Norwegian Wood is my first beer from the Norwegian craft brewers Haand Bryggeriet and from this experience, they are definitely going onto the must try all beers from this brewer list.

First time and again, I got to watch for reading ingredient lists but I really got an early upfront note of the junipers.  Dare I say a pleasant gin like flavour.

The smoke malt soon took over to a wonderful crisp finish.

For the UK, we’ve got quite a cold spell at the moment (may go down to freezing where I am tonight) and so I feel this a perfect beer for this.

Then again, could really enjoy this in the summer as well.

A Dutch brew pub that only serves Dutch /Holland / Nederdlands beers.

It was probably a Dutch to Norh American thing but did get some push back on my pursuit of heavy hoppiness.

Still we did try:

• SNAB Pale Ale
• SNAB Otter
• La Trappe Blonde
• Vlo from Brouwerij het Ij
• Something (can’t read my notes) from De Molen

Double IPA, enough said

Scarbs says,

This one is a summer porch beer, where one would lead twelve.

I would agree with that, in that this is a very light, fresh, straw-yellow (4.5%) session beer.

Pours out as peaty, almost black with a light brown head.

It’s quite a meaty bear where the roasted malts bring chocolate tones to balance out the hops (which have quite a good length.)

I would have this beer again (maybe have to head out now to get another bottle) and thinks it’s one worth searching out.  It’s currently rating in the 89th percentile on ratebeer.

Initial thoughts are, and these at some level don’t make sense, is this is a combination of a tasty Golden Ale mashed with an original style IPA.

Or, as the Tank has been doing extensive tasting of Dark Star this summer, would suggest that the Anarchist is like Sunburst vs. Hophead, which is so good on so many levels.

The Cannery says:

This is a beer lover’s beer. Anarchist Amber Ale is a full bodied hand-crafted ale that is a generous combination of carefully roasted malted barley balanced with three Northwest hop varieties. Patient and watchful conditioning results in a harmony of hop and malt.

It pours out as a nice amber colour with a golden tinged head that soon dissipates though stays through the glass.

It’s a very refreshing ale that I would say has some peach tones with some malty uplift at the end.  Other drinkers mention some hops but I reckon my taste buds have been hammered by the American IPAs I have been drinking as I don’t get that.

All in all, a good start to tonight’s tasting session.

One of the beers on my must have list was the Phillips Amnesiac Double IPA, which at 8.5% I expected to be at heavier end of the scale like the Barleywines…but actually it seems that Matt Phillips has spent some time learning from the Belgians…meaning that yes, this is a big beer and not for the feint of heart but it’s got a delicious, grapefruit hoppiness you would expect, matched with a nice dark caramel colour and poured with a solid white head that stays with the beer as it get’s drained.

One thing, it’s not bottle fermented and I don’t recall seeing that yet in any of the beers…probably some legal brewhaha that stops the brewers from doing so.

It was certainly as tasty as expected but I was surprised that the Dark Star Sunburst burned through my memory as being the benchmark for a Golden Ale and so was slightly dissapointed.

Saying that, the Tank would try again and again this brew and if you see it, make sure to give a go.