Style: Imperial Black IPA
Brewery: Halmstad Brygghus
Origin: Sweden
Size: 75cl
Alcohol: 10.4%
Price: 159kr
Systembolaget: 30166
Halmstad Brygghus is located in (unsurprisingly) Halmstad and was founded in 2010. This is a limited edition black IPA made for Christmas 2024. As the brewery is based at Slottsmöllan on the Nissan river, it is powered by the environmentally friendly hydropower power station just outside. There was surprisingly little information about this brewery online, and even less about this limited edition beer. I bought it as I wanted something slightly different in the tasting, and this seemed to fit that purpose perfectly. It was also very limited edition, with only 550 bottles made. But was it a good beer? I would say that it wasn’t bad, but maybe not quite worth it for that price.
It poured with a dark chocolate to black with a light beige head that disappeared fairly. The aroma was pleasant but quite light, with notes of chocolate, roasted dark bread and dark syrup. The taste was much of the same, with an orange peel hint appearing along with the dark bread and grapefruit notes. The aftertaste was rather long-lasting, with the bitterness continuing long after swallowing. The alcohol was warming in the chest, but was a little bit too much for some of the guests.
I really like black IPAs, with the great blend of roasted malts and bitter hops pairing beautifully together. I think this was well-made, and I enjoyed trying it, but is definitely a beer that would be perfect to share with a friend or two. The price for me was too high though, so it would be hard for me to recommend this beer fully in that respect.