In Drammen, a bit outside Oslo, there’s a small brewery called “HaandBryggeriet” (meaning “The Hand Brewery”). Among their beers is a porter which I picked up some weeks ago. Today, I decided to taste it.
The bottle is not the same as the somewhat-standard Nøgne Ø bottles which have become common lately, but one which has a bit less of a neck and a bit rounder. The beer itself is bottle-conditioned, unpasturised and unfiltered, so the usual precaution of leaving the last cm or so in the bottle applies.
Dark beer, as a porter should be. It doesn’t have much fizz, nor does it have much foam. A bit too little, in fact, but I don’t mind too much about that. The taste is slightly bitter, with lots of chocolate and coffee. Somewhat sweet and very nice. Only a shame it’s just a half-litre bottle.