Sur Megge - HaandBryggeriet

TheSixthRing

California

3.71/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a hazy golden amber with a thin head and sub-par retention, resulting in a smooth surface with no lacing.

Smell - Strong sour cherry aroma. Touches of green apple.

Taste - Wow, that's sour! Tart, unripened green apple and tart cherry. Finishes just as sour as it starts.

Mouthfeel - Medium body with moderate carbonation. Bitey; likely from the sourness. Goes down smooth before a bone dry finish.

Overall - An incredibly sour brew. Relentless, even. It's good, but as sour and one-dimensional as it is, I don't think I'd care to drink more than one of these things.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 22:58:38 | More by TheSixthRing

kojevergas

California

3.34/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Acquired at a local SoCal beer store for $12.00. Imported by the Shelton Bastards. "Norwegian Sour Ale Aged in Oak Barrels." 8% ABV confirmed. 1 pint .9 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high; I'm in the mood for a good sour.

Served straight from the fridge and allowed to warm a bit over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a one finger white colour head of okay cream, okay thickness, and average (~2 minute) retention. Lightly frothy. Body colour is a hazy murky pale orange-copper. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Lacks vibrance. Admittedly, it isn't much to look at. I'm hoping it tastes better than it looks.

Sm: Nice lacto yeast. Peach fruit. Caramel. Light tartness. Lactic and a bit funky, with some nice sour cherry. Light oak. Lemon juice. White grape skin. Appealing. Apt for a sour. I'm excited to try it. No alcohol is detectable.

T: Grape skin, apple skin, and white wine - not a fan of the white wine, which comes through far too much here. Oak comes on a bit strong. The lacto is prominent enough at all; much more sourness from the lacto is needed. Lacks the fruitiness of the aroma. A bit grainy, even a touch bitter on the climax. The climax is a low point for the beer, featuring the most white wine flavour, which really kills the structural balance. No alcohol comes through. Apple gets more noticeable as it warms. Pale malts. Crystal malt. I like the lacto and wish there were more. Not impressed with the execution of the oak notes. Well built generally, but there's room for improvement.

Mf: Acidic. Smooth and wet. Fizzy. A bit too thick for the flavour profile. Somewhat refreshing. Doesn't have the bite seen in some other sours. A bit overcarbonated. Has too much body for its lack of flavour diversity and depth.

Dr: A drinkable little sour, but a pricey one for the quality. I'd only get it again if it were the only decent option at a bar, or if it were at a better price - but seeing as it's Norwegian, I doubt that will be the case. An interesting brew from HaandBryggeriet, and one that makes me more interested in their other sours. Hides its ABV well. I'll enjoy finishing this bottle.

B-

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 04:49:17 | More by kojevergas

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.66/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a cloudy light orange with no head, no lace and no bubbles.

S - aroma of oak, leathery Brett, mild Lacto, mild citrus and faint whiffs of a forest after a big rain.

T - is similar to the aroma with an ambiguous fruity note, perhaps pineapple with a nice lemony finish. Mild sweetness. Fairly tasty.

M - light-medium body with low carbonation, but not quite flat. Decent sourness, but not quite mouth watering. Not as dry as most beers in the style.

O - the 8% is well hidden, the flavor and aroma are nice, but not outstanding. Not a good value, but it was fun to drink and tick once.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 22:58:52 | More by GuzzLah

dgilks

Australia

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy peach colour with no head. Actually a really pretty colour. Head formation is disappointing but not unexpected for a sour.

Interesting combination of funk, lactic acid, sour cherry and grapefruit. Really nice actually. Quite clean.

Really clean malt character that provides a wonderful foundation for the tart, fruity acid to shine. Nice berry character and light funk. The wine barrels have clearly done some work here and it is delicious.

Medium-light body with moderate carbonation. Quite good in terms of accentuating the fruit and acid.

A lovely beer. The stock standard sour ale base gains a very interesting character from the wine barrels and the whole comes together quite well. The acid is neither overbearing nor insufficient. I really like it.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 05:41:19 | More by dgilks

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Clear peach-infused orange/light copper. No carbonation. Miniscule white collar. No lacing, no head. Very flat and still.

Smell: Big bright lactic tartness. Some mild acetic notes in the back. Worn leather, tart cherry, and a nice solid undercurrent of oak. Nicely tart pushing some lemon juice and fresh zest. Some grape skin and wine. A touch of apple skin as well. Nicely fruity. Big layer of oak adds a nice dimension.

Taste: A solid chunk of oak to start things off. Woody, vaguely earthy and covered with some herbal notes. Mild layers of cherry skin, apple cores, and lemon rind. Acetic tartness is a little less pronounced than the nose would indicate. Some backing pushes of vinegar and fruity wine. Straight acetic sour keeps the flavor rolling. Oak and tart, oak and tart. Soggy grass and a slight graininess.

Mouthfeel: Clean tartness. No carbonation. Medium body with a nice full smoothness. Drinks nice and clean with a dryness that just screams tart.

Overall: Norway is the coolest American state.

A solid "sour" ale. A nice depth of flavor that never gets too intense. Lacks a little overall depth, but it's not a bad thing for this beer. A nice strong balance of oak and acetic tartness. Sad I don't have another bottle or two to sit on.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 02:30:02 | More by Goblinmunkey7

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an orange sort of color with very minimal head. Fairly typical sour beer aromas of grass, lemon, and oak. A little acetic, but mostly lactic, a touch of wine, and a touch of funk. The flavor is decently sour, with the same acetic/lactic combination. A definite fruitiness of berries, peaches, and lemons. A little bit of malt sweetness, and a bit of wood and funk. Not bad, particularly compared to some of their other sours.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 20:42:55 | More by womencantsail

snpub540

California

3.3/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Picked it up off a whim at my local bottle shop.

Poured an orangish copper hue with almost no head at all. Very little carbonation. Slightly hazy.

Smells are very enticing. Funky aromas, vinegary sour , and some fruity notes. Also some hay and grassy aromas in there.

Taste is on the milder side with sours. Smooth and easy drinking. Lemony sour in the finish with the an easy going funk in the middle.

Gotta pick up another to age although its a little on the pricey side

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 19:12:47 | More by snpub540

mlazzaro

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

.5L bottle. First one I've seen. Pour cellar temp into 3 Philosophers wine glass. Purchased from Downtown Wine and Spirits of Cambridge MA.

Mild carbonation, makes me want to get another and aged it out proper. Rim of white head. Golden - Amber color. Moderate clarity.

Smells of a true lambic. Top notch aromatics. Bright acidic yeasty punch, lactic acid, oak barrel, fruit character from wild cultures. Really one of the better beer I've had the pleasure of smelling, no joke.

Taste is far more mild than smell. Low tannin content. Still has a nice acidic tang to the mouthfeel from wild fermentation. But a very light, and booze influenced mouthfeel. You can still taste the grain through the fermentation which is nice, grainy cereal and wheat flavors. Wood barrel comes through and does not overpower. Really its all about the variety of yeast and bacteria flavors going on. Worked out really nicely.

The glass gets better as I sip on. This just may be up my alley, but I'ma huge fan. Not to many breweries can pull off such complexity, wile maintaining high drinkability. Cheers to the proprietors! thank you and keep them coming.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 21:17:42 | More by mlazzaro

wethorseblanket

California

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a slightly hazy, peachy orange with a large-bubbled, thin white head which fades to the rim leaving faint rings and linked lace.

N: Fruity like peaches, oak tannins, some sourness, with a slightly herbal note.

T: Sour apples/pear/white grape and tannic. Becomes more vinous on warming.

M: A bit thin and light for both the body and carbonation. Just mildly sour.

O: Wanted to like this, but it's just so-so.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 02:12:10 | More by wethorseblanket

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Picked up a bottle of this at Hill Farmstead's retail shop.

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a well, nearly flat pour. A super thin off white halo wisps around the tulip. A deep dark amber flat hue. No visible carbonation. Somewhat disappointing.

S - Hrm, super light aromas. Very light barnyard funk and indiscernible sour/tart qualities.

T - Light oak barrels and wood notes with some super light barnyard funk. There is some light sourness and tart cherries. Light vinegar on the finish with a tart dry lingering aftertaste.

M - Mouthfeel is thin and rather flat, which I figured due to the pour. Definitely not what a wild ale should be. Atleast not a fresh one. Dry finish results in a flemmy throat feel.

O - Overall this is another disappointing sour from HaandBryggeriet. I know these guys make good sours but so far the majority of the ones I've had have just been underwhelming. Very frustrating.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 23:04:16 | More by rudzud

ADZA

Australia

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I would not have a clue what this name means but it pours a golden orange light amber hue which leaves a one finger head and hardly any lacing at all,the smell is basically a subdued wild ale aroma with hints of barnyard funk,sweaty socks,fruit punch and flat tropical cool drink,the mouthfeel is just over light bodied and very sessionable with tastes of funky sourness followed by tropical fruit punch,sour cherries,acidic vinegar,lemon peel and finished with a fresh picked white grape sourness and overall its a nice wild ale while being a little subdued but definately one for those venturing into wild ale territory for the first time as i think its a nice icebreaker and not as full on as what i want in a perfect wild ale cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 17:10:32 | More by ADZA