt. It poured with a little bit of white froth, and had a medium-full bodied texture. To me some beers really are an experience to drink, and some maybe more for their rarity than purely by their taste. Smoke beers, sour ales, chile beers are few and far between, and I think that counts for something. What I liked most about this beer was it was definitely out of the ordinary, and left me wanting more from Norway.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2010 06:34:09 | More by msmezher

DoubleJ

California

3.08/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Chopp ao Beachwood BBQ, vá a cerveja:

A mix of orange brown, but leaning towards that darker color. Head and lacing are fine. No, it's not a smoky nose I'm getting, I'm getting more of a hopped nose. Grapey hops and floral aromas. It's not bad.

Hesjeøl is not very smoky; it's very subtle at best. It tastes more like it's Belgian, and not a great one at that. The first half of the glass was fine, slightly sweet from the malt and yeast, a tingle of pine, dry. The second half yields a little woddy smokiness as it warms, but also some raw veggie flavors. The aftertaste of aspirin-like bitterness makes the beer go down a little slower.

Unusual is the best way to describe this beer. I like seeing more smoked beer options, but at least showcase that flavor to a larger degree.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2010 03:31:30 | More by DoubleJ

Halcyondays

California

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a light red with a firm finger of white head, some lace.

S: Hint of smoke, got some Belgian-type yeast esters, dark fruit.

T: Nice dark biscuity malt with a mild smoke character, for a smoked beer it's not coming to the forefront. For me, a saison type beer at it's base, dark fruit, some plum type flavours, rye spice, I liked it even if it's not what I expected.

M: Medium-bodied, smooth, soft carbonation, easy drinking.

D: HaandBryggeriet is super rare so I don't know how Beachwood got this. Definitely a try for something different, don't expect anything near Schlenkerla though.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2010 22:25:46 | More by Halcyondays

koopa

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Consumed on 4/11/10 at the Copper Mine Pub in North Arlington, NJ.

From Notes....

Appearance: Tawny - slight hazed russet autumn brown with yellow folds, a 1 finger white crown, little retention and soapy lace.

Smell: Apricot, nectarines, honey, spice (Cinnamon like but not quite)

Taste: Same as nose but with a slightly smokey malt. I'd score it a 4.2 for taste if I could. Nice twist with the smoked malt but I wish the base brew was better.

Mouthfeel: A touch too thin for me.

Drinkability: I'd score it higher if I liked the mouthfeel more.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2010 15:32:30 | More by koopa

EPICAC

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a hazy, amber color, and is topped by a beige ring of a head. The aroma is fruity and malty with notes of banana, caramel, and toffee. There are also notes of grassy hops and smoke.

This beer opens up with sweet, malty notes of molasses and toffee over grassy undertones. Some spiciness appears in the center along with a dry smokiness that builds towards the finish. This beer is full-bodied, moderately carbonated, and had a grassy dryness in the finish.

I liked this beer quite a bit. Normally smoked beers are heavy handed with the smokiness, but the smoke in this one wasn't overpowering at all.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2010 19:28:33 | More by EPICAC

jlindros

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap @ Armsby Abbey.

A: THick frothy head fades slowly over the super hazy dark brown and slightly marroon color.

N: Some nice malts, a decent amount of smoke but not heavy. Some light brown sugar and molasses, with a slight spice, and slightly toasty.

T: Starts right off the with smoke, but again is pretty light compared to many others. A slight smoked meat with that, chewy malts, malty overall with some brown sugar and molasses. Some light spicy hop character, a little sweet.

M: Medium but a little lighter than I expected but with good carbonation.

F: Small finish, especially for a smoked beer. A little sweetness but it dries well. Slight malt and molasses. More light smoke and some dry smokey malts as well as a slight spicy hop. It finishes short and then just disappears.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2010 18:02:54 | More by jlindros

glid02

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Leon's Full Service in Atlanta.

Pours a hazy copper color with a one-finger slightly off-white head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving thick lacing.

Smells of lightly smoked malts, sweeter caramel malts, and earthy hops, in that order. As it warms the hop aromas intensify a bit and a bit of spiciness jumps in as well.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Equal parts sweet caramel malt and mild smoked malt flavors kick things off. Very mild amounts of rye enter into things soon thereafter before fading to make way for good amounts of leafy and earthy hop flavors. The hops carry through to a solidly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a nice thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is also very good. I finished my glass without a problem and could easily have another.

Overall this was one of the more interesting beers I've had recently. It went down easy - no surprise as it had two specialty malts I like a bunch - however it didn't seem to really own any one of its many facets. Still, worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2010 03:57:33 | More by glid02

Gmann

New York

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy golden light brown color with a big airy off-white head that slowly settled into a light cap.

The aroma has a tart lemon thing going on. There is also some hay and farmhouse notes. A hint of clove provides some spice.

The taste is more spicy than the aroma. The clove stand out much more. There is a general hay and multi-grain bread flavor. A bit of a brown sugar sweetness. The beer is more earthy than expected; perhaps from a grassy hop profile. The beer has a wheat malt edge to it which provides a touch of sour lemon. Not really smokey, perhaps a very subtle meaty ham flavor.

Moderate body with very fizzy carbonation; burns a bit. Sweet and herbal on the palate but has good balance. It is quite refreshing.

A unique brew. Kind of in the line of a saison and biere de garde. A nice rustic style.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 17:43:06 | More by Gmann

metter98

New York

3.91/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear orange amber in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high off white head that died down a little but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are light aromas of smoked malts and wood in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, but the smoky flavors are a little stronger and there is a light amount of hop bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: Some people may shy away from smoked beers but this is relatively tame and the smoke makes the taste interesting but doesn't overpower it. The best way I could describe this is it's kind of like a smoked saison.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 02:15:53 | More by metter98

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a light dirty hay color ale with a generous foamy head with some retention and light lacing. Aroma consists of multi-grain malt bill with deep floral and herbal hoppy notes. Taste is a mix between some lightly smoked multi-grain malt with some quite flavourful green and herbal hops with limited bitterness. Body is quite full with good carbonation. Nicely brewed with fresh green hops really coming through and well balanced by grain malt bill.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 14:11:10 | More by Phyl21ca

bluejacket74

Ohio

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle, Batch 355. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours a hazy orange/amber color with about an inch and a half off-white head. Head retention is good, and there's a decent amount of lacing. The brew smells like bready malt, yeast, smoke, and some fruit. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like smoke, bready/grainy malt, yeast, wood, peppery spice, and some fruit. The smoke isn't overpowering in either the aroma or taste, but there's certainly enough there to notice it. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating and is well carbonated. I think this is a good brew, I'd buy it again in the future. $8.99 a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 22:24:18 | More by bluejacket74

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle. Wine glass. Enjoyed on jul´12. Orangish amber color, quite crystal clear appearance. Off-white, brief crown. Mildy toasted caramel malt hues, floral aromas & subtle peat malts to the nose. Crystal malt flavor, bitter & fruity touch followed by smoky bacon-like notes. Light to medium body, moderate to high carbonation. Spicy palate. Oily slightly watery texture. Dry astringent finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 23:36:06 | More by GONZALOYANNA

EnemyWithin

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle in Duvel glass on May 19, 2012

Appearance 3.5

Amber red hazy body w white one inch head that quickly fades

Smell. 4
Soft biscuit malt with notes of smokey roasted and typical Belgian yeast spicy beds. Quite enjoyable

Taste 4.5
Initial crisp grassy hops with peppe, lemon, and slight smoky roasted malt .Then later melded w a more biscuit malt with notes of Belgian yeast spines and fruity esters. Like a combination of a hefeweizen and faint notes Belgian dubbel with more of slighter crisp finish and less sweet. Smoke presence is not the main focus by any means, but detectable in the background, especially in the finish

Mouthfeel. 4
Mild to mod thickness with soft slight creamy carbonation. A contrast of the dry hops vs the slight sweet and roast malt. Reasonably refreshing.

Overall. 4.5
Great complex aroma and flavours with that makes a interesting robust tasting beer that still has a slightly lighter crisp body. Very easy to drink. Good in warmer weather.

Smoked presence is very very subtle. Faint and with incorporated Overall I really enjoyed this beer and found it was not too brash and instead well polished. imagine would go great w food
Recommend to try

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 13:36:26 | More by EnemyWithin

katan

Colorado

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured in a goblet

A - Pours somewhere between a copper and a brown color. Strong head formation, dirty white in color. Bubbling seems light.

S - Malty, sweet, salty, almost like maple syrup.

T - Starts off lightly sweet, only a little bit of malt. Rather understated. Mid-stream brings on a bigger malt flavor. Oddly my first thought is bacon - smokey and salty. Not overwhelming, but clearly the smokiness is dominant. Finishes with a sticky sweet/salty flavor.

M - Moderate body, stronger carbonation. Carbonation comes through in a stingy and biting way. Alcohol is well hidden.

O/D - This is a unique beer. Bacon beer? Has a big time fall feeling to it. Bacon is good with everything, and it seems to be good here (at least in spirit). I'm good with this beer, but I don't know if i could go with more than one.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 16:48:27 | More by katan

Samp01

New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle. Pours a cloudy brownish amber with medium beige head. Aroma of sweet caramel malt, yeasty bready notes, some dark fruit, dates, plums. Taste is sweet lightly toasted caramel malt, yeast, dark fruity flavors of plums and dates, lightly hopped. Palate is a medium body with a slightly thick texture, with some mild carbonation. Finish is sweet lightly toasted caramel malt, yeasty with some dark fruits of plums, raisins dates followed by some light hops bitterness to balance the sweetness. Overall a very good, tasty brew, very much enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 23:42:36 | More by Samp01

Bung

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml. Cloudy orange pour with quite a bit of carbonation throughout. Off white head, pretty good retention.

Aroma, quite herbal and grainy. Some malty toffee, pine like hops. Very faint smoke/toasted malt.

Taste, Caramel, a little fruitcake at first. Changes to a spicy rye and carraway seed like flavor. Very nice herbal woody smoke, not so much a meaty smoke.
These guys have the best brewing spices.

Somewhat lively carbonation, just left if medium bodied. Drinks very easy. Really pretty unique, I can see this being a love hate, like most good smoked or rauch brews.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 02:12:46 | More by Bung

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A little ageing did not hurt this 500 ml. harvest ale. Mild smoke aroma. A bit of an overflowing foaming ale. Rye, smoked wheat, edgy and more complexity and mouthfeel body than a smoked lager. Good drinkability with food. Satisfying. On the bitter side without a lot of hops, yet no too bitter.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 00:40:28 | More by northyorksammy

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased from Leura Cellars.

Pours a lovely hazed but bright orange golden colour, with enough clarity just to keep the light shining through. Head is filmy and insubstantial. Body has a bit of heft to it, while staying fluid. Looks very decent.

Nose is wonderfully weird and interesting, with nice mixtures of smoke, juniper, hay and green cut lucerne. Something sharper to it as well, with a pleasant spicy character. Really nice.

Taste actually improves on this complexity, adding a soft sweetness on the palate, and a really nice wholesome grain character. All of this is layered pleasantly with the sharp juniper, the rustic smoke and even a touch of eventual acidity to clear it out. This is all aided by the feel which is smooth at the start, but peppered with a fine carbonation—it mirrors the soft malt/sharp green characters in the flavour.

Really nice beer: as well as having interesting complexities, it has a really well thought out and well executed balance to the flavours. I'm really loving what Haand does—this one may be the finest of theirs I've tried to date.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 04:07:30 | More by lacqueredmouse

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle. The label depicts a nice story about Norwegian farms formerly being required to make their own beer - just like the Norwegian Wood offering from the same producer. I also like the wraparound finger and thumb prints on the label - they just miss fitting my hand by a size or so.

This beer pours a cloudy, chunky sediment-strewn dark golden brown hue, with two fingers of tight fizzy pale beige head, which settles fairly quickly, leaving a low slinking band of lace around the glass. It smells of lightly smoked, meaty biscuity malt, mild fruity citrus, and some earthy spice. The taste is toasty pale malt, some spicy, biscuity graininess, a subtle ashy note, and earthy, somewhat musty hops. The carbonation is quite average and unobtrusive, the body medium weight, and everyman smooth. It finishes off-dry, the multifaceted roasted grain still holding court amongst a bit of fruitiness and lingering earthy hops.

A surprisingly easy to drink ale, the mix of grains making for a down-home, rustic elixir experience. Was a hit in my family home.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 23:24:50 | More by biboergosum

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle poured into tulip 20/12/11

A hazy dark reddish amber with a three finger tan head that falls to a thick film rather quickly leaving a few patches of lace

S sorta smells like a hoppy campfire, one whiffs all smoke then the next one's citric hops with some caramel different but good

T some fruit peeks through the smokey hops but only for a moment, some tobacco and apple I didn't smell and the finish is smokier then when the liquid's in your mouth

M a little lighter then expected but decent carbonation almost on the brink of turning too foam, long aftertaste

O interesting stuff with well concealed booze and a flavor that evolves as you drink it

I was expecting a fresh hopped ale and found some smoke, different but worth a try

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 03:53:17 | More by wordemupg

Granhaugen

Norway

3.53/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice color, copper, burnt orange. Head is 2 fingers, reduces nicely to a thin head. Very nice lacing.
Smoked smell, not too strong. Taste the smokey flavor not over bearing, nice balance between smoke, barley and hops.
Mouth feel is medium. A nice light after taste of hops, that goes from back of throat to the tip of the tongue.
Well crafted beer. I would drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 11:22:24 | More by Granhaugen

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Very interesting good beer. Let the bottle warm a bit out of the fridge. Poured with a foamy, fluffy, frothy, billowy, clumpy, cream colored head and lots of lace. Color is a clear medium dark amber with some bubble trails as they should be. Aroma is yeast, toffee, malt, dark riper fruit, and a hint of sm oke. Flavor is similar but smoke is much more prominant, followed by a sweet tang that really works to balance the whold. Finish is like flavor and has a long duration. Bit boozy there at the end too. Session if you're in the mood for this kind of thing. I rarely am.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 04:38:31 | More by drpimento

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Well, slap me 'round and call me Susan....this is a smoked beer. Huh, didn't see that on the label. Surprised a bit, but not let down.

Pours a full golden body with a nice, rich white head-- 1 1/2 fingers. The head did not go away. Love it.

Grassy aroma, some char and roasted malt. Wasn't thinking of smoke, but did pick it up. Sort of peaty without that 'muddiness' to it. Spicy and tingly.

There's the smoke. Nice camp fire type smoke. Some wood, some grass, some grains. Toasty malt. The spice is light but unapologetic. Carbonation adds to the feel of it being refreshing. Light body, very nice drinking

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 05:09:39 | More by Mebuzzard